The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-03-08
FAKE WAR NEWS.

What sensational newspapers have done
may te shown by brief examination OF
one numher or nn excitable journal
which has boon doing its test to stir mp a
war fee liug in the country. lt ought Ia
bs said that its special rival in this field
is not worthy of further notice than the
statement that nearly every one Of its
head lines has reen contradicted by that
part OF its news which bears semb.ance
to truth, aud that most II its news has
been plainly untrue. The paper hrst
mentioned gave, the other day, apretend-
| ed statement Of the number of guns IN
| place i'm New York hhrbor. 1t Is unneces-
sary TO examine this statement In de-
| tail, but the Importance Of 1t may Inc
| judged from the fact that every gun that
has oeen delivered, whether IL is mounted
or not, was counted as in place and ready
for use, while i'm one inst snce at least the
mum ber of mortars In fort was exactly
doubled. At the head of n long dispatch
the papers efforts 10 secure control OF the
INVESTIGATION Of the week by It's own
divers were mentioned in large Hack
type, but there was 10 nlluslon TO the
fact that In the dispaicl, which w1s
dated Havana, IL was stated that no diria-
lille torp ado could work such havoc over
such wide area as had been worked in
the Maine; that there was no knowledge
whatever possessed by any one as to the
cause Of the disaster; that the wounded
sailors OF the Maine were so well treated
on the Alfonso XII. and in the Hospital
at Havana that visitors were told by the
wounded that they were not afraid of
dying there except from the gout. There
was no occa sion for suppre essine these
facts, unless there was general desire
on the part Of the au uthor Of the head
lines, and tho editor who passed them,
to suppr,ss all news that would allay re-
sentiment against the Spanish. In an
other part Of ths paper the head lines tod
it's readers that Professor AlTer, the nn-
val authority on explosives, said that the
force was terrific, ana that only n subma-
rine mine Of great size could Rave caused
such destruction. The dispatch showed
that Professor Alger's statement was
that II the explosion was caused by
7
mary hundred pounds Of powder would
have been required. Professor Alger
meant 20 throw doubt upon the theory
thas the explosion was caused Ivy mine,
40 that the head limo deliberately mis-
represented him. Moreover, the dispatch
contained Professor Al9sr's reasons for
not relieving In the mice theory. They
were that II mire had been exploded
there would have been sea enough raised
In the harbur To rock the great ships
arcAored tfere and to swamp sIrall
boats. There was no such sea raised, 80
far as Professor Alger knew. Moreover,
a mine explosion would have iilsd thc
harbor with dead fish, II living fish had
teen there before the explosion. More
over, Professor AlRer said that tho noise
from an exploded mine wouli have bsen
dull and heavy sound, and not the
sharp one 'd0sCrib,d in the dispatches.
That was such y sound rs would hnye
come from an explosion in the ship. 4 hose
statements wVra suppressed for the same
reason for which the payer suppressed
statements Of the Kirdness Of the Spanish
surgeons 90 the wounded sailors Of tte
Maine. Such conduct Is worthy onlT OF
the sevorest treatment. There ought To
be NV for tho punishment, and even
the suppression Of n newspaper that will
incite 60 war. --liarper's Weekly.