New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-03
saved libel suit We have no objection. how

ever to answering the somewhat curt ana POM
cd inquiry why The Tribune keeps yelping IL
The Sun" THE Sun" in its issue OF Janu-
airy "a, In a two-co!umn article under wash
ington date. published what it called the Story
Of "a scandal Of large proportions hanging
over Washington, the glst of which was that
John f. Milholland, of The New-iork IT'D
"une. had Joined hands With ID. o. Mills ana
"others Of The New-York Tribune crowd in
scheme ito make great haul on the United
States Treasury" by means OF Tubular DIS
match COmpany, which was to "shoot the mails
through rheumatic tubes" from the Postofhce
to Forty -second-st.: that members of the Sen
"ate and the House of Representatives are
Thoroughly aware that Milholland and his
friends have attempted to bribe congressman
"by sending them or their families stock OF the
Tubular Dispatch Company free etc; that
"rhe Sun" had the names of Congressman VINO
were implicated and that. if necessary to go
TO extremes" It would publish them. For that
publication Mr.. Milholland promptly entered Il
libel suit against "The Sum- laying damages
nj 100000 The Tribune, in the discharge o'
what II considered public duty. has called upon
THE Sun" day after day TO continue us oIS
closures: 10 go to extremes" and publish the
names Of the incrimlnated public ofnclais' ID
short TO uncover completely its scandal OF
large proportions" Ii does not seem TO us mat
the word "yppng' properly describes Inc IT'D
une's course In the matter. But that is purel!
a question Of taste.
The Tribune is not fool enough to think II
hurts THE sun 1t has no desire 10 90 tnaC
Its only purpose has been to emphasize the TACT
that "Thc Sun either knew the details OF "a
scandal Of large proportions" which II dared
not tell for fear Of a libel suit. or ont OF sheer
malice had invented a scandal for when there
was no foundation whatever. We nave tried
10 bring It to book, as well in the interest OF
public morals and common decency as on our
own account 1.-THE Tribune crowd being IN
culpated In the scandal" Instead OF hurting
THE SUM-" it has been The Iribunes chlef de-
sire to help 1t by holding itself mp TO Itself so
that seeing itself as others see 1t, IL may re-
form both its morals and its manners Ana we
believe the lesson has not been lost. For ruiz
week 1t has been comparatively decent. True
It has been insufferably stupid but how could
we know that 1t could not be decent without
being dulli
And so our blue pencil critic thinks THE
Sun" IS downing" The Tribune EAST by dig
nifed silence, It's - digniied silence then.
that this ribald and mendacous disseminator
of the fOucst lbels is observing "A dgnifed
silence Well It comes late Fer more than
n Ouarte; of century. through father ana son.
this utterly unprinciped. constituencies ana
venal publication has been venting IFS malice
and spite upon decent people whom 1t had en-
dOwed with its hate II has followed lis VIC
fms with persistent and vindictive malignity
to the grave and beyond has pursued them with
relentless ferocity in all the relations of life,
invading the domestic circle and the home with
the poison of it's ISLANDERS and the venom or us
scurrilIty. And 1t never ''let up That was us
boast For more than quarter or century
II has gone on unchecked. chiefly because no
victim of IFS malice had brought 1t 10 book with
a libel suit and no contemporary had thought
It worth while to stoop to its chastlsenent And
so II Is az this late day observing "a dlgnihed
silence! Well. il is time.
What has become of that whlffet or yours
asked citizen, "that used to be forever yelp-
ling nj passers-by till the big dog took him by
"the neck and trounced him" Hes sitting on
"the back stoop downing the big dog by dig
"nlficd silence" was the answer. WHY doesn
1.-The Sun answer the questions that have been
"asLed about IT'S great sensation Is the IN
oury Of the readers of that sheet. And the
answer ia: ION. The Sun is downing The
Tribune by dicnfed silence"