The San Francisco call., 1898-03-11
THE FIXED RAMPOLLA INTERVIEW.

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 tween what daily paper may publish as news
 l and what it manufactures out of whole cloth. A morning paper connected by wire with every con- siderable city the planet, as s IS warranted in publishing what the world has talked about, the talking about it making 1t news ln the twenty-iour hours that pass between each issue All events talked about by the people ot every nation may not turn out to have been true, but they are al ways matters of public interest because they were talked about The fact that they were passed from mouth to mouth IS true, ana the press has, in majority o instances, no tune nor opportunity to the talk to its source and verify it. These conditions are always present in time of high excitement and potent passion like the blowing up of the warship Maine The press gathered from the talk of men what they saying about it. The intensity and interest of what they said pro- portion their to the scene and the reader is expected appreciate this and discount 1t to the percentage justified by his own coolness of judg- ment.
 But all these conditions disappear approach the newspaper interview. An interview IS the result of deberation. The paper desires an interview with individual upon subject o passing or ot perIna- nent interest It sends its representative to seek the interview It is to be published, to influence opinion and thought in proportion to the importance and po- ston of the person interviewed. The papers share ir the transaction is what it gains by its enterprise i'll inducing the person interviewed to enlarge his opinions in its columns,
 The readers do not always, however discriminate between the kinds of responsibility assumed by the paper in publishing what people saying publicly and generally about events and what individual says in deliberately sought interview This failure discriminate has promoted the vice of the aked false interview which has become a speciality in Hearst's two papers, the New York Journal and the Examiner
 He procured the forging of the letter from Mime. Dreyus and of many other faxed and forged per sona communications. His latest performance the faking of an interview with Rampola, the Papal Secretary of State at Rome, on Spanish and Ameri- can affairs This interview was printed with the usual froth and flourish of yellow journalism and boasts of enterprise i'll getting what amounted to expression of the Pope's personal views upon an in te1natona question of the highest interest. It was accepted by the few who believe in Hearst as stroke of stupendous enterprise.
 But now, ten days later, comes Rampolla in a let ter to Prime Minister Sagasta at Madrid denying that such interview given sought, de- nyng that Hearst's representative entered the Vatican on such an errand and denouncing the in terview a lie from end to end
 To person of any sensbility, with fraction of the qualities that make up gentleman, such posture in the arts of liar and sneak would be blow followed by excuse, confession and apology Not so with Hearst. He is proud to have been proved liar by the Pope. His perverted instincts accept it an honor to have been proved black guard by the Vatican. It is the only advertisement he could get from that quarter and the disgrace of it is quite lost in perverted pride at his achievement Of any notice.
 Nevertheless his offense is most indecent. Leo XIII holds position in the worlds affairs that is not all due to his headship of the worlds most ven erable and enduring institution His Christian cour- tcsy and poltencss which have been saluted alike by Czar and Sultan, personal qualities among those that mark him a of genius and prirnate among the worlds intellectual factors Surely it is insult to all fair-minded when Hearst nvades the distinguished secluson of such Pope to parade faked interview with his chief confidential officer and publish falsely views that were never uttered in conference that never held.
 Such thing is not journalism It is crime and of a nature that might lead to the saddest of conse- quences. But in Hearst's view such considerations do not weigh against the chance to sell few papers by lying and boast of enterprise that exists only in fakng falsehoods
 After these exhibitions of hardened vice what con- fdence be put in his dealings with lesser subjects affecting smaller circle of interests and individuals of less note in the world but with the same right to protection against lying publication that belongs to the Pope?