New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-17
SPITE WORK.

! II NAV not have occurred to READERS or Ihe
New-York Sun" who have observed the I'M
| ceasng vigilance with which that yeracouS
newspaper has followed day after day with
column upon column the operations OF the
! Tubular Dispatch Company between the fost-
| office and the Grand Central Station that there
| was any other motive for this excessive watch
| fulness than sincere regard for the public wei
| fare And yet they must have wondered why
"The Sun" was making n special feature OF the
occasional small and unmporiant mlshaps IN
the Initiation Of that enterprise: why 1t alone
OF all the metropolitan newspapers was deVot-
Ing TO them so large portion OF its space, ana
why. more than all. 1t should indulge In such
unusual manifestations OF delight ut anything
and everything that could he distorted into m
apparent flaw IN n work conceded on MI hands
to be great public convenience. They would
have wondered more perhaps. had they known
what Is true-that most of these stories were
either gross exaggerations or tissue OF false
hoods.
They would have ceased TO wonder, however,
had they recalled two or three circumstances
Of recent occurrence. and in connection there
with taken into account the proverbial vindlc-
tiveness and relentless magnty Of "1he Sun"
Our readers will recall the fact that several
weeks ago The Sun'-under the instigation as
is believed, of Thomas G. Plat. who had
threatened to drive John f. Milhoand, presi
dent of the Tubular Dispatch Company out of
business-published two-coumn sensational
rlgmarole, In which It was charged that Mil
holland and what "The Sun" called 'the T'rib-
une crowd" were engaged in n conspiracy to
corrupt Congress for the purpose Of securing
an appropriation for the tubular mail service.
1t asserted broadly that It had the names Of
Congressman who had been brlbed, or corruptly
approached. and of others whose wives had re-
ceived certificates of the stock of the company
to influence their husbands votes, and threat
ened to publish them when 1t became neces-
sary Mr.. Mholland promptly began a libel
suit The Tribune as promptly demanded pub
licaton of all the details of this infamous
transaction, with the names Of the lncriminatcd
Congressman and the whole story OF the con-
nectlon Of "the Tribune crowd" with 1t. That
demand was repeated day after day with no
response. The whole story n fake from
beginning TO end.
DAYS and weeks passed with not word
from 1.-THE Sun" on the subject But It was
not idle Mr. Plat had not by any means
abandoned his scheme to drive Milholland out
of business. While he aud his man Quigg were
busy at Washington threatening Congressman
whose fears he fancied he could work upon and
attempting to intrigue with others, 10 defeat
the appropriation for the tubular mail service
"The Sun" in this city was watching for oppor-
tunlties to dscred: the service and represent
It ms failure. That explains the activity and
vigilance Of THE Sun" The Tribune has no
interest whatever in the Tubular Dispatch Com
pany. except MS IT IS n tenant Of the Tribune
Building nor has Mr. Mholland any connection
with The Tribune but It undertakes 10 sny az
a matter OF truth and justice, that moro
wicked and malevolent conspiracy was never
concocted than the one in which Messrs Plat
and Quigg and THE Sun" are now engaged to
drive one man out OF business merely 10 crafty
another mans spite.