The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-08-12
Evil Influences of a Bad Example.


from his toes up.
s-----
Evil Influences of Bad Example.
Ordinarily the professional quarrels
between newspapers do not especially
agitate the public but in the New York
Suns current alteration with the New
York Herald there is presented an issue
of some Importance, namely, the legal
ity of the Herald's notorious personal
column.
This column is perhaps the most
profitable source of revenue enjoyed by
any newspaper in the United States.
The Hcrald's charge for admission to
st, we have been told, is one dollar for
each agate line of type, at which rate
the personals" in one average issue of
the Sunday edition of that paper would
represent an income not far from $lO,-
O0O In character, however. these ad-
vertisements are fagrantly indecent.
They represent principally the solicit
tations of courteZans or the counter
appeals of depraved men in search of
evil associations and by the mereSt
techniCality in their wording escape the
law against obscene literature. For
printing similar advertisements lack
ing the one technical word "matri-
mony," behind which the New York
Herald shields itself. the publisher of
paper in Chicago, known as the Dis
patch, was not long ago sentenced to
pay fine Of 50 600 and undergo inn
prisonment in Joliet penitentiary for
term of two years. 1t was pleaded in
this Chicago publishers behalf that he
was simply observing a precedent set
by the New York Herald, but the plea
did not prevail before the court and
jury. the judge holding that the publi-
cation Of anything calculated to de-
prave the morals of the ordinary reader
or to lead him into impure purposes
constituted an offence within the mean
ing of the United States statutes.
The principle thus laid down by
Judge Grosscup in the case of the
United States against Joseph Dunlop
would seem to apply with equal force
against James Gordon Bennett not
withstandinG that Bennett has hereto
fore claimed technical exemption from
prosecution because to each of the
filthy personals printed i'm his paper
advertising vice there has been pro-
fanely added a word whose signfi-
canoe should be sufficiently sacred to
protect it from such communicating en-
plOyment. If this matter We're to go
before a decent jury it is unlikely that
the sneak device of Bennett would avail
to save him from responsibility for de
praving the morals of the ordinary
reader and leading him into impure
purposes"
1t has been said that Bennett has
been saved from persecution for these
long-continued offences against good
morals largely by the fact of his great
wealth and the fear of public officials
to encounter the wrath of his big news
paper. We doubt this statement, since
it implies public cOwardice. But it is
undeniable that the prolonged immun-
ity Of Bennct, from legal accountable
ity has had a deteriorating influence
upon American journalism generally.
Publications like the infectious SCran-
tonian take courage from Benefits eX-
ample and continually strive to outdo
each other in the quantity and the
sickenins quality of the nastness which
they serve up. There must be a clean
ing out, but to he effective it will have
to include the big sinners as well as
the scurvy little ones.