Evening journal., 1899-01-10
WHAV THEY SAY ABOUT IT
rNTATR ANp IRRATIoNAL.

UNFAIR AND IRRATIONAL.
The Morning News Of yesterday says
editorialy:
There has been considerable potheI
IN the local press for day or two
concerning a matter of newspaper
ethics. The issue is mot intricate;
neither is it Of especial interest TO the
general public. At the same time there
appears to be a misunderstanding which
it may be wen TO set straight.
Early last week, in accordance with
the usual custom, the secretary or
state gave printed copies Of the gov.
ernors message to the representatives
OF the Delaware papers. to be held ia
confidence until that document was
presented to and read before the Gen
eral Assembly. Contrary to custom.
however, the General Assembly waa
MT Organized on Tuesday last, ana
thus the message was not presented. Al
the same time the newspapers had the
message put in type" as the saying is,
awaiting notice from Dover to the effecR
that the message was before the Gen
eral Assembly. On Friday morning
the speaker OF the House was elected,
and recess was taken until 2 O'Clock
in the afternoon. soon after the body
was called to order the secretary OF
state appeared in the House with the
message. and between that time ano
the hour Of adjournment the message
was read. In the meantime an enter.
prising correspondent at Dover teie.
/, graphed to his paper in this city e
print the message in its EDITION on Fri.
day afternoon. That was done and b,
the time the paper was being gen
orally circulated among It's readers tn,
reading OF the message was completed
Another afternoon paper however
which always makes a boast OF print
/ ing first the news that comes in q,
time and thereby simply doing wha
. any paper does, failed to print tn,
message for some reason or other. on
Saturday afternoon it made an uncal.
ed-for attack upon its contemporary
that had beaten" ii, asserting, in ct
! feet, that the enteIprising correspond
i ent had broken faith with the secre
tary &C state
b All Of which is rubbish. The pape
that printed the mcss1gc did so al ih
proper ume, and no breach of faith j
{ TO be charged against il. just as 500
: as the message came before The Hous,
& and at the very moment the first ian
cf e was read, the copy Of the messag
q that had been he'd in private. and un
J. der pledge not 10 be used until il wa
a read In the proper place. was release
and beeame public property. Il ma,
ters not TO anyone whether the me-
y sage Was 'put in type" after it we
S READ or two weeks before. just as 500
t as ;he General Assembly received Ga
g message 80 wits the property II an
Ia pu5.fc, and the way for the public
, get il was to read the newspapers. Ha
L the message been printed in the AIorr
d ing News Friday it would have been
IA oreach Of good faith and IN pood taet
But the fact of it's being printed q
Friday afternoon Was merely stroll
b Of newspaper enterprise and ouicknei
p Of decision.
q j. is rare. Indeed that newppap
y man, either IN or cut cf an onic
r breaks faHh with a public onicer
re- sny-ne els. Il Is not Unusual fer
'f interesting matter of news 70 be Wit
d held fer days, at the mere verbal r
ls quest Of someone interested. ana Il
Dc pledge Of a newspaper man IS to
e taken by the public as being eonci
-tsivs There is not a reputable pap