Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-09-26
WHERE RESPONSIBILITY LIES.

New York Evening Post.
Ever since President Mckinley yas
shot, fortnight AGO, there has been q
tremendous manifestation Of popular
indignation against yellow journalism
4 aud particularly against its worst ex
emplnr in New York City. Like al
sudden outbursts OF rage, this has bee
largely discriminating, aud much O
IL has been quite beside the mark.
The theory, which has been seriously
advanced, that Czolgosz was led to as
sassinate Prssident Mckinley by read
ing certain daily newspaper, is with,
out particle OF evidence, and is nj
| atfropt to common sense. One might
with as much reason have argued thai
Guiteau was impelled to kill President
Garfield in 1881 by reading the bitter
diatribes In Republican newspaper
during that period of heated factiona
controversy in the Republican partl
which preceded the assassination.
Hardly less iustifiable have been tina
more extreme complaints regarding the
treatment of the late President by yell
low journals, going as they often haya
virtually to the length Of declaring that
public men must be relieved from critI.
cism by the writer or the cartoonist
Freedom OF Legitimate discussion must
be maintained. II any editor or any
public man feels persuaded that Presi.
dent is working harm to the republic,
he must have the right to say so plainly
and emphatically. A year and q half ago,
George F. Hosr, the veteran Republi,
can Senator from Massachusetts,, was
profoundly convinced that the policy
pursued by the administration was one
so utterly bad that perseverance, In Il
will be the abandonment of the princi
pies upon which our governments i
founded. that 1t will change GU
republic into an empire;" and hl
go declared, IN the most iinpressIv
manner, 10 speech delivered bd
fore the Senate on the 18th o
April, 1900 The right OF any publit
mainland OF any newspaper editor--tt
say such sever things as this about ami
President must be preserved, and 1t viii
be. u sad day for the republic wheL
there are not George +. Hears ready Il
speak the truth as they see it. So
too. We must render it possible Away
for Mast to expose Tweed, or KEEP.
pier blaine, In q cartoon which putf
q whole argument In single picture
The real offense of yellow journalism
Ia not SO much that it holds public
man up to undeserved ridicule, or visit
upon him censure which he does rol
deserve, as that Its pervading spirit II
one OF vulgarIty, indeoency, and reck.
less sensationalism that it steadily vic
lates the canons alike of good taste
and sound morals; that 1t cultivate
false standards OF life, and demoralize
| Its readers; that 1t recklessly usa
language which may incite the crack
Drained to awlessness; that it's net ia
| fuence makes the world worse. A forc,
working to such ends surely ought IL
be restrained, and public opinion ought
to be brought to bear against it in thu
most effective possible ways.
+ There has been much discussion al
to the responsibility for this sort Of
Journalism, but the real blame surslJ
rests upon the community which sus-
tains IL. fortunately, too, this responsi
bility can be narrowed down. Thos.
most to blame for the exiatepce of any
evil are the people who could do most
to suppress 1t, by giving the force OF
their example, as we'll as their words,
against it. One can, and should, "have
nothing to do with him. in the case OF
any private citizen who has forfeited
public respect by gross misconduct; re
fuse to go to his house, to recognise
him on the street, to endorse his cours,
In any way. Precisely the same thing
can andsshould he done in the case of
newspaper.
1t is a disagreeable truth, but ont
which ought to be told, that yellos
journalism, in its worst New Yors OK
etnplar, Gtood upon higher plane Z
respectability on the day Mr.. Mex inles>
was shot than ever before, because ii
had just secured the endorsement of a
number of the most prominent men 10
the community; because an eminent
bishop Of the church had become a cou-
tributor to its columns because other
well-kuown clergymen, lawyers, and bus
mess men had followed this leadership;
because it wss thus enabled, with APP
parent truth, to boast that il was not
only most reputable publication, but
that 1t was of all newspapers in New
York the one which offered the best
medium for public teachers to employ.
The dead walls of this city two weeks
ago were placardad with great posters
displaying this certificate of good char
aoter.
The journal was Just the same news
paper when it was given this certificate
that 1T bad always been it became no
dif1erentEwhen it published communion
|
highly respectable and influential men.
They knew its character we'll when
they agreed to furnish such articles,
They ought to have known, too, that
it wanted simply the endorsement Of
their names 10 order to convince doubt
ers that it was fit paper for the home.
They ought also to have known thai
the readers would turn from their arti.
Giles to pages of scandal, yulagrity. in.
decency, land sensationalism. The,
sipned against light
Why will people buy such news.
paper?" has been the most common
question. Why should they not buy 1t,
when our best men write for itY Why
should we expect people not to ratronizt2
paper which can advertise that il Al
youched for by leaders in the church,
in law, in finance? With what force can
We condemn newspaper for it's yuI-
garity, indeoenoy, and general demorali-
zation, with what force can we criticlzt
the ignorant and the unframed for read.
ing such paper, when our very teachers
of morality pronounce it fit instructor
for themS These are the questions we
must now ask.
What this community needs is not
diatIibes against the conductors OF veil
low Journals, or against the buyers OF
them. 1t needs the general adoption by
our business men, our lawyers, our
clergymen, our men of light and lead
ing, of the only effective method for
discouraging such journals, as exempli.
fed, over three years ago. by an ex-
President. On the 9th of February,
1898, W. II. Hearst telegraphed to
Grover Cleveland that Levi p Morfnn