The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-01
THE PLAGUE STORY.

On Friday night, well-def1ned story
ran through the newspaper offices and
other night resorts that ease of prob
able plague had been discovered In the
remains of japanese woman. The
Board of Health was up and about In
hacks and it's members were seen to
be nervous and in haste. Guards were
sent to prevent the removal of the body
and the Executive officer of the Board
of Health went to the residence on
Reretania street where the suspect had
lived. BY this Tina a knowledge of the
story had reached forty or fifty or per-
haps one hundred people, beginning
with the Board of Health and inclusive
of police, hackmen, newspaper men. un-
dertaker, printers, men about the all
night restaurants. the telephone Cen
trail" and those who were called up for
consultation. 1t was certain that by
morning, whether the newspapers said
anything or not the town would seethe
with rumors.
The night editors of the two morning
papers had consultation and it was
agree that no good could come from
trying to cover up the news--it was
out already. The Board of Health, not
knowing that the rumor had gone
abroad requested, through Executive
Officer Pratt. that nothing be said To
this the editors of both papers demur-
red. Something HAD been said and
more would be said; rather than let the
rumor do It's worst, -exaggerating the
slightest fact and accepting as fact the
widest suppositions, why not print
calm impartial and official statement
from the Board, of Health, placing the
plague story beyond the reach of con-
lecture.
Towards a. m. the Board, after long
consultation, agreed to the proposal,
and a statement was given to the press,
the editors of the morning papers agree
Ing to make no sensational addenda,
although, with the full story in their
possession for two hours past. they did
not lack for material.
Now suppose the morning papers had
preferfed to keep mum. By.7 a. m. peo-
PIE who knew the story would have been
up telling 1t with the usual Imaginary
trimmings, and having noted the re-
porters following the police and Board
of Health about at the midnight hour
and then seeing nothing about the mat
ter In either morning paper. would
have said: The case must have been
pretty, bad II the Board of Health had
10 choke off the press We can mag
Inc the ferment as the day proceeded
and the growth. through rumor. of the
one suspect case to several fatal ones.
The position of the afternoon papers
would have been most difficult Had
they said there was no suspected case,
a hundred witnesses would have laugh
ed them down; had they said there was
one they would have done precisely
what the morning press had done; had
they said nothing. the self-evident con-
spiracy of silence must have added 10
the alarm.
Under the circumstances publicity in
the form it received was the least of
necessary evils. We hear it said that
the San Francisco plan might have
been followed, but moments refiec- /
ton will show how impossible 1T is. In I
a small, gossipy town, to conceal facts I
which, in great city. almost conceal +
themselves. Note the difference by IL +
lustration. Suppose. a San Francisco /
store is robbed of 500 600 worth of !
goods. If the papers say nothing about /
the affair 1t will not be known at all I,
in the city at large. simply because the (,
'eople of the Coast metropolis are stran- /,
yers to each other as whole and groups !,
II acquaintances are small and not Cos
fpy about other than the social con- I
erns of their own circle and the pub d
shed news of the day. But how Diff q
arent In Honolulu. Let a store be rob- (
co, of $500 and everybody in town soon In
ears of it. whether the papers tell the s
DRY or let 1t alone. Should such a 10
'bbery occur at time subsequent to / g
great epidemic OF robberies, the 10
lances are that the news would fly 10
over town in half an hour and that Ia,
e amount lost by the storekeeper 10,
'uld soon be fixed at $4,000. sc
Fellow Citizens: Honesty is the best as
Icy; in the publication of the news FL
u al otner thingss ~ of