The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-09-21

~ ONE of his political cssaNS,
President RuuseVrlt with that
II ncisiva Candor that character.
ilcs all he writes aud says, thus
paid his respects to yellow journalism:
"Of all The forces that l.ud tor evil
in a great city, like New York, prob
ably non" are 50 potent a. the srn~a-
tiuual papers Until one has had eN-
pori-ncr with thrn it is difficult to real
i2e the reckless Indifference to truth
ar dc"cncy displayed by papers such
aS the two that have the largest circul
atiun in New York city. Scandal
forms the breath of the noslrilS ot
such papers and they are quite as ready
to create as to describe 1t. To sustain
law and order is huu,drum and does
not readily lend itself To Haunting wood
cuts; but If The editor will stOop, aud
make his subur,linatrS Stoop. 10 raking
ia" CUTTERS ut human depraNitN, to up.
holding the Wrongdu-r ana furiouslN
assailing what is upright and honest,
of pand-r mak" it, The man Who il
to du hunurahl" work IN any form OF
civic politics must make up his mind
Hnd il hc il Il man of PROPERLY robust
character he will make IL up without
diHicultN) to treat the assaults of pap
rrs like th-se with absolute indifter-
rnce and to go his way unheeding.'
Make money That. indeed. they
often do. But it is by TIA" grace of
tn, advertisers that they make 1t. II
from the columns of The incrndiary
yellow journals reputable and order
loving business men would withhold
thrir advertising, as Well they might
considering the unsuh>tantial charac-
ter Ot most of the circulation which
those popers command. it would not
L." Hrg until yellow journalism would
cease to menace American institutions.
Advertisers who look at quantity of
circulation and take no note of quail
itt hold out an inducrment for pub
fishers to east scruplrS to the winds
in their methods of increasing the
number of papers they give away ana
sell. They really put premium upon
journalistic lic-nfiousnesS. Nor is
their excuse, that il is good business,
Il valid one. 1t is not good business,
either directly or indirectly.
Directly, such advertising reaches
mainly the poorly SENSATION
loving classes of readers whose ideas
of proportion and propriety are distort-
ed ana perverted. ana who, therefore.
are not in condition to buy merchandise
intrlliSently. Indirectly il undermineS
the foundation of business prosperity
which is public confidence, by making
il Profitable for the publisher to traffic
in anarchistic appeals To prejudice,
envy and disconlent, The merchant
who complains when waves of unrest
sweep over the country, developing fit o.
fulneSs in trade, fomentins strikes and
labor disturbances causing a shrink
ag- in property values, and making it
ing obligations to say nothing of
clearing n profit, has himself largely
to blame if he has helped 10 put fuel
under the flames.
We care say that If a notorious Wom-
"a We're Ia announce Il nude eXhibi-
ion of herself in some public place
uut accessible to tha police she could
command II larger audience. consider
ing numbers alone. than would be at
tractrd by the presence in II house of
Worship Of the best preacher in the
world. Yellow journalism. thanks to
inherent human deprarity, often out.
sells the journalism that is moderate,
Srlf-rrsp-cting and conscientious
But if our national lift is to be kept
clean ana pure. and our country safe
from Internal diss-nsion. the propaga-
tors of anarchism must be suppressed
ana that which is decent in journalism
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