The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-09-12

Wv vE NOTICE not uncxpect-
W. cdly the propounding Of
the singular proposition
that journalistic abusive
ness, scnsationalism and dcmagogical
fostering of class prejudice and pas
sion, while proper enough FOR rcbuke
when not outwardly doing much harm,
must not be held to account when they
eliminate in crime causing civil
ization to shuddcr; lest, forsooth, it
might excite partisan rancor or he con-
strued as an act of business compete
tion.
This cunning endcavor TO impart to
the public's swift and stern condcm-
nation of yellow journalism partisan
or personal bias, as If any party or fac
tion wished TO have the skulking hy-
enas of that kind of journalism hiding
behind it. is futile. Democrats and Re
publcans, alike, view with adherence
the crime committed at Buffalo and
also the lonc-continucd prior crime of
daily pictorial and textual vilifcation
Of the president which. as Secretary
Hay has truthfully said, more than
anything else led up to the Buffalo
horror. They are equally determined
that the lesson of C2olgos2's informal
act shall not he lost through any sickly
sentimcntalitv or wcak-knced timdity
in failing to bring it home.
1t may or may not be a time for re-
ordinations; that depends upon the
meaning you give to the word. But it
certainly is high time to let the pub
fishers of unprnciplcd newspapers,
whatever their alleged politics, know
that they cannot expect to SOW the
wind of class prejudice, hatred of rich
by poor and continual fomcnting of
discord and i'll will without some day
rcaping the whirlwind of public ac-
countability. Their whining assump-
tion of grief at the latest logical out
growth of their nefarious work does
not diminish it intensifcs the public's s
disgust.
Anarchy in this country is the spawn
of yellow journalism; of just such
journalism as the Scranton Times has
cxemplificd from tho day it came into
it's present cOntrol-the journalism that
| teaches social discomfort; contempt of
| the conservative influences in society;
| class envy and malice the doctrine
| that wealth is plotting to pervert the
government and plundcr the people,
| that organized enterprise is hostile to
honest labor, that mon in Office are
| thieves or hypocrites, that tremendous
| panics are impending, human liberty
| is menaccd, and mischief is To pay in
"A thousand horrifyiug forms. Deny it
| who will. this has been the great
| stimulating agency that has kept alive
| i'm the open air of free America the
noxious theories of anarchism that had
| their birth in the oppressive atmos-
phcrc of the Old World. Without its
| nourishment and support anarchy in
this land would speedily perish from
inanition. yellow journalism feeds it.
waters it, sends new recruits to it and
thus helps to lay the foundations of its
| incendiarism and crime.
We do not intend that it shall wriGGlo
out from under the friGhtful load of
| its present direct and indirect rcspon-
sibilty Justice 10 the president, to the
decent press and to the decent people
as well as ordinary prcceution for the
future, demands that the lesson of last
weeks shooting shall be scared into
the puhlic's consciousness and not
treated as ninc-day wonder.
The Srhley inquiry is now due for q