Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-10-05
A Little LIGHT

the task OF reforming the newspapers of
the country so that they viii hereafter
designate all public men as saint5 and
angels The Journal says that when a
President is cleo ted all criticism Of his
public acts must cease and eVerybl dy
must give to him Il loyal support in
everything he does.-New Age.
The Journal said nothing az the
kind. Ii did protest against such in
decent caricaturinS OF public oAicials-
particularly the President Of the
United states. as some of the yellow
journals were guilty of in the case of
President Mckinley. 1t insisted that
some respect was due the Presidential
Office after the American people had
made their choice. In this il voiced
the sentiments of some OF the StrunScs st
Democratic papers in the country. So
far from saying that when Prcsi-
dent is elected all criticism Of his pub
lie acts must cease it specifically
propIiety of such criticism III the fol
lowing language:
I'VE Do NOT MEAN TO BE IN
DERSTOOD THAT HIS PUBLIC
ACTS WERE NOT PROPERLY
OPEN TO THE HONEST CRITI-
CISM OF THOSE WHO DIFFERED
WITH HIM ON MATTERS OF PuE-
Lie POLICY. THAT MUST AT ALL
TIMES BE A PRIVILEGE OF
AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP"
1t il PROBABLE that the genial editor
of the Age overlooked this. otherwise
we cannot believe that he would 50
grossly have misrepresented US.
The Age charges the Journal with in
consistency because. IS it alleges. it
has called Senator Wellington of
Maryland a thopeles5 ass" has Ie-
ferred 20 Paramount Blount as "a
political trickster of very snail cali
bre." and has ''heaped abuso" on Mr..
Bryan. To age apparently over
looks the fact that not one Of these
men Is holding an office by the direct
suffrag 60 of the people. Indeed. only
one OF them holds an office of any
kind. This distinction. however. is in
no wise the fault of the others. They
did their best to prevent it. 1t may
occur, however, even to the New Age
that there is a marked difference be
tween the cases of these men-two of
them private citizens-and Mr.. Nc
KinIey. VINO. at the time the yellow
journals We're making their indecent
attacks upon him. was the chief eX
-cutive of the American people.
But even We're all Of these men the
public officials they would like to be,
would still be unfounded. 1t is true
that we referred to Senator Wellington
as hopeless ass" Well. he is. That
was no caricature. 1t was the plain
statement of a generally conceded fact.
1t is true that we called Paramount
Blount a political trickster of very
small calibre." That is our honest
judgment of him, and it is much
milder one than we have seen in or
s&ns of his own party. The Journal
has never assailed Mr.. Bryan's private
character. 1t has cheerfuly con-
coded him to be in all respects a
worthy citiZen--a man Of pleasing per-
sonalty and unquestioned integrity.
We have even gone further than many
of our contemporaries and credited
him with personal sincerity in his
views of public policy. All this the
Journal frankly and cheerfully con-
coded in the editorial it published the
morning after his first nomination.
At the same time we expressed the
opinion that the principles he stood for
were pernicious to q degree and that
no greater calamity could befall the
American people than his election to
the Presidency. We have criticised
his political creed and his expressions
of political opinion in season and out,
and shall probably continue to do SO
long as he cuts any figure as leader
of Democratic policies. At the same
time we can assure our contemporary
that should he ever be elected to the
Presidential otfice-and we are frank
to say that, in our judgment he stands
good deal more of a chance to be
struck by lightning-we shall never in
suit the dignity of American citizen
ship by assailing him in that high
office with caricatures of the little
Wiliie-and- his-papa" variety. though,
we should still reserve the right Ia
criticise or condemn his public poll
Cies
There is nothing so easy in this If,
as to build UP man Of straw anL
then demolish him. Having writer
an editorial and duly credited it tC
the Journal the genial Age ,,di 10,
turns to with his fail and makes ;
dramatic show of his prowess.
While darkness is always naccrs1r-
IN comedies Of this kind, to camplot