Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1901-09-30

cartoons Of the same man Mr. Lincoln
would not have been reelected in 1864,
and with him defeated and the prln-
ciples of the Chicago platform of that
year adopted, different outcome of
the war would have resulted, and our
entire national history since would
have been changed. SO that something
can be said for cartoons. And the
preachers and other denouncers of
yellow journalism have not always
been so fierce in their outcries as they
are now. The brutal caricatures of
Horace Greeley--as inoffensive n man,
personally, as ever lived-which in
1872 were published in highly re
spectacle" not to say exclusive pa
perrin a journal of Civilization"
just as surely sent him to his grave
as did the bullet of Czolgosz Mr.. Nc
Klnley. Nothing in the way of ear
toons in later years has approached
these in virulence or ferocity. Yet the
people heard no pulpit denunciations
of them at the time, and they certain
ly have not lately.
in fact the most that can he said,
and it is the whole truth,--of the
ances of some newspapers-an they
are not always yellow, either, some
of them being dressed in very decor
Gus black, and of their brutalizing
pictures, is that they are,-both of
them, not the cause, but the product,
Of n bad and vicious public taste, and
that neither could exist for a day or
an hour but for the support which
community infected with this de-
PRAYED appetite gives them. The
clergy, in denouncing them, mistakes
symptom for the deep-seated dis
ease of which the cartoon and the
reckless journal is but the outcrop-
ping. We respectfully suggest that
they address themselves to extlrpat-
ing the first cause of the malady. In
stead of frantlcally demanding muz-
zling of the press. We pointed out a
few days ago the constitutional objec-
tions to the proposed enactments for
increased severity of punishment OF
anarchists to fit the present exlgency.
We have now to add that there is a
peculiarly cogent reason why our
preachers should not join in the incon-
cry for II practical censorship
of publications in this country. We
heard a pulpit discourse lately. in
which the passage of laws identical
hemently advocated, d,-probably with
out thinking of the untoward fate Of
the latter. But the preacher did not
emember-perhaps he never knew
that the freedom of his own pulpit
was inseparably wrapped up with that
of the American press, and that not
less by the very nature of the case
than by the express command Of
law. Our Constitution
declares that Congress shall make
no law respecting an establishment
IF religion, or prohibiting the free ex-
arcise thereof, or abridging the free
lom of speech, or of the press" and
Mr.. Jefferson, commenting on this
provision OF our organic law, adds
thereby guarding in the same SEN
Eence, and under the same words, the
freedom of religion, of speech, and of
he press, msomuch, that whatever
either, throws down the sane
tuary which covers the others"
Perhaps some of these men. who
now so inconsiderately counsel the
aside of this safeguard,
would not so well relish the applicn-
tion of their proposed remedy If some
future Congress should see fit to pass
an old-tlme heresy law, in which their
parlcular sect should figure as the
heretics.
Hnbtual disrespect for law Is rife
enough among us already. We do not
need advice to make II more so. In
this respect unfortunately the few
anarchists are not the only offenders.
The automobIlist, running, in viola
tion of law, nt GO miles an hour; the
humber "scorcher" who patterns after
him in his small way. and thereby
runs down his neighbor: the contractor
or the grocer who see that somc
things can be done as well Ms others,
and thus occupy half the street with
their materials or their wares in the
face Of IN ordinance to the contrary
and so on down the long roll of great
or or less breaches of various laws,
all contribute their portions to state
of things whlch--in the language of
ancient indictments, Is "of evil eN-
ample"
We have nowhere seen what seems
to MS the basic fact of the present
situation in this regard so well stated
as In the following language of one of
our exchanges: THAT the social
fabric that was found So firm and
strong by those who studied our re-
public In Its early days has been un-
dcrmlned is the view that all sober
people viii adhere to. The simple,
homely virtues, the frugal busy, TEN.
pcrntc lives; the avoidance of luxury,
the Jealous guarding of personal hon.
/ or, made our nation great In its early
growth, and nothing else can now re,
deem IT,"
Is IL too much to ask our clergy tC
appeal for n return to these pristine
virtues of our past, instead of recon-
mending quack remedies for n ma
tional disease, which II time and effor
are wasted on them, may in the mean
time become mortal?
to throw obstacles in the way of thos