The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-01-24
UNIQUE IN JOURNALISM.
New York Times Candid Ad-
mission of a Serious Error.
ooNoERN1Ng GERMAN WAR SCARE

Unqualified Disclaimer Of Views
Contained In One Of Its Special
Dispatches From Washfngton-NO
Attempt Made to Extenuate the se-
riousness Of It's Misstatements.
The New York Times published on
Sunday, Dec. 20, a special dispatch
from Washington In which was strong
~ suggested the imminence Of war
with Germany over the Monroe doc
trine in its special applicability to the
situation in Venezuela. The CORE
spondent responsible for the dispatch
stated with a p~ositiveness calculated to
carry conviction that the United States
government fully appreciated the situa-
ton and was both "alert and pre-
pared"
A day later the New York Journal
criticised The Times dispatch, and the
New York Evening Post also took ex-
ception to the suggestion contained in
the information from Washington.
Then followed on the part of The
Times an example Of candor and frank
though dignifed self abasement proba-
bly, unparalleled in American journal
ism. There was no effort to set itself
partially right by demonstrating that
some contemporary was even more
wrong. The fault or mistake was fully
acknowledged. and there was no adj
vancing even of mitigating circum-
stances.
This is the editorial which-The Times
published conspicuously in its issue of
Tuesday. Dec. 81:
The publication in The Times on
Sunday of a foolish and unwarrantable
dispatch concerning the possibility of
trouble between the United States and
Germany over the attempt OF the Ger
mans to collect with warships money
owing them by Venezuela has called
forth the following comment from our
neighbor the New York journal:
On the first page of the New York
Times yesterday appeared a Washington
dispatch headed. Possibility of a War
With the German Empire" The alleged
possibility rested on the disturbances in
Venezuela 1t was asserted that our gov
ernment had the chances of a clash with
Germany constantly in mind and was pre-
pairing for it.
Sensational journalism may be either
good or bad. 1t appears to us that this is
distinctly sensational journalism of the
bad kind. The statement that we are con-
templating the possibility of a war with
| C@~no.-, onr No r~oJ,,1t{1yo ~ pofHfpn
but mischief. OF course it is well to make
all European powers understand that none
of them can acquire territory in America
without fighting the United States. A
thorough understanding of this general
principle must promote peace, but there
Is no excuse for singing out Germany, as
If the Monroe doctrine were invented ex-
| pressly for her.
These observations are %judiciOus and
sensible. The censure which they con-
vey is fully deserved by The Times.
1t is not the policy or the practice of
The Times to give place to baseless
and mischievous reports. to which cate
CORY the Washington dispatch in ques-
ton clearly belongs. The conductors
of The Times endeavor faithfully to
use due diligence to exclude false news
and ~noxious trash from it's columns.
| By one of those accidents or oversights
which sometimes battle the intentions
of finite men this Washington dispatch
about Germany got into the columns of
The Times. For the harm it has done
we feel more regret than we can ex-
press. AS our neighbor The Evening
Post justly says: 1T is not creditable
to a respectable newspaper that 1t
should publish a dispatch from Wash
ington. as The Times did yesterday,
representing that there is danger of
war between Germany and the United
States e the complications in vene.
zuela. There is an utter lack Of evil
dence to support such a sensation"
The Times does not willingly or with
| intent do things not creditable to 1t or
likely to impair its reputation or d.
minish the confidence of its readers In
the correctness of it's news and the con-
servatism of its principles.
We accordingly declare that it Is
within the knowledge of this newspa-
per that the relations between Ger
many and the United States are wholly
amicable and that the belief in their
continuance is based upon reasons Of
unusual validity. The procedures Of
Germany in her preparations to compel
Venezuela to keep faith expose her nei-
Their to reproach nor to suspicion on our
part. They have not been taken in dis
regard of precedent or Of the accepted
principles of international law. Not
only has she done nothing in contra
vention of the Monroe doctrine, but it
may be said that her courteous and
friendly communications to I'LL gov
eminent advance that doctrine one
step further toward universal accept
ance as a part of the unquestioned law
of nations. We have no reason to re-
gard Germany save as a good friend,
and The Times wishes to make its dis
claimer of the unfortunate Washington
disnatch to which we have referred as