The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-18
Liberty of the Press.

Liberty of the Press.
And that brings US TO liberty of the press.
In no other element of the public life is
there such vast difference between Europe
and America as in its newspapers. The diff
ference is thoroughgoing and profound. The
German paper dare not disparage the
character of any official citizen. 1t may
discuss all public questions of policy, but
never a personality. 1t may oppose the
government tooth and nail. but it dare not
asSail personal character directly or lndi-
rectly. 1t dare not cartoon any man. pun
lie or private. or course, the aW-
full Vulgarity of the Personal col
ume is unheard of, but that is not sup
pressed by the courts. Just ordinary de-
Cency of the people makes that sort or
thing impossible. One Of the first Things
l saw on landing in the United States TINS
summer was an editorial calling a puDhc
official criminal" l don't know Wnether
the officer is a criminal but any European
would think that queer function OF 4
neWSpaper-to apply such eplthets 10 men
whom no court had convicted.
The American newspaper seems 10 hold
that ii must, by heroic efforts, keep the
government under check, preserve the I'D
critics of the people from the eYer-lmpend-
ing malfeasance of the public servant, be-
sides administering advice and reproot IN
vast numbers of cases Of only private con-
Germ. The German government ana the
vast ma JOrity of the German people De
lieve that their government must and Will
protect the people from the assaults or the
newspaper press just as ii protects one man
from the evil tongue of another. 1t just
question of point OF view. II the Ameri-
insists weeping over the lot OF the
poor German who may not personally de-
nOunce his Emperor and vent his spleen on
his neighbor in printers ink, he may at least
console himself with the grateful thought
that that selfsame German pities him
from the bottom of his heart that he lives
in land where the virtue of woman ana
the reputation of man may be swept away
by breath and the malignant wretch VINO
works the havoc goes unwhipped OF JUS
tice by a ''retractiOn' which adds insult TO
the injury.
Freedom of the press" is one of the
greatest watchwords of history. Its mean
ing is rightly taken from the eighteenth
century when Englishmen upheld the right
to critcise public acts in the public prints.
As it is now used in the United states IL
means little nothing. There has been
nothing but freedom or the press these
hundred years and more. Time has made
ancient good uncouth. One wonders II there
is anywhere any relation of life too sacred
for transgression and assault. AT the be-
hest Of yellow journalism the politicians
in the legislatures have modified and re-
peaed the laws that protect the INDIVIDUAL
| and the vote-seeking upon the swiftly
changing bench will scarcely enforce what
is left. l find more-tenfold more-of my
/ countrymen whispering their opinions upon
public matters, which should be the natural
field for their open opinion, from sheer lear
OF newspaper abuse than there are OF my
! German neighborS who fear the lmperlaI
/ monarch. Liberty Is not WORD. II II
! very concrete and blessed thing. man
may cheat himself with phrases and catch-
words and appearances. There is tyranny
of the monarch, a tyranny of the mob, and
| another tyranny of the public press
We may we'll recall the great generallza-
! ton of GuiZot. A nations civilization IN
| order to endure must be diverse IL must
| have a strong government, free and a
Virile church, great institutions of learn
ing, a native art, powerful and an IN
! dependent press, great and dlVerslhed IN
! dustries All these elements and institutions
| interactng, checking and balancing one
| another, are the sure and only guarantee
/ of the liberty of the citizen. Where one IN
| stitutiOn in a nation brushes and dWarIs
the others there, though the course may
/ be brilliant, ii is fatally short, and dlsas-
| ter or a paralysis impends. The failure OF
/ every nation of ancient and modern times
] is traceabie to this fatal dominance of one
! idea or institution. When the church had
! withered all else in the south, Spain sank
| monarchy had crushed out all other lnstl-
/ tutions Rome was not dying. but was al
/ ready dead. Modern England and Germany
have a magnificent balance OF churGh'
/ state science, art, industry. No one ele-
ment is clearly in the ascendant.
How is ii with us? Government is dis
jointed. lacks continuity, the perennial
! elections strain the fabric till it cracks.
| The public Official is accounted rogue
till he proves the contrary, and all gov
eminent is called necessary evil" Clear
]
! church grown in comparative influence!
! The church has grown in number of com
municants, no doubt, but that is not the
point. Has it now comparatively as great
! authority in the community as ii had IN
1902? The man has read little or this coun-
! trys history and that to less purpose,
who would attempt TO prove that thesis.
! Our institutions of learning and the scholar
| generally have comparatively less standing
| than in any country of Christendom. We
distinctly distrust the scientist or the eX-
! pert. We hardly claim native growth OF
art We have, then, only two Things thar
! have made comparatively great strides IN
/ power-industry and the press-and upon
/ closer analysis may conclude that II is
! only industry that has made the great adj
! vance in power, for has not the press adj
| vanced solely, or at least chiefly, upon the
| side of its money getting? Is the press
| more powerful upon the editorial side than
it was a generation ago? Many great jour
nails have ceased the editorial business
How do the great journals of the United
States compare with the great British
/ newspapers as 10 ability and character
Read a few copies of them and make your
| own judgment. The old-style journal is
| going or gone from the United States and
we have left a great money-getting con-
| Germ whose policy is made in the counting
| room. When the ideal Of commercialism
| controls the journal consideration for pub.
lie virtue, justice in society, art. science
and literature have already fed from the
| sanctum or have assumed a secondary i'm
| portance
| Commercialism dominates the United
| States as it does no other country of the
globe and in its march TO power ii has
| dwarfed other elements of the public life
| 1t has, lastly, changed the old press of the
| United StateS-the cOnserVatOr of the NOR
ais and the arts. Freedom of the press
as a popular watchwOrd never had its gene
sis around any such institution as the great
cosmopolitan journals Of the United States
DAVID X GOSS-
indianapolis, Aug. 16.