Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1902-01-07
UNIQUE IN JOURNALISM
New York Times Candid Ad.
mission OF Serious Error.
CONCERNING GERMAN WAR SCARE

lnQuatihcd Disclaimer of Views
Contained In One of Ii. Special
Dispatches From Wa.h.n.ton-No
Attempt Made to Extenuate the Sc
riOusness of Its Disbursements.
The New York Times published on
Sunday. Dec %. special dispatch
from Washington in which was strong
ly suggested the imminence of war
with Germany over tie Monroe doc
trine in its special applicability TO the
situation in Venezuela. The CORE
spondent responsible for the dispatch
stated with a positiveness calculated 10
carry conviction that the United States
government fully appreciated the situa-
| ton and was both '.alert and pre-
pared"
\ 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 dignified 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 ad
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 asserted that our gov
ernment had the chances of clash with
Germany constantly in mind and was pre-
| pairing for IL.
| 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 war with
Germany be productive of nothing
but mischief OF course it is we'll to make
all European powers understand that none
of them acquire territory in America
without fighting the United States
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 its 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: .It is not creditabie
II
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 over the complications in Nene
zuela. There is an utter lack of evi
dence to support such a sensation
The Times does not willingly or with
intent do things not creditable TO il or
likely TO impair its reputation or di-
minish the confidence of its readers in
the Correctness of its 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 ii
may be said that her courteous and
friendly communications to our gov
eminent advance that doctrine one
step further toward universal accept
ance as 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
dispatch to which we have referred as
broad and unreserved as language can
make il