Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-02-20
MORBID CURIOSITY.


the above heading. the motive and
intention of which appears to have
been grossly misunderstood by some.
In order to set ourselves right, we
reprint the concluding paragraph:
Would that such cases could be
conducted behind closed doors. and
/ the public excluded, save those whose
presence is demanded We do not
mean TO imply in any sense that
women should not interest themselves
| in such matters, in the preservation
Of the sanctity and the purity of the
| home, but it is manifestly unnecessary
and out of place for women of all
classes. who have no part in the
proceedings, either direct or indirect,
to sit hour after hour and listen to
such testimony as was brought out
in this case. s"
The article referred to contained
no intended reference, either expressed
or implied. in any sense whatever, to
the movement on the part of some of
the ladies of Decorah through the
Home Protective League or through
personal acquaintance and friendship
of wronged persons, to secure the
consent of those against whom griev-
Gus crimes had been committed to
have those accused of these crimes
tried with all due haste, and to in
Huence them to agree to testify in
court in prosecution of the accused
parties.
The Public Opinion believes the
Home Protective League or any other
organization, inspired by honorable
and upright motives, is worthy of
commendation and cooperation.
Such an organization of women is a
power for good in any community.
We would be the last to deprecate or
hinder its work within it's proper
sphere. and if the sensibilities of any
member of this society have been in.
jured or if the facts were unsupported
to us and misrepresented by us we
sincerely regret it.
We believe that in such cases it is
eminently right and proper that a
dozen. twenty-five or even fifty
women should appear as committee
or in similar sense TO stand behind
these women who had been wronged
in the effort to have the guilty
brought to justice. The article above
mentioned did not Intentionally
refer to them, but to the women,
girls and boys, yes, and the men,
who were III the court room simply
to hear and see what was going on
Ii any person, man or woman. was
at the court room through morbid
curiosity" then the article referred
directly to him or her, and we are
told there were many such on hand.
1t certainly was not right for linen
and women of all classes, who had no
part in such proceedings, either direct
or indirect" TO be on hand through
out all the nauseating details of the
case on trial. 1t was not right for
them to sit there after the evidence
was all in, and the trial of the case
ended, for day and a half to listen
to the attorneys repeat the vile par
ticulars Of the case, in arguing to the
jury 1t was not right for women to
take their twelve to fifteen year old
daughters into the court room and
sit beside them throughout the trial
of such case. 1t was not right for
score or more of young ladies,
unmarried, some of them scarcely of
age, to hear such evidence. Even
with the efforts of the Judge and the
bailiffs to keep such people from the
room still some got in: while others.
if they could not get into the court
room. stood about the lobby, girls
and boys who should have been at
;,,S Snhnnt cnr.cihln thot
thing was going on tnat they ought
not to hear.
These are the things Public Opinion
hopes to have prevented in the fu-
ture. These are the persons we think
things. Those who appear to have
taken the item personally were not
the ones for whom it was intended.
If it is net. right for a newspaper to
express opinions upon such matters !;
if it is not it's province, its duty, to
endeavor to influence public opinion
upon matters effecting the betterment
of conditions generally and locally,
socially. morally, politically, then we
have entirely wrong conception of
the mission of the local newspaper.
II it should be an insipid, lifeless,
spiritless purveyor solely of praise,
flattery and blarney, unable or un-
willing to express honest opinions
and convictions. then this editor
wants to get ont of the business
forthwith. We realize and do not
expect that everyone will agree with
us at all times we appreciate the fact
that we have often made mistakes,
but we will continue to edit this
paper as we believe it to be for the
best interests of our large constituency
as a whole, let the chips fall where
they nay.
Instead of censura, we think th 3
Public Opinion and every newspaper
| in Decorah is entitled to the lasting
gratitude of the parties directly con-
cerned in these cases, the persons and
families against whom these crimes
have been committed. for the fact that
since the commission of the crimes,
| throughout all these meetings. the
arrests, and the entire proceedings
of the court, their names have never
been mentioned in Decorah paper
1t means something for editors to
omit such items of news, for it must
be admitted that the reading public
give them preference over everything
/ else in reading newspapers.
1t has always been our. policy 20
uphold the right and condemn the
wrong as we see it, and we believe
that we have done so in this case.
Should we be convinced otherwise,
l x.ra exvitl GLADLY aclnnXv la1 un that xya