The Irish standard., 1910-01-29
LITERARY scAvENGERs.

LITERARY scAvENGERs.
q, There are two American Journalists
of the name of Turner who have made
themselves notorious in the muck
raking business. One ia George Kibbe
Turner, contributor to McClure's
Magazine and Golfers Weekly, and
the other 10 John Kenneth Turner, who
writes for the American Magazine.
Whether they are brothers or not is
matter unknown to US, but that they
have congenial tastes there is no
doubt.
We have already, in these columns,
paid our compliments to George Kib-
be Turner for slandering the Irish
race. In the recent municipal cleo
ton in New York he figured conspicu.
ously in ''the white slave traffic" by
charging the Irish and Italian women
with fostering and promoting immor-
atty under the patronage of Tamma-
ny politicians. He wrote with such
apparent familiarity with vice in it's
most repulsive aspects that the readers
of his articles thought he was describ-
ing things from personal observation.
When the grand jury met to investi-
gate his charges he was cited to give
testimony, and after a prolonged ex-
animation it was found that he could
only give the names of his informants
but knew nothing of what he had writ
ten about except from hearsay evil
dence.
The charges made by Turner were
so vague and indefinite that no action
for libel can be brought against him
OF McClure's Mazagine for publishing
them. He utterly failed to furnish
any conclusive proof of his defamatory
charges, and though the fair name of
the great City of New York has been
furnished in McClure's and other pub
locations that copied them, yet it has
no redress. One can Islander a CITY or
race with impunity and the muck
raker Turner is smart enough to know
that fact. He used no specific names
and so he escapes unpublished.
The other Turner goes beyond the
borders of the United States to Islander
an inoffensive people. The Mexicans
are his target for abuse and misre-
presentation, and they have no means
of refuting his allegations in the
American press. There are American
residents. however, in Mexico who
have the manliness to contradict the
lying effusions of John Kenneth Tur-
ner In the American Magazine. One
of these is L. c. Frisbie of Mexico
City, gentleman of veracity and high
financial standing in the neiehborinr
republic. In letter to the Rev. DR..
William F. McGinnis, president of the
international Catholic Truth Society.
Brooklyn, N. Y, Mr.. Frisbie says:
1.-THE American business men of
Mexico have tried and are trying to
have the articles in the American
Magazine suppressed on account of the
injustice that is being done to a coun-
try that is doing all in its power to
advance civilization and to protect
foreign enterprise and capital. Any
and all Americans living in Mexico or
visitors that have studied the condi-
tions will corroborate what say,
President Diaz. one Of the greatest
statesmen OF the day, has worked and
Is working for the advancement of
civilization throughout the country,
and when we consider that when he
took the rens of government Mexico
was in as bad or worse condition than
sdme of the Central American coun-
tries are today, we cannot help admir-
ing the grand character and strong
personality of the man that has placed
the country in its present state. 1
can assure you that if specific charges
OF dishonesty. cruelty or immortality
against public officials be clearly prov
en- you will find that the authorities
and the people of Mexico win be quite
as ready to send the rascals to jail as
have been the people and government
of the United States when their eyes
are opened to the conduct of men
who sell poisoned beef to the defenders
of their nation or who sell white wosn-
en- into a slavery worse than the sup
posed servitude of The Yaqui in Yucca
TAM"