Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-30

he applied eplthetS seldom heaTu III puDlC
speaking. Tnen followed the scene de-
sCriped.
Bitter Attack ON Hearst.
Mayor GaynOr said
You have given me the subject THE
Press in It's relation to Fublic Otricials. %
anu tod me " speak PLAINLY ana freely;
that Is what you want; that your object in
assoclatlng together is to improve Jne
press. Inose having power should eXsr-
else it justly and moderately. Inat makes
their acts all the more effective.
measure my words IN saying your power
for good is immense. Your power Ior evll
is not as great as some may think. That
is especially so wnen any OK you dehber-
ately try to do evil by talsehOod or mere
scandal But 1 shall not stray into the
general subject but keep to the text which
you have given me. The public offlcIaI who
tries mis- best 10 do right, and who knows
how to do right Qor both of these essential
things 40 not always exist in the same
public officisD cannot be hurt by you.
some may abuse him, even lie and forge
about him, but they are powerless to hurt
him. You can neither make nor unmake
an honest and competent official.
The press as whole is just to public Of
ficials. When the election is over its
wholesome wish is to see that the one who
Is elected gives good government, and to
help him to do so. In that just frame Of
mind you often forbear much. This is true
of all honest and unselfish publishers and
editors. But II a publisher or editor be
himself a perennial office seeker, he may
desire to assassinate everyone whom he
thinks in his way and then, alas what a
disgrace he brings upon journalism. II
Is painful to mention such exceptions, and
to speak OF their acts, but We should not
shrink from doing 1t in kindly spirit and
for the sake OF good. You expect mo to be
plain and not abate a jOt or title A
newspaper proprietor OF editor who Is
simply bent on cutting throats Is an awful
spectacle. In no nook or corner OF his
head or heart is there the slightest sense
OF truth OF justice. We may pity him, but
cannot. in the interests OF public morality
and decency. remain silent about him.
First shot at Hearst.
Let me illustrate by mentioning one
thing out Of many. As late as the 10Th
OF this month w. r. Hearst printed in his
draft on the treasury of this country for
$4,000 with headline and an article at
trlbuting such draft and the expenditure
to the present mayor The headlines and
article assert that l fixed the award and
amount and paid 1t, and the draft of the
treasury is printed to prove 1t. But when
you look at the draft as given In the articln
(but how few people scrutinized Il that
closely you perceive that the date OF II Is
left blank. l have brought It here as
printed in this newspaper to show It 20
you, and here 1t is. When you Look at the
original draft which l have also brought
here for you to see, you see the date OF Il
at the top In large letters and figures as
1 December 81. 1909" which is before the
I present city government came IN. W men
you examine the said original further you
see that It also bears plainly the date when
audited and vouched, which established the
claim as a legal liability Of the city was
recorded IN the comptroIler's office, namely,
| December %. 1909"
This date is also omitted in the news
paper copy, as you perceive. In plain
words, two state prison felonies, namely
| forgery, and Justification OF a public docu-
ment we're committed in the eageruess OF
this publisher and editor to wrong the
mayor OF the city OF New York.
In a day or two afterwards, after he had
heard rumors that members OF the grand
I jury were taking notice Of the matter he
published as an excuse that the photograph
did not reproduce the date. Now. Just look
at this original draft again The date al
| the top as you see, is IN larger and more
/ pronounced letters and figures than any
other part OF the draft. / had the draft
/ photographed as a test that the dates would
I take like all the rest, and here Is the
l photograph. You see that shows the dates
plainly to say the least, as any other part