Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-06-20

sition, we are Inclined to offer rev
suggestions and see to 1t that the dis
tinguished statesman from California
is served with a copy Of our remarks.
AS our readers are very well aware.
1t is not our custom to go into any
thing controversial without at the
same time giving the opposition the
benefit of full and complete hear
ing; but as in this case there can be
no confusion as to the issue, and we
do not feel justified by taking up the
space required by the speech, copy
of which is to be had by anybody on
the writing of postal to the senator
at Washington, we will just go ahead
with what we have to say. rs
Senator Works disclaims all idea OF
personal resentment against the news
papers as such, or against editors and
reporters. He admits that there are
editors who are as able and high
minded as he is and says they are not
only in a better position to accomplish
what he is trying to do, than he Is;
but are better qualified and are likely
to accomplish more than he can ever
hope to accomplish. All that is very
good and very true, and 1t brings the
issue squarely down to the question
as to whether 1t is to the best interest
of civilization to publish the details of
crimes, accidents, etc.
There are newspapers and newspa-
pers, as there should be. There Is
Prince of Darkness as well as Prince
of Light, and there Is eternal war be-
tween them, with newspapers on both
sides. There Is abundant evidence that
the Prince of Light has always had
full knowledge Of the character, pur-
pose and power Of the Prince OF Dark
ness, but there has never, since the
world began, been the slightest inti-
nation Of doubt on the part Of the
Prince Of Light as to what would be
the ultimate result Of the struggle.
The records Of the past show thai
while of course time is an element Of
the conflict, the measure Of time Is
not to be taken in days, weeks or
even years. And there is reason to
believe also that the newspapers be-
hind the Prince Of Darkness are some
what of handicap in that they also
give light. ,,
For the real lesson rather than on
account of the rich humor, we repeat
the story Of the peasant landlady In
Scotland, who on refusing sight-seer
the privilege of riding a mule on the
Sabbath, was reminded that Christ
rode on the Sabbath, whereupon the
good lady replied. yes, and we do
not think any more Of Him for it.
either!" The idea, of course, is that
observance of the Sabbath had been
emphasized in the good old lady's
training to an extent that had elimi-
mated proper conception Of Him for
whom the Sabbath was made. AS to
whether Senator Works is Roman
Catholic we do not know; but If he Is,
all that we have said above as we'll as
all we may say hereafter, is worthless.
We do not know how to express the
idea we wish to convey better than 1t
was expressed by Alexander Pope
when he wrote: ,...
So Papists refuse t... ..,.
The Bible to use,
Lest fiocks be wise as their guide.
AS We have said, we do not know
whether the senator Is Romanist, or
not, and we do not desire to prejudice
him on that account, even II he Is q
Romanist; but we do want to say that
from our point Of view no man or
woman who honestly believes In the
supreme spiritual authority of the
Holy Bible can possibly agree in the
doctrine of suppressing even the most
narrowing details Of the most horrible
crimes that have ever occurred.
In his speech Senator Works recites
at length the history Of the famous
Beattie trial at Richmond. He, does
not mention any names: but reviews
the details with which the public Is
familiar, with an artistic clearness
that would swell the pride Of high
class newspaper writer. He points out
the agony that publicity brings to in
nocent parents, relatives and friends,
etc. This he follows with compila-
ton Of seventy-five or hundred sem
sational newspaper headings over ar
ticles telling of murders. accidents,
domestic tragedies, defalcations, thefts
and the like. He holds that his bill, If
II should become a law, and he does
not think it will ever become a law,
will put a stop to all this.
Chas. A. Dana, founder Of the New
York Sun, and generally conceded to
be one of the ablest newspaper max
ers the world has yet seen, used to
say like this: 1.-THE Sun, is not too
good to print anything that Almighty
God permits to happen" And under
the administration Of Mr.. Dana, and
until the Sun branched out from the
policy of printing only things that
God had permitted to happen, and
sought to suppress and squelch things
that did not suit the desires Of those
who would control happenings. there
have been few more influential and
powerful newspapers.
The Sun, however, is not the au-
thority to which we would refer. We
have in mind a more perfect ideal in
the form Of an old and widely distrib-
uted book known as the Bible. This
book was written by different individ-
uals, and most Of it dates back so faI
that the identity of the writer's has
become involved in uncertainty. But
since the whole volume has come down
through so many changing ages, abb
solutely unchanged, we will all have
to concede that the work Of the Com
pliers must have been remarkably
good and that the editorship is "close
| to perfect" There have been more
editions of this book than Of any Other
book that has ever been printed, and