Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-09-16
TOO BAD.

An irate reader Of German antece-
dents addresses an indignant letter to
The Herald. He intends it to be a
scorcher. He addresses it to 1.-The
Fake War News Factory" and says
in substance that because Of the char
acter of the matter that has appear
ed in its columne, no matter how the
war ends, The Herald will be exclud-
ed from the homes Of German-Amer-
leans in the future.
Any newspaper that has been pub
lished thirty years or more has had
some experience with boycotts, great
and small. The Herald has had such
experience. 1t has at times received
orders to stop from single individuals
because some trivial matter was pub
lished or was not published, contrary
to their desire, and from grouped in
dividuals who sought in this manner
to indicate their disapproval of its pol
itics or its morals, and who, for the
moment, doubtless expected to put 1t
out Of business. Still. 1t survives. And
we suppose that ninety per cent or
more Of the persons who have discon-
tinued their subscriptions in fits of
anger which they believed to be war
ranted, have again become subscrib-
ers, concluding, after they had time
to cool off. that. after all, The Herald
was pretty good paper, and they
could not we'll get along without it.
I,jc ~ ioc =
news reports. perhaps enough has
been said. The situation has been
| made about as clear as it can be made.
The Herald, like any other reputable
paper has published the facts as It is
able to ascertain them, and does the
best it can. 1t does not believe all the
reports that are published in it's own
columns. IT. does not ask its readers to
believe them. 1t does not believe, for
! instance, that the German military
authorities have authorized or coun-
tenanced the outrage of women and
the murder of children. But when the
Belgian government sends to our gov
ernment at washington formal charg-
es to that effect, regardless of wheth-
er or not the charges are we'll found
ed, the fact that they have been made
and that they have become the sub
iect Of International correspondence,
creates a. situation concerning which
the readers Of g. paper are entitled to
be informed. We do not believe that
| the military authorities Of France or
|
anced the use of DUN dunn bullets. but
when the German government files
charges to that effect with our gov
eminent. that fact becomes one of i'm
portance.
Up to about ten days ago The Her
aid recorded from day to day the mar
velous march Of the German troops
from the Belgian border to a position
almost within sight of Paris. Some
ten days ago that advance was check
ed. The allies had effected a retreat
as marvellous in its way as was the ad-
vance of the Germans, because, while
they had been subjected all the way
to the attacks Of numerous and
splendidly organized force, they had
been able to withdraw from position
to position with their lines unbroken
and with the effectiveness practically
undiminished. All this was faithfully
recorded. The early part of last week
was marked by the most furious fight.
ing Of the war, and batallions, regi-
ments and army corps were pushed
back and forth, the advantage being
first on one side and then on the 9th.
er. Again the dispatches told the
story truthfully. The latter days Of
the week were marked by the retire
ment of the Germans across the same
country which they had formerly trav-
ersed in the opposite direction. Again
the story was told each day. If the
Germans should be driven out OF
France, The Herald's columns will
contain descriptions of the retreat. Il
they recover themselves, cut Of
French armies and resume their march
on Paris, that information will be con
veyed as circumstantially as possible
To The Herald reporting a war i.
like reporting the result Of an election
The management and members Of tn,
staff may, and doubtless do, have theil
preferences. They may be jubilant Of
they may be sadly disappointed ovel
the result But The Herald has never
yet committed the stupid folly Of dis
torting a fact because that fact was o.
was not palatable to It.
We can understand and appreciat,
the interest taken by our friends O.
German birth or descent in this war
in the welfare Of the Fatherdland ant
the success Of its armies. But if an!
4 Of these permit this natural sentimen
to deprive themselves of early and &C
curate information concerning tn,
progress Of events we regret it, o,
their account, as they will regret it
little later.
i CHEAP AND WORN OUT.
st. Paul Dispatch: Mayor Carte
Harrison Of Chicago in one Of hi
speeches lambasting Roger Sullivan