New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-02
Atlanta Misrcprescnted Again

could be adjudicated on its merits with
out rsncor'
Atlanta Misrcprescnted Again
Out of Atlanta rises the voice OF ono
W. G.. Bryan. publisher Of the two
Hearst papers there, who addresses me
in an open letter upon his own editorial
page. For one thing Mr.. Bryan deserves
credit. He reprints The Tribune article
dealing with Atlanta's journalistic con
ditions. honestly and unchanged. Virtue
and honesty go no further with him,
Ihcwever, for his open letter is tissue
Of trickery. issue lodging and garbling.
His defence of the indefensible rests. as
upon n foundation, on that stale, old,
stencilled. cringing plea -and am
quoting Mr.. Bryan's own words Gin an
other letter., which are also the words
Of pretty much every other exploiter
Of fake advertising caught with the
goods:
During the year here we have re-
| fused thousands upon thousands OF dol
| lars worth of business which has been
eagerly accepted by the other news
papers,
As appendix to his open letter he
publishes a list of advertisers who have
either been refused "or are not accept
able" TO the Hearst Atlanta papers. In
this list, by the way. are included more
than a score of liquor advertisers, who,
| of course. cannot advertise in Georgia
since il is dry" state. That Mr.. Bryan
should claim credit for excluding these
| is a fair measure of his disingenuou5-
mess.
1 L Of h,e
papers do not carry, he carefully ig-
norcs my citations of what they do
carry. For a parallel. suppose that If
! should accuse Mr.. Bryan of being a
horse thief )the gcnteman's personal
character is so far above suspicion as to
render this harmless pleasantry), he
might reply:
| "Rut you must give me credit for
never having murdered my aged grand
mother, or committed arson, piracy or
misprislon of treason
Apart from what the papers over
whose advertising dcstinles he pre-
! sides do not advertise. will Mr.. Bryan,
when next he takes his controversial
pen in hand. square his idcalistic NOR
alzings with the following ads, which
he does publish. or did when was in
Atlanta?
Swamp Root, booze medicine which
has since been ruled out of one city,
| Cleveland, as a fraud.
Weak men" advertising, offensive
, and indecent. as we'll as false.
Private disease quacks, "cure or no
charge"
Consumption cures, thinly veiled.
| Fit cures.
Asthma cures.
Drink cures.
The ouack DR.. Bakers fake pre-
| scription column.
When he is through with these ]
shall be glad TO furnish him with
! further opportunities for explanation.
In his editorial open letter Mr..
| Bryan descends TO such childishncss
as the following: He states that The
Tribune listed, as Objectionable, cer-
tain department store ad, and pretends
TO find that incompatible with my
statement that "thc average Of depart
mcnt stores is high" Possibly he does
not know the meaning of the word
average" Let me illustrate by an
example. The average Of Mr.. Bryan's
advertising standard is very low, vet
he publishes seine high class advertis-
ing. none the less.
III OIOcl 10 MAN" nlF punt -h.s
BRYAN repeatedly attributes to me-
statements which ! never made, and
which nc knowc that never made. He
attributes to The Tribune a criticism
of telephone company advertisement
| which it never made, and which ne
| knows II never made. Finally, he puts
forth cheap and false appeal to local
pride by attributinG 10 me statement
that "the city which we Southerners
love and respect is without advertis-
ing honor, responsibility. standards or
ethics which are not for sale" OF
course. ! never made such a charge.
/ But | did say that very thing of At
lanta's newspapers, which do not, rs
! pointed out. fairly represent Atlanta.
As | afforded Mr.. Bryan fair oppor-
turity TO acknowledge the error-if
crrcr it were-snd he declined 10 meet
that issue, as others, | have one point
to add.
Mr.. Bryan has debased his editorial
standards to the level of his advertis-
ing standards. He stands revealed as
Il proper representative of William r.
Hearst
Atlanta was so unfortunate. at the
! time of my visit. as to possess an Adj
vertising Club without the slightest as
! certanable interest in decent advertis-
! ing standards. The club was so unfort-
innate as to have for its president one
| p. c. McDufie. attorney for that no.
! torious booZe-nostrum Tanlac. which
] exploits itself partly by means Of tcs-
/ tmonials forged by the management,
| partly upon enthusiastic Endorsements
! from dead people. In one OF my arti-
I cles | pointed out the advantages ac-
cruirg to a fake patent medicine
: through having an advertising club
| president in its employ. This, ! have
! reason to fear. displeased Mr.. McDuf-
/ fie. For in a form letter, on letter
! head which would appear to indicate
/ that Mr. McDuffie is President of the
Associated Advertising Clubs of the
| World carries the legend. "Presl-
/ dent ?. c. McDuffie" above the seal OF
! the A. A. c. W, and no other club or
| organization insignium-he INDUCES in
/ some remarks hopefully calculated 10
/ injure my feelings. According TO Mr.
| McDufio ] was "undeterrcd by any
! sense of honor or fairness" in my at
/ tempt to besmirch the fair name Of
! our club" He also refers, in equally
/ original vcrbiage. to the depths Of his
( (my) infamy." Finally, he expresses
/ the belief that ! am "pretentlous
! humbug" and "a foul slanderer. in
/ spired by lust for money" All Of
which is unimportant. but interesting
as showing the effect of excitement
/ upon a Tanlac- supported mind.
! H. one respect Mr. McDuffie rise.
/ above Mr.. BRYAN. He does make 4 spe
( cifc reply. his defence being in the
matter Of the charge brought against
/ him Of using his official position for the