New-York tribune., 1918-06-16
Montclair Editor Devotes
Page to Stand of Gamer
ican" and Journal
Editorial Obituary
Causes Comment
Cites Case of Statesman
Who Killed Rival and
Lost Nations Respect
(Speoiai Dispatch to Tho Trio~~s)

AONTCIAIR, N. j., June 15.--In this
weeks issue of "The Montclair Herald"
Charles Henry Kinney, editor, joins
the fight Of Montclair citizens against
the newspapers published by William
Randolph Hearst.
On Memorial Day the Montclair Bat
talion, New Jersey Militia Reserve, Pc
titioned President Wilson to suppress
every Hearst newspaper in the United
States. This was step further than
the militia of any other New Jersey
town had G.ne since Hearst's "New
York American" deleted the victory
prayer from the Presidents Memorial
Day proclamation.
In this weeks issue of his paper.
which was distributed to-day, Mr.. Kin
ney devoted an, entire page to putting
the case of Hearst before the citizens
Of Montclair.
He published the Memorial Day proc
iamation as the President wrote it and
as "The American" printed it; he re-
minded citizens of the. attitude OF
Hearst papers since the United States
declared war on the Huns, and he al
luded to Hearst's Qualifications Of the
Lusitania sinking.
Mr.. Kinney asked the people of Mont
clair and surro dnding towns to render
their verdic,. He invited citizens to
write their convictions to "The Her
aid" and promised to print their let
ters-their verdict on Hearst-in next
weeks issue.
In addition to giving over an entire
page Of the news section to the Hearst
question n. Kinney published an
editorial which locally is considered
the most rema. kable any New Jersey
paper has printed since the antiHearst
sentiment swept over the state.
Text of Obituary
The editorial, entitled ~Obituary Of
Character in American History"
follows:
eve shall mention no names. since
comparisons are not infrequently in
vidious and j. is not impossible that
there may be abroad in our fair land
another who, by the exercise of infu-
ence, the expenditure of large means
and the power of suggestive publicity,
is, in the final analysis, near rela-
tive, if no. the direct spiritual de-
scendant, Of him whose obituary is
here in measure detailed.
''t will be assumed that this char
acter was born and in due course, as
have all his compatriots, passed on
whence none returns. The essential
things to be portrayed are many. In
youth he was patriot, at nineteen
years of age he had needed 1hc call Of
his country to arms and he had not
been found wanting when the fighting
was the thickest. He became lawyer
and politician, and in both profess
sions attained a remarkable degree of
prominence. He sat in the United
States Senate and later served a term
as president of the Senate.
But IN an hour of passion he shot
and killed one of Americas greatest
and most famous statesmen. From
that moment there came turn in the
tide of his affairs. His popularity
waned. Politics dropped him. Society
passed him by. He ceased to have
friends and companions and career
leading to utter degradation was his.
What did he do? In common with
spirits more vile than his he plotted
and planned the creation of nation
from territory partly belonging to the
United States and partly to neighbor-
ing republic, of which he should be the
ruler. The result of it all was that he
was tried for treason and officially, but
not in the minds of the men of his
day, acquitted. From that time forth
his name has been anathema, and nc
associating the title traitor with it
Signpost of Warning
Now the record of that life is com
plete; it stands out as signpost il
our national history as warning tt
all that loyalty to the nation is the
first element of true citizenship.
There Is an obituary in the writ
ing; since the recording of the earlie
one the United States has become ,
great and mighty world power, t,
which all the nations of the earth lool
Tor honor and for valor The Unites
States is at war with the great Ger
man nation; it is at vital grips: it.
blood is being spent; its resources ar,
being used; its objective is victory, ant
1T has never been defeated, nor will
it be.
Victor Hugo once said, The ma,
who fights against his own country il
never a hero
And Plutarch records that whe,
Philip of Macedon was told certain
city was impregnable, he said, y
there not q pathway to it wide enougl
FOR an ass laden with gold?
There are some things the char
aeter in our recorded obituary did no
do, and notable among them are tn
following: He did not print and oper
ate newspapers IN widely separated
parts OF our great country.
Garbled Nos Proclamations
"He did not garble proclamations o
the President of the United States. II
aid not by innuendo spread doctrine
and theories by means of great an,
extended establishment, involyin,
many persons and large properties. il
antagonsm of the government a
Washington. He did not, at least i,
any large public way, seek to corrup
the good morals or divert the patriot
ism of his fellows to the benefit ar,
advantage OF an alien enemy. He wa
acquitted of treason, but no on
doubted his guilt
There is another obituary in tn
making. 1t may become as notoriou
as the one that is finished. There i
much material of highly deiectabl
sort ready for setting in it's prope
place, and the future only will develo,
the limits to which the subject Of tina
obituary may go. We observe and W.
have facile pen. 1t may do duty i,
composing the new obituary, but W.
do hope it won't be necessary"