The Washington herald., 1922-06-30
First Cast the Beam from Thine Own Eye

~
~ Der cent organizations stands up and yells
a, Charleston, the capital city of West
Virginia. This is known as the American Con-
stitutons Association In the morning mail we
get from the society violent and silly protest
against wicked newspaper reporters who have
befouled the fair name of the Switzerland of
North America" They are angry because their
native State, which after all is rather substantial
old Commonwealth, has not been allowed to keep
pigs in its back yard without neighbors complain
ing because of the stencil. They refer, of course
to the lsmentable mine disorders
During the past few months" SAYS their
Communication, West Virginia has been maliened.
misrepresented, viifed, wifully and maliciouslv
lied about by INSCRIPTIONS newspaper correspond
ents and propagandists. We have had enough
adverse criticism from newspaper reporters and
Others who come here, spend few days are
literally paid by people who have Interior motives
and then produce articles that smirch the good
name OF the State"
fhe newspaper reporters to which reference
IS made, doubtless are the gentlemen from all the
large press associations and from some of the
most fearless and truth-loving journals in the
United States who informed the public concern
ing the Logan County mine war last wear and
the recent trials of who participated in these
affairs These men vilihed West Virginia, it seems,
BY telling the truth about labor conditions in a
section of that State.
1t seems they paid literally by people
who had Interior motives" In other words en-
|ploYes of the large American press associations
and of the great New York and Chicago dailies
received money from interested parties for writ
ing falsehoods about West Virginia Two news
papers are singled out-The New York Evening
Post and the Baltimore Sun. Such. charges are
too inane to answer. Anyone with the slightest
conception Of the uprightness of American journal
ism will set them in their proper place without
la moment of hesitation.
The association seems particularly angry at
two gentlemen whose names are well and favor
ably known throughout the United States-gentle-
men with whose opinions sometimes disagree
but whom it is preposterous to accuse of false
hood. These are-Rabbi Stephen A. Wise the
foremost Jewish clergyman in the country, and
Rev. John D. Ryan, of the National Catholic We'll
fare Council, of Washington
The correspondents present during the mine
warfare, it is true, did not tell the whole truth
They were unable to obtain all the facts The
recent trial at Charles Town, where a saner atmos-
phere obtained, was required to bring out the
black and red colors of the picture in their full
intensity
Members of the American Constitutional Asso-
eaton need a word of advice. West Virginia
y not bad State. Some of the best people in
the world are to be found in its mountains II
is Organizations such this one which tend to
Willy the name of the Commonwealth Such com.
muncations as it sent through the mails last week.
will do more to impress public opinion concerning
the State unfavorably than all the newspaper
reporters and welfare associations in the United
States' could de-even if they were "liberaly paid
BY people who have Interior motives"