OCR Text |
Show EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITY. Th f Stilus; in commenting on tlie Kt-i-rli.T aie, Mentions a l-'t not bo fore l.,mini.'ntd upun in the pre.-?, that the attitu'l.; of somo of Hie mo.-t important lii.-wpajicr.i in r.-gard to the LWhi'r-Tilum LWhi'r-Tilum nttiiir "si-oiiis to have been dcl.-r-iiiim-d bv eun-iJoriUiuiis jvolicy. T!ic rdilors Jl'at l.'ii.-t two of thof; who havu from lb.' L,Kiiimtf aiven tin' a-i-u-.-d party rt more or le-a cordial and unjuitiuninp Mipjmrt aro known to thrir pi-r.-ona! frhjmU us l living themiclvus I'ouii: to a conclu.-ioii iliriuiiy advert- to that udvociiUid in tlm column.- which lluv lliuy aru suppo-cd to control." Tin: writer wri-ter in tho Hal't.i Miy.s that this inronri.-t-i-iu-y Is quite compn ln-n.-ihlo and iloc- not iroi'ly pi:r-inial or pi-ofo-aional dihutiu.-, aiiiling, "A j-nat nuw-pap,'r t ot mi UtU-nu..'.; . I" iiuti' ii:d.vidu:il opinio i. It sK'aki tor n parly, a tchool, a ci'Ji:; and upon viin- political aiul evmi sumo social questions ils poli'-y may require the advocacy advo-cacy of views not held !y u-ore t- an one of it.- eunducljrs, including llio ixlilor-in-chief." ne of tliosi- wlilors excused his jimnialiptic faltity by the remark, that Plymouth Church i an institution whoso peoplecould not bo furccd lo believe tho accusation ngnin?t Air. l-icher thougli llio archangel Gabriel should declare it. As to the next (iin-tioii, tho Cahtsy -ays: If Moullon nnd Tilbm h:.d li-J.Mr. Kecclior is the victim i f a deeply laid, long-conccrti il conspiracy for h' destruction, destruc-tion, which fact will lnvc to be conclu sively esHbli.-li.d by llie pastor's thorough-going paili-ai'.s if they would have others ihink with them. Tho motives whirl) could have induced Motilton to enter en-ter into sm h n conspiracy must bo clearly proven to make out this case. In conclu-ionlhe conclu-ionlhe Uiittisy ?ajs: " I-ly mouth Church ma" be a grrat in-lituti.in, strong enough not only tu stand by ibolf.buUo liitlucLce tho courso uf newspapers; but there is something ere iter and stronger than Plymouth Church, and that ia moral truth, the dcinundsof wliieh must bo mot in this ease, a', least in fir as '.he outside world is concerned." These reflections are mainly just; but wo must dissent from the commercial com-mercial view the Galaxy takes of the moral responsibility of the press, and the distinction which is drawn between be-tween the conductors of newspapers in their individual and editorial capacities. ca-pacities. We can imagine that many of the Plymouih Church members mem-bers may be firmly convinced on general gen-eral principles that their pastor is innocent, in-nocent, and that this belief cannot be changed by any amount of conclusive evidence to the contrary; but it is difficult to conceive that a journalist who regards the Beecher scandal as a legitimate topic of discussion upon its merits, can escape either "personal or professional dishonor" when he editorially edi-torially acquits Mr. Beecher of a crime that he believes and declares him guilty of when he has vacated the chair editorial for the day. We can understand the shifts and evasions of partisans and sectarians to sustain & cause; and these may be justifiable to a certain extent; for truth is seldom to be found upon a single side of any question; but the public advocacy of an opinion in regard to a gross violation of morals, which the heart and brain of its advocate has stamped as a lie, must brand the journalist so offending as a wilful liar and a moral accessory to the crime which he seeks to hide for the sake of policy. The Times correspondent tele-1 tele-1 graphs that the garrison of Irun, in their sortie, burned ihe houses and farm buildings belonging to the Car-lists, Car-lists, one of which allbrded them shelter. shel-ter. The havoc thus created was immense. im-mense. All the country around was in flames. The -iYeuw correspondent at Madrid telegraphs that the story that Don Carlos was in Hendage originated in an alleged telegram from tlie Spanish consul at Bayoune. |