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Letter to Editor
September 25, 1843
The Madisonian
Washington, District Of Columbia
What is this article about?
J.S. Buckingham responds to James Gordon Bennett's denial in The Times, defending his criticism of the New York Herald as a vehicle for private slander and worse than England's lowest papers. He cites Captain Marryat and Charles Dickens to corroborate, including an extortion attempt on Marryat.
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Full Text
BUCKINGHAM'S LETTER TO THE LONDON TIMES.
To the Editor of the Times:
Sir,—In a letter published in your paper of Wednesday last, signed by Mr. James Gordon Bennett, of New York, the writer denies the truth of some statements of mine respecting the general character of his paper, and his practice of obtaining money by using it as a vehicle of private slander. If Mr. Bennett were as well known in London as he is in New York, I should not think it necessary to notice anything said by him; nor would the community of that city require it. But, as your readers in England may suppose that some degree of credit may be attached to this denial, I beg to assure them that all the facts stated in my work on America respecting Mr. Bennett and his paper are perfectly true; and no one who has ever resided in or even visited New York, for ever so short a period, will doubt my assertion when I say that the New York Herald surpasses the worst newspaper ever published in England in the worst of times, in all that is generally considered degrading in a public journal. If I stood alone in this opinion I should still repeat it, knowing it to be well founded and true: but I may refer to Captain Marryat's account of the newspaper press of America, in the second chapter of the second series of his Diary, in which Mr. Bennett's paper is there described as the worst of all the disreputable papers in the United States, and as Mr. Dickens truly says, in his Notes, "their name is Legion." Captain Marryat mentions also the fact, that, before he had been in America six weeks he was attacked by Mr. Bennett, and a copy of the paper was sent to Captain Marryat, with these words written in the Margin—"Send twenty dollars and it shall be stopped."
I place before the English public these opinions and assertions of others, in corroboration of my own because mere assertion against assertion, unsupported by corroborative testimony, would leave the question in the same doubt as before.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
J. S. BUCKINGHAM
Regent's Park, Sept. 1.
To the Editor of the Times:
Sir,—In a letter published in your paper of Wednesday last, signed by Mr. James Gordon Bennett, of New York, the writer denies the truth of some statements of mine respecting the general character of his paper, and his practice of obtaining money by using it as a vehicle of private slander. If Mr. Bennett were as well known in London as he is in New York, I should not think it necessary to notice anything said by him; nor would the community of that city require it. But, as your readers in England may suppose that some degree of credit may be attached to this denial, I beg to assure them that all the facts stated in my work on America respecting Mr. Bennett and his paper are perfectly true; and no one who has ever resided in or even visited New York, for ever so short a period, will doubt my assertion when I say that the New York Herald surpasses the worst newspaper ever published in England in the worst of times, in all that is generally considered degrading in a public journal. If I stood alone in this opinion I should still repeat it, knowing it to be well founded and true: but I may refer to Captain Marryat's account of the newspaper press of America, in the second chapter of the second series of his Diary, in which Mr. Bennett's paper is there described as the worst of all the disreputable papers in the United States, and as Mr. Dickens truly says, in his Notes, "their name is Legion." Captain Marryat mentions also the fact, that, before he had been in America six weeks he was attacked by Mr. Bennett, and a copy of the paper was sent to Captain Marryat, with these words written in the Margin—"Send twenty dollars and it shall be stopped."
I place before the English public these opinions and assertions of others, in corroboration of my own because mere assertion against assertion, unsupported by corroborative testimony, would leave the question in the same doubt as before.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
J. S. BUCKINGHAM
Regent's Park, Sept. 1.
What sub-type of article is it?
Persuasive
Investigative
Provocative
What themes does it cover?
Press Freedom
Morality
Social Issues
What keywords are associated?
New York Herald
James Gordon Bennett
Newspaper Slander
Press Degradation
Captain Marryat
Charles Dickens
Extortion Attempt
What entities or persons were involved?
J. S. Buckingham
The Editor Of The Times
Letter to Editor Details
Author
J. S. Buckingham
Recipient
The Editor Of The Times
Main Argument
buckingham affirms the truth of his criticisms of the new york herald and james gordon bennett's practices of slander and extortion, supported by references to captain marryat and charles dickens to counter bennett's denial.
Notable Details
Reference To Captain Marryat's Diary Describing The Herald As The Worst Disreputable Paper
Quote From Dickens' Notes: 'Their Name Is Legion'
Example Of Extortion: Margin Note 'Send Twenty Dollars And It Shall Be Stopped' Sent To Marryat