The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-06-15
forum Of the people, and the speeches
of the LEADING statasmen ~.ro ~.

/
while The statesmen were the oracles
Of the parties.
The papers and the politicians we're
then IN partnership, of which the poli-
ticlan was the senior and ruling part
ner. But with time, the .slations of
the partners and the business done
by the firm have greatly changed. The
papers have grown more numerous and
Influential, and the politicians have
shrunk in importance with the age.
There is an old political tradition of
the existence of class of voters who
had no partisan opinions until the
man came round who was to "telI them
how to VOTE" That class of voters still
live and vote, but the man died, and
the local paper is his successor in
Office.
The politics of the people are now
made by the paper Of the country, and,
instead Of the papers ech Ding the poll
ticians, the politicians should learn of
the newspapers, as Saul sat at the feet
of Gamaliel.
The mass meeting is no longer the
school for the people, but the theatre
Of the politicians. The masses learn
their politics at home, from their pa
per, and only go to political meetings
to see some notoriety,or to witness some
one walk up and down platform and
declaim and tell stories, or repeat some
lesson IN craftsmanship that his hearers
have red in the same paper that he
learned it from, and, perhaps half the
time reading to them clippings from
papers that they have read aud thrown
away days, weeks, or months before.
The relations of the firm of politi-
clan and paper have entirely changed,
and the paper is, in fact, to all intents
and purposes, the ruling partner, but
it is too often the case that the same
old sign is kept up in which the poll.
tician is held out to the world as the
leading partner, while the modest and
Anonymous "C.o" representes the de-
pendent relation Of too many editors.
This change in the times has forced
upon the great dailies changed rela-
tion to parties and politicians, and they
are becoming, perforce, as iodepsnd-
ent in this as in other matters. It is
not so easy for the local press to assert
its independence, but it will never be
what it ought to be to its locality till
the restraints of party vassal.ge are
stripped from it. The editor'vhose sup.
port depends in any degree.upon party
caucuses or the good will of profession
al ofice-hunters, lacks by just that
much, independence that is essential to
perfect editing.
In republic, papers cannot, DOR
ought not to, ignore politics, nor can
the local paper avoid being the repre-
sentative of party, but it should nev-
er silk its independence in partisansbip,
nor yield its coatrol to any self:consti-
tated censorship.
Natural history teaches US that oil
created beings have their natural ene-
mics. The eagle in his lofty flights,
is circlcd about by the Insignificant
but annoying kingbirds; 'stbe busy
bee improves each shining hour" in
laying up its sweet stores, to divide
them with the lazy drone or thievish
moth !; and papers. deserving Of better
fate, are cruc;ied daily between the
dead-head advertiser and the dead-beat
politician.
We may only hope for the period, in
that good time coming, when party
tickets shall be taken from the head Of
the editorial and placed in the adver-
tising columns, with the other "per-
sonals," and duly paid for by the can
didates who are thus kept before the
people: and when politicians, like
grocerymen, shall make themselves con-
spicuous in the ornamental type Of the
displayed advertisement.
! Our papers are edited too much for
the politicians. They get too much
of their inspiration from the caucns or
corner grocery where that small proper
ton Of readers who fix political states
most do congregate. The local paper
should be home institution, welcome
at every fireside within its bailiwick
and with its columns collated more than
they generally are FOR the eyes and
hearts of the women and children, who
may be made to welcome it a. a kind
ly visitor aud dear friend, instead Of
the brawliug demagogue that the old
fashioned country paper Was, and tha
some old fogyish country papers still
are. A heavy editorial too often fills
space that might be better occupied
with the interesting local. A bit Of
neighborhood novs is enjoyed by
scores more Of readers, than is crush
ing criticism of the latest speech in
Congress.
| Are not our papers too masculine for
q circulation and rendership, that is
two-thirds of it composed of women
and children? commenced the ques.
tion to your consideration.
One of the greatest influences in the
improvement Of the press, is its grow
ing impersonality. With the increased
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