Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1871-06-23


and others of their class were to come
here by invitation of their friends and
discuss it in all our principal towns
would not the we'll known convictions
not to say prejudices- our people on
the subject lead two-thirds of our papers
to ridicule their arguments without re-
porting them, and to brand them with
the opprobrium of intrusive retormers
seeking to corrupt our "pure mountain
air" without doing them the common
justice to aequaint the people with the
essence of their reform" You think
not, and yet, gentlemen, very few of us
can say we have not pursued the same
course with regard to other advocates
and other themes, Argument is proper,
ridicule is proper, denunciation is proper,
and even appeals to passion and preju-
dice may not always be improper, pro-
vided you will give the facts; but if
there s anything else in the world so inn
proper, so hateful, so out of all keeping
with the character of neics paper as
the suppression of fair and unbiased
narrative of what is editorially held up
to scorn, then | have not found il, even
in the cowardice of politicians, the con
servatism of kings, nor the bigotry of
popes. Time is great ayenger. 1t
turns the world completely over every
day. You and | may hold our umbrel-
las up if so we choose, or if we conceive
that to be our Office, but lateral light will
still stream in Be it ours, rather, to
shed the light and to reflect it all around.
If it be true, we then glorify ourselves
and it, If it be false, the sooner it is
known-all known--the sooner it will
be condemned. Nothing less than this,
then, is the duty of the presto give,
like the harp of Eolus, the varying
sounds of different winds, while at the
time it maintains its high position re-
/ gardless of them all
J Another duty which the press owes to
its cotemporaries and to itself; to them,
courtesy, fairness in debate and homo
able competition in business {; to itself,
independence of Judgment, dignity of
feeling and the security and enjoyment
of fair and even generous rewards of toll.
HURTING ONES SELF IN ORDER TO HARM
OTHERS.
| In Vermont most editors are also pro-
prietors, and have, therefore, not only
their intellectual standing to win and
maintain, but their pecuniary success to
achieve and advantages to secure. They
are often in sharp competition, and as
all the rewards of the press, in order
that they may be many this competition
is in danger of descending to humiliating
trifies and becoming tainted with dishon-
or, unless it is counteracted and upheld
! by q high sense Of professional dignity,
and by charity which beareth all
things" and " endureth all things In
other professions, however much man
may want business, it is considered un-
professional in him to cut below a fair
and common price on the one hand, or
ia le advantage Of ignorance or distress
to be exorbitant upon the other, and the
shyster who does it is left to find his re-
wards in paths where gentlemen disdain
to walk, and while there, he finds after
a little, that though umble as Uriah
Heep, and honest as Iago, he has
sunk beneath the contempt and far be-
meath the patronage of every manly
man. So it should be in our profession,
gentlemen, and so it will be if we are
true to principle, true to interest, true
to each other and true to ourselves.
But while few such evils as this will
occasionally infest fair and legitimate
Journalism 4" for ways that are dark and
for tricks that are vain, these
PAPERS WITH FOREIGN BOWELS
are peculiar" Within very few years,
companies have been organized in some
of the western cities and in New York
for editing and printing one entire side
of full sheet, and then, instead ofsend-
ing it out as other city publishers do, to
actual subscribers, they furnish it to GER
tain feeble country offices cheaper than
regular publishers can buy their blank
paper The companies can afford to do
this because they secure remunerative
advertisements, for many business men
are green enough to suppose that they
enjoy tremendous circulation. The
same half printed sheet is furnished to
large number of different offices, so that
the cost of editorial labor and OF compo-
sition is saved. To suit all the different
shades of opinion, certain number are
worked off containing one or two strong
Republican articles, then another batch
with these articles left out and strong
! Democratic articles written by the same
pen, inserted, so that at length these
ready-made opinion moulds have actual
! ly advertised their productions as either
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