Arizona citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Pima County, A.T. [i.e. Ariz.]) 1870-1880, 1876-05-06
Newspaper Greatness.

peace to be made 1t once had more
influence IN Germany than all the Ger
man papers together, and has as mucl
to-day in Italy, Greece and Spain as al
the combined journals of those nations
Kinglake, in the first volume of hi,
History of the Crimean War" ex
planned how the Times came to have
this power and influence. It's great
and lucrative advertising patronage
furnishes the resources, and the con
slant source of supply enables it tC
Keep Clear UI IL entangling alliances
with capitalists, monOpolies, Cabinets,
parties and Pariiaments; TO be independ
ent of them and in a condition TO
speak out the truth on all things; al
ways, however, being careful TO square
Its own opinions with public opinion,
which it follows and don't pretend to
lead, though it doubtless does much
towards shaping it. OF late the New
York Herald has set up pretensiOns of
rivalry with the Times IN the opinion
and news markets of the world outside
=. of England, of which the Times once
claimed undisputed possession. The
] claim of the Herald is supported in its
own columns on the 9th instant, by
some striking facts and figures. For
example: A 96-column Times is about
the best effort of the Times. An edi-
/ ton of that size contains about IS col
umns of advertisements. But the best
effort of the Herald runs as high as
/ 100 columns to an edition, containing
| II columns of advertisement matter,
or 300. different advertisements, against
2OGS for the best effort of the Times
/ The Herald also claims to have q much
better classification, a larger force of
employees, much greater circulation,
and in many respects a better OrganiZa-|
ton in its business department. The
uppermost thought OF the Herald just.
now seems to be to cut m on the cir
culation and influence of the Times in
Europe, Asia, Africa and elsewhere
outside the British Isles It's probably
doing this, and the establishment
of the French Republic on Liberal
basis will help the effort.
1t seems proper to us to add some
thing to the above. We have long
watched with qualification the steadily
growing power and wealth of The
Herald. We are of the opinion that
one Of the great needs of the country
is the existence of one, or at most but
several, great newspapers, whose i'm
mense revenues shall lift them above
price or temptation, and whose means
and ability shall not only enable them
to truthfully and without fear represent
public opinion but also to educate and
elevate and correct that opinion, when
wrong Every little community has
its struggling newspaper, and through
local distortion or ignorance or pecu-
MARY influence these publications too
frequently mIsrepreSent the opinion of
their respective communities. The
of the country need some
and corrective head. The
New York Herald evidently aspires to
the position Of leader of the Amer
lean press. There is one thing that it
or any other aspirant to leadership
must learn. They who lead must lead
wisely and well or there will be no per
manent following. 4 newspaper to-
lead the opinion of a nation, must rep
resent that opinion truthfully and must
correct 1t when wrong. y
leadership is not the daily representa-
ton, unreproved, OF tickle, false, senti-
mental, unduly excited sentiment and
thought And yet to the daily reader
of the New York Herald's editorials,
the main attempt therein seems to be !
to simply reflect the mOmentary, undi-
gested. mobbish sentiment of the cOun- ,
try, as it finds it frothing on the sur !
face Then again, when its deeper and +
more extended observation tells of q q
and general opinion Z
the country, 1t Immediately !
dresses up that opinion in the most at !
tractive forms of composition and Ia I
bells it "vox populi, vox DEL" without /
to ascertain It's correctness {
Or falsrty or unsoundness, and without +
rejecting that the old Latin motto Is {
rs false and untrue as the Latin gods !
were mythical. For instance: The !
New York Herald has discovered in .
the East a dollhouse sentiment, that
within the lines of the United States
Army there exists a mysterious atmos- {
phere of moral purity and financial
honesty not found outside those lines
to an equal extent. Upon this premise {
il has for some time been aSsiduouslyI 5
the transfer of the Indian
to this morally pure and financially
honest army. The distorted and I'M !
rue sentiment which The Herald re c
fleets IN this instance, is born Of read !
Ing the army regulations and articles :
Of wa. and the creatures of the imag- y
nation engendered by such reading
are rs fictitious, on the whole, Us are
he novelist Cooper's Indians. For }
he sake of the good that is in the c
army. for the sake Of the Indian, for v
he sake of the nation, for the sup
preston of wrong and vice, let the ;
Herald or any of the great Journals OF! c
he country expend some Of their !
wealth and means in probing to the bot !,
ON the great questions Of the army
md the Indian, and ascertain and pub
ish the truth. Ii no other way sug- t
rests itself they could detail corps