Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1882-01-19
suesIDIZING THE PRESS.


League, which We publish ON our out
side this week, the following is made
prominent;
"A free prcss--thc bulwark Of our free
institutions must be maintained. Leading
Journals have been purchased by monopo-
lists who are endeavoring to control the
thought Of the nation. The journals which
are not thus controlled should be sustained
by the people"
Probably no human agency has
greater power over the people of tie
nation than has the newspaper press.
True, it is diversified in its character
in accordance with the interest of men
and localities. But each newspaper,
however humble in its character and
pretentions has its readers who attach
faith to its teachings, and they are ed
ucstsd and moved to action by the
principles it inculcatcs, and among
those who can read in the United
States, mere mon and women in
number, arc controlled in their actions
and opinions, than are by public speak
ers of all classes and by writer's of
books. The public speaker is heard
by but comparatively few. The ma
jority Of people do not think they
have time to read a book, while
nearly all find more or less time to
read q daily or weekly newspaper.
Hence the newspapers of this country
contain the embodiment of the leading
thoughts Of the nation. Some of these
newspapers have, by their energy and
enterprise attained constant readers to
the number of hundreds of thousands,
and their influence and power upon
masses has become immense for good
or evil, and not only upon tho masses
but alsoupon other newspapers of limit.
cd circulation. When one such ne wspa
per becomes subsidized to men and
measures that are inimical to the vel
fare Of tho people, the harm they do
il undesirable, and it takes years of
patient and energetic labor to undo
this evil. This power is fully apprc-
ciated by crafty men who have an am
bition to aggrandise themselves at the
expense Of the masses who are the pro-
ducers Of the country. Hence when
opportunity presents and they have the
means, they seek to control tho policy
Of such papers to suit their own pur-
poses Of aggrandisemcnt, and too often
arc successful. Minor journals, if they
dissent to tho principles and policy of
these powerful journals, are timid and
chary about exposing their follies. So
many Of them are not financially in
position to maintain controversies with
them, and when they do it often hap
pens that they are worsted in the con-
tsst, either for lack OF ability to defend
tho correct principles, or wanting in
financial support to carry such contro-
versy to successful issue, and thus are
vanquished and lose the confidence of
the people, although they were right in
both principle and policy, and should
have been sustained. 1t then is no
wonder that the members of the Ma
tional League pl.ce such stress upon
The dangers Of having our leading news
papers, subject to the control Of monied
corporations Of the country, and that
they obligate themselves to urge a
hbsral support Of such newspapers as
VII not surrender themselves to the
monied power to the detrimen: of the
masses. Any close observer can road
lily perceive the trucking to the power
ct monied corporations and monied
men in this Northwestern country by
some Of the journals we have read, and
Ut while men long accustomed to 10.
dependent thinking and writing, much
more 80 than in any Eastern localities,
yst even here good writers and publish
en- 70 far forget their manhood and the
demands the people have upon them
- writers and publishers that they are
induced to truckle to the monied pow.
q, and cheat their readers out Of that
bold independent thought upon public
questions, affecting ths public veal,
which is due to them, and the side Of
the people goes uurepresen.ed and un.
protected, while the monopolists make
rapid strides, and gain lasting advan-
tages over the liberties Of the produc-
ing classes, even before they are aware