Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1882-06-03

1857.
buted to your welfare, II must never
he forgotten that without the artisan
and the mechanic you could have no
city. 1t is not fashionable to dwell
upon the fact, but it is none the less
true. that there are as noble lives and
as high deslinies nodded Into the
bricks Of your walls. hewn into the
stones OF your facades, cast iu the
iron of your massive columns, and
even carried up high ladders under
the humble hod, as were ever dream
ed OF by the merchant. princes whose
money commands the erection of your
massive piles; for there 10 no nobler,
God-inspired sacrifice to love aud
duty than that which is daily made by
millions of unlettered, unhonorel
and unsung laborers, who are heroes
as we'll. Remember your orators and
your writers. remember your artists
aud your scientists-thisi is we'll but,
while you do this. remember. too, to
do reverence to that diligence and
industry which transforms element
airy particl's into Il o-r cities of " hich
VIC boast and IN which we take so
much pride for, with C.riyIe, the
most 1ndolent aud niust favored by
fortune must conclude, that, with
out labor there were i,o ea-e, no rest
80 much as conceivable" The mag
niticcnt iron bridge which binds you
to THE vigorous Nnd craving COM
mon wealth of K.msas is no less a
monument to yonr enterprise and
foresight than i- this beans iful opera
house Il Testimonial of your asthetIc
tastes. y ,ur educational Institutions
are numerous, abl, conducted and
well patron,Zed; you have'a healthful
and ievrly site, business II, our midst
is growing visihly day hy day, aud on
every hand NV t.u ldings are being
erected. These facts, taken into colt
sideratiOn in connection with the
knowledge That the fiveatates and two
territories which are tributary 10 your
trade are growing with wondrous
rapidity. promise yen most abundant
prosperity. In this prosperity the
Missouri Press Association reioices,
| aud will, no doubt, knowing it better
by closer observation. take pleasure
in doing what it eau to enhance it.
And now, sir, permit he for mo-
meM to turn from ST. Joseph to that
life of journalism which is the cause
of our to-day being your guests.
The bitter aud rank ling enmities of
our late unhappy war naturally, if
unfortunately, impressed themselves
strongly upon the newspapers of Mis-
souri,. In order, more than anything
else, to amelioraie the acrimOuy Of
discussion of public questions, this
association was formed in 1867, it's
first meeting being in May OF that
year, ut ST. Louis. A temporary or.
ganiz 'tion was effected, sand the fret
regul rly elected officers were the fol.
lowing: President, j. w. Barrett.
vt the Camton Press Vice. President
Daniel M. Draper, Of tho Danville
Star; Corresponding Secretary, j. f.
Gegan. the Jefferson City Tribune;
Recording Secretary. Mt. Doane. of
the Trenton News; Treasurer, G.. q.
Foster, of the Kansas City Journsl;
Orator, G. 3. Wilkenson, of the ST.
Joseph Herald I; Poet, Elwood Kirby,
Of the State Times. mention these
names because they are AZ familiar to
Missouri ears as household words.
aud that the decimated ,rsmks. Of the
little band may bring homo to every
heart the evanescelfce of mortality.
While we weep for those who are
lost 10 us, we remember with grati-
lude their good work. Since it's fouu.
datlon this society has annually had
It's reunion somewhere in the state,
and, let us hope, with profit, not only
10 ourselves but to our readers. In
consequence of its existence the edi.
tors OF Missouri, who are largely the
MOiders OF its manners and opinions.
nave come 10 know the state aud each
other better; they have, with few
dlshohorable exceptions, learned to
treat each other with that respect
which is due frsm gentleman to gen.
Lieman, and with that decor um which
should exist between disputants on
important public questions which it
ls not IN the nature of things ALL
should view alike. I believe that we |
may say without un.iue eyntism that
our organization has, IN eIevatiug the
tone OF pniiticnl and other public dis
cussions, done great good but while
leth TO speak Of it, | cannot reirain
from saying that there is sull much
to be effected in that direction. IL
ls unnecessary 10 establish wha, Is the
power of the press. This is All intel.
ligeht audience. and it knows its ali.
SUBTLE and imclu i've in.
huence. Every body. no W adays,roa
even the children and the servants
A Needless or an impure parapranh. n
jeer at religion. u sneer at Ionesty
when printed, reaches through rau,i.
hcations undreaIned of. There il
SIMPLY no calculating where their
evil Influence ends. A cowardly stab
at the lair name of the state made for
political purposes. passes far bevond
lhe partisan meanness which IL was
int ended to accomplish, and becomes a
oa'eful weapon against the material
Of all its people. There
Is y Class OF very small editors. hap.
ply growing less in numbers year 6y
year, who forget that debate must b.
to be Of value. Knowing
hothing themselves. incapable of rea.
sonihs' they answer arguments with
eplthets, aud when badly cornersd
question the motives of their Oppo-
iehts' which 1t Is always reaso,, .bIs
10 suppose are quite AZ good as their
owh. Ahother abuse OF the power
piac' !" the hands of editorial writ
.rs IL the hippant aud careless man
her III which regulations are dealt
with. simply because accident or
choice has made their bearers enter
public life. l know of nothing which
IS SO much calculated to debase pub.
nc morality. 10 render men careless
'f just criticism, aud to befittle and
'enragsle the responsibility of the
press Itself, as this unfortunate pro-
Density. Let the knnve be scourg.d:
would not turn from him q single
stripe; but respect the name Of the
iohest man. even if he differs from
you i'll politics or conducts the news
PAPER in opposition to your own.
There is nothing which 90 wins re.
pect from others as respect for ones y,
elf. Horace Greeley used to say
There IL nothing easier in this wick
"a world than 10 edit y ii .ckyuard
newspaper, aud nothing more diff
ult than I" get up newspaper free
rom f"ulne>S and biackguar,iism.
shwoinen and bar-rOonI lnnfers aIa l
Killed in the art of handy ing plt he,s.l
M be>pai'ering each other with
muddy words-,t requires no brains
Il" this; hut it does require both
cart AMI brains ioprImt mewsp ,per L
nat "ecrrt 'nrn or woman can read
nronSh auu through without blu.h'
Al M lsa.1 81