The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-06
PEOPLE AND NEWSPAPERS.
WIN the Public BE Benefited by Reduction
in Priee-The relation of the Press to thu

viii the Public Be Benefited by Reduction
in Price-The Relation of the Press to the
People
Gath's New York Special
do not see what the people, who are the
only persons to be considered from my stand-
point, are to derive from reduction of their
daily paper. l have often said here that q
man ought to pay as much 10 shine his head
in the morning as he pays to shine his boots,
which is five cents. Now, the newspapers,
which have been doing fairly we'll by getting
$l2 to Sl4 a year for subscriptions, have be-
come so greedy to eat each other up that
they propose to furnish wisdom and knowl-
edge for the price of gill of morning milk.
The people do not expect newspapers to be
supported on the expenditure the American
press has sustained and sold to them so
cheap. There must be deterioration of the
news, and of good principle as we'll, in the
reduced price, because there is certain re-
lation between price and self-respectin every
thing. The era OF general wit and scope has
been broadened by the enterprise of the
press. We are, perhaps the best-informed
people in the world on matters OF the passing
day Writers for the press, imperfectly
paid, imperfectly supported, get to have very
imperfect responsibility. The tendency of
this lowering of prices is to drive character
and experience out OF the press and introduce
the reign of gypsies, eayesdroppers and news
pickpockets. l see no general law, no public
demand for cheaper article in the way of
newspaper There is a demand for bet
ter article-one that shall be nearer the
standard ofintegrity, patriotism and thought.
In another respect the reduction of the
price OF the journals is going TO be fatal to
that class of papers which have Jagged IN
news enterprises and spent all their preten-
sion and dignity on editorial writing Such
papers as the Evening Post of this city are
profoundly affected by the present drift of
the journals. The Post is one of the oldest
papers in the United States, and has made
great deal of money. 1t has been at the same
time the meanest paper on the globe to pro-
cure information and pay for it. The policy
has been to sit down and assume that the diff
ferent individuals within the office were
higher grade of mortals than elsewhere, and
what they had TO say on this or that matter
everybody was awaiting before he made up
his mind. | would rather take an intelligent
view of a plain man who had never been in
a newspaper office on almost any question
than that of the professional journalist
There are two uses of editorial writing.
The first is to correct boldly false tendencies
in the people The next is to encourage
good tendencies in the people, and to express
in the best form the unexpressed instincts OF
right-minded readers Words have mys-
terious relation to thought, and he who can
express our best aspirations becomes en-
deared to us, and to some extent our daily
hero. But when this tendency is cut to
measure, and every day the lecturer gets up
and harangues on this or that question as if
he was the oracle it begets in the editorial
columns an egotism which is offensive, and
the guide itself is often pernieious. In par
ticular is editorial effusiveness to be dis
trusted when it is wholly unaccompanied
with the enterprise and information which
is obtained by intercourse with events and
the masses. In general the most effect
i've editorial comment is that which
comes from an intelligent observation
directly on the thing concerned. He VINO
never met public man, for example, and
stands off at the distance of 300 miles to
Judge him is apt to make an original mis-
take, and afterward to swear by it, Consist
ency is the most unjust of virtues. 1t re-
fuses to correct its own falSehoods.
Besides, in our editorial offices there is too
often an absolute incapacty to deal with the
people and the physical facts OF the day
The man engaged in writing his daily yard
stick of editorial becomes closet character
He loses the hardihood to drink through his
ewes the true influences OF the time. be
squares his world by some Utopia in his
library. The greatest revolution OF modern
times, that which arrested true I'D
ertv and the true happiness OF man,
was fomented by Rousseau from his
closet, where he apparently depicted the
world as he saw it in some beautiful camera
above the roof; and when he came out into
the world, because it was not all as nolseiess
and exquisite as tnaC reIlectlOi, nc 1hutcdeou
all the regular influences of his time as ty-
rants of the globe. Nervous, so constituted
that he could not mix with men, he wanted
human government adapted to his defcata
tympanum and retina. The madman's vision
infamed France and self-government became
a hideous incendiarism.
l apprehend that at the present momrut
there is no question more interesting to tire
American people than their newspaper press
1t has become huge exuberance of the day.
like CULVER making his advent into Lii
putia. 1t cannot be lied down, and it is dan
gerous when it stands up. When it relieves
itself in the ordinary operations of nature
the scandal is like the sun in heaven. In
New York the increase of newspapers is en-
tirely induced by avarice. The reduction of
the price of papers here is nothing but mat
ter of avarice. The old citadels of prosperi-
ty are being assailed in every way The at
tack is not only directed on the prosperous
four-cent and three-cent papers, but on the.
prosperous two-cent papers, and the tendeu-
cy is to wipe out the penny papers entirely
Yet, in the long run, that channel which
best serves the public will be proved to have
been planted on the best foundation