The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1883-11-18

Vl4hA ~ DOA AA4N-AA@lt7-Ns !
A late issue OF JOHN SlcintOn'S
Paper has an article in which there Is
something said regarding daily jour
nalism in the great cities Of this
country which has much truth and
point. He SAYS that one looks invain
over the daily papers of New York
city. upon which so many presumably
intelligent men are employed, for any
information regarding the actual
social movements of the times These
papers, he says, ''giye lis chronicles Of
crime. records OF sports and amuse-
ments displays Of Wall street
debauchery, the deeds of political
gamblers of both parties, news Of the
sluggers and the police. society
twaddle, army and navy intelligence,
sketches of accidents and incidents,
Washington gossip, muck-heaps
without end and daily boluses of
stilted editorial Look in them for
the real things OF the times IN New
York-the struggle for life. the battle
of industry and OF the communisy
with corporate or moneyed power, the
invasions of public right, the alarm
ing changes that are being wrought in
society. The monstrous death-rate of
the city, and the spread of all sorts of
denominations that were once IN
known here Look for the warnings
they ought TO give, the things they
ought to tell, the editorials they
ought to write in the interest of their
readers. Where is the sound of the
trumpet! Where the sound of the
watchmen on the walls OF the press!
The worst feature OF the whole bust
ness Is that the obnoxious and dan.
gerous things OF the times have
reached their present threatening
growth under that which the press j.
in the habit Of calling It's 'watchfu
eye Worse, still, if possible, the!
have reached that growth with TIT
assistance of the chief daily papers o
the city"
Many loudlunged evangels of tn
quill who want to make straight TIA
way of the Lord. echo these denunci
ations. forgetful of the fact that tn
demand creates the supply and tha
the journals give just what thei
readers crave This is true @
all cities whether there b
Eve hundred readers or five hundre
thousand. No discrimination is a
lowed by that most merciless of crit
ical patrons. the reading public.
Take the telegraphic report whic
;he Ogegonial OF this state at gres
expense daily lays before its reader
Does anyone suppose that that hotel
potch OF rape, suicide, arson. inces
defalcation. murder, and crime OF e
cry kind and degree represents III
daily life OF the American nation
Certainly not Nor is it any moi
Just to suppose that the proprietor
of that paper want such a muck {
stufT. daily dumped at their end {
the telegraph wire. They have L
option in the matter; they simpI
supply the demand Of their reade
that they shall breakfast on Grim
dine on sensation and sup on horro
John Swinton is a clever man, b.
his cleverness lies more in abstra
than In concrete channels. He wan
to begin az the wrong end. A new
paper Is the product, the outgrowt
end the exponent OF the place it
published. be that place New Yo
City Yaquina. The fact that t
Gotham journals don't publish VIII
Swinton thinks they should is {
best proof that the public don't wa
TO know il. IL any one of the N
York dailies thought it could sell ]
600 extra copies, it would invade I
most sacred precincts of privacy a
print the result of the invasion VI
most startling and seductive displ