The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-04-10
Newspapers.

4
cities can put to work that can accom-
plish half as much for the public as {
well conducted, broad viewed, enter
prising and intelligent newspaper
There is nothing which so absolutely
grades city or town as the local press
"Show me the company you keep and
I'll tell you what kind of man you
are" said an an accomplished man OF
the world upon one occasion. We
nay improve on it, and find another
application for the same principle and
change the reading to, "show me your
newspaper and I'll tell you what
kind of city you have" Newspa-
pers are always just what the people
make them. 1t is just as impossiblet to
run newspaper against the aggregate
of public opinion any length of time
as it is to fly to the moon. A good,
live, enterprise unity will
never tolerate q II with in
ert, dead and b. Ige news
papers. 1t. isn't neC,S. y that a
newspaper represents the exact shade
of political opinion held by each and
every one of its patrons, neither
would it be possible for it to do so, or
desirable in any way, But in its gen.
eral course and policy it may faith
fully represent the enterprise, intelli-
gence and general moral worth of the
community, and do this as no other
influence may or can. In this way
a newspaper differs from any
and, indeed, all other enterprises
of any character whatever. 1t is in
this sense a public institution from
the very nature of the circumstances
by which it is surrounded. 1t spends
such portion of its force, financial
and intellectual, in a daily effort to
forward the public interests of the
community as no other influence can.
1t daily illustrates some advantage,
urges some claim, or does something
for the public good. Its ostensible
is to furnish the news. This
leading function gives its nomencla-
ture to journalism. This is why the
journals are called newspapers. But
this is only one of its functions. AS
we have said, it, if il discharges its
duty, urges forward all enterprises
and interests which are designed
to serve the community, and it OPP
poses itself to all those likely in any
way to injure.
Newspapers are not, per function,
partizan so far as politics are con-
,erned, and yet paper, like an indi-
Vidual, which has absolutely no con-
isn't either on one
side or the other, of every question,
and which, having convictions, is
afraid to urge them, amounts to but
title. AS force by which to pnsh
,ity or community to the front
such paper would effect but little,
in fact, prove wet blanket to
1t is the rugged, manly,
papers, honest but earnest, which grow
20 be moral forces of value to the
in which they are pub
ished. Strangers coming into a place
say Austin, invariably seek for and
BUY its papers. If these are merely
newspapers by reason OF the fact that
hey are printed on paper; if they are
geographically; and if their
contents are dull heavy and of no force.
md if there is meagre advertising pa
ronage exhibited, the stranger
It once forms an opinion unfavorable to
he place, which is not dissipated very
asily, because it is very often correct.
IN the other hand, nothing gives him
o pleasant an impression of new
ommunity as to have live, neat, en-
paper, filled with live adj
-ertising and crisp, interesting matter
Urged upon him. 1t does not matter
it's politics are in accord with
lis own or not. That isn't what he is
rying to determine. Itlooks like bust
less. He naturally concludes that if
,thers can make business go in this
manner, he can. He will not only in
rest himself, but, as is natural, will
eek to induce his friends to come, too.
n this way do men become influenced.
n this way do we get money to build |
manufactures and supply all other |
Ldjuncts useful to civilization.
Were we a merchant, professional
nan, property-holder or citizen inter-
.sted otherwise in the prosperity OF
Austin, we would, as matter of policy, |
10 more to encourage the building up
lere of a first-class newspaper than to |
ocate all the machine shops, wooden
Mills, cotton mills and other manu-
'actories in the state, and not have
/ newspaper of the class we refer to-
These are truths recognized univer-
ally by business men, and influences
If this day laying claim to anything
ike equality with the age in
which they live. This is the
sort of paper which it
IS the purpose of the management of
the STATESMAN to build up. We do
not claim to be making this effort en-
tirely unselfishly. We. propose to
make money out of it if that can be
done legitimately and honestly, but
while doing this we trust to confer
fully as much advantage upon every
legitimate enterprise of the city as we
receive ourselves.
With these plainly stated purposes
before him,no reasonable or enterpris-
ing business man of Austin can afford
to permit the STATESMAN to run with
out being represented in its columns.
We intend to spend every cent the pa
per makes in improvements till we
have here in Austin as good paper
as any in the state, or any west of the
1t can be done, and we
mean to do it.
Prohibition.