The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-07-31
Newspapers in Politics.

1t is widely the fashion to sneer at .
the newspapers and their influence in y
politics, and, especially by aspirants q
for public Positions, when the papers q
do not see their great qualifications as
the said aspirants do themselves. We 8
have always noticed, however, that +.
public men holding and expressing
such sentiments are usually short
lived. The wear and tear of public
life, the exactions of a closely follow
ed political career and the conscious
ness of not being IN accord with the
press, cuts the average public man off
mercifully early in his career. We
grant that when one holds an office
and is doing ali he can to fill it well,to
meet all the requirements of an exact
ing public, to have the newspapers
jump on him is exasperating. But
then when one finds his virtue weak
ening in the presence of great tempta-
ton; when he would do right, and J
fears he would be tempted finally to
do wrong, to lug off some of the pelf
belonging to the people, it is very
rcstful to reflect that the papers won't
stand it. That the newspaper
cranks" will give it away. There is
many trembling official going along
smoothly in honest official ruts to-day
who would have been sweltering
over in Mexico with his heated
hot stolen millions, but fol- the dreaded
papers which have no better sense
than to cry out aloud whenever there
is any indication of such purpose on
the part of wavering virtue in public
places. Public men have, from time
to time, attempted to reach office over
the protests of the press, and they have
succeeded in few instances, but
these are very few indeed. A free
press IS not only powerful in the Sc
lection of the agents and servants of
the government, but it is powerful
in holding them to proper
and faithful discharge Of duty.
: Men who rise In the world
and accumulate its goods by doubtful
methods have mortal fear of the pa
pers. When they can neither buy, ca
: jole or bulldoze, they yield, and either
become honest officers, if in public
life, or go into retirement.
!, We don't know, of course. but then
we have an idea that the practice Of
drawing out the funds of the univer-
sity in bulk and giving it into the
hands of private banking institutions
, for alleged convenience, is one that
: will be abandoned ere long entirely,
The papers don't like to see such dis
: position made of the public money
and there are few officers who can
. make it against both the law
and the press, backed as these are by
the honest, faithful masses of the peo-
pie. The governor of Texas would
do well to throw over the banks and
all others in such transactions anC
range up with the law and the papers
Monkeying with the public money il
a tlcklish thing, and the more abso
lutely the governor or any other Off
: Ger steers his course away from that
sort of thing, the happier will he be
and the more extended will be his
l official years. There are some other
; matters connected with this subject
{ which await handling, and some hugh
I he attaches are sure to result when the
I day of exposure does come, as it surely
3 will.
i Newspapers may not be able tc
g make a rogue in the pubic service
S honest, but they can and they do pre-
vent many arogue from stealing, OF
: from getting away with the pelf after
having stolenit. That is an Office OF
S incalcuable value to the people an6
S the people never fail ultimately to re.
ward the service munifcently. There
are good many little fellows in the
g service of the state of Texas who
e would grow large in it but for the
papers, and it is good thing also fol
3 the service.