The Livingston enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1914, 1885-08-22

Next time you feel like provoking or
CARRYING on quarrel with your neigh
Dor put Yourself in a sensible readers
place and remember your bread and
| butter. We cannot afford to stand up
before the public eye and scalp one an
other for the delectatiOn OF mob OF
hoodlums while the best sense Of our
community of readers turns away in
disgust and, if it overlooks the trans
greSson, does SO with weakened respect
for the transgressor.
! But criticism Of fellow editors and
the products Of their pens is frequently
not merely proper but necessary; 1t is
often our duty to differ most positively
with the professional or public bearing
of fellow editor; it is often necessary
to call attention to his professional or
even personal faults and to contradict
and oppose him strenuOusly. But all
this can be done in courteous spirit
and without any breach of professional
etiquette or Of the decorum which
should mark the intercourse OF gentle
| men. There is no member of this AssO-
ciatiOn who is not entitled to the respect
of all men; much more should he COM
| mand it from his felloW-journalistS who
may be supposed to recognize the res
| pectability and high honor OF our COM
mon profession.
Where no personal acquaintance eX-
lists there is little regard for personal
feelings. But such gatherings as this,
repeated at intervals, promotes friend
ship, softens prejudices, obliterates base
less antagOnislns and makes us brethren
mo infO h11C1npcC
1t seems to me that in this particular a
marked benefit has already resulted
since the organic meeting OF this AssO-
citation.
And this avoidance of coarseness
should be observed in all personal crltl-
cisms. 1t is very frequently the prov
ince of the newspaper to discuss the
records or qualifications OF men occupy
ing or seeking public position. IT it
appear to be a duty to dlsapprove OF
their public acts or aspirations, that
duty can be most effectively performed
in spirit of decency, gentility and fair
conscience, remembering that such men
have friends and that offensive language
will convert them into enemies of your
paper and will not add one to it's list of
friends. Fair and honorable criticism
is ever most impressive and shows
greater dignity and stronger case than
do coarse and scandalous language, un-
warrantable denunciations and asser-
tiOnS that cannot be maintained. l do
not mean to convey the inference that a
paper may be successfully conducted
and ever occupy place in the affections
of all men. He is either an Inactive or
an insignificant person who lives in this
crowded, struggling world without oc
casionally interfering with the pleasures,
pursuits or ambitions of his fellows.
So it is with the great individuality
called newspaper. If it is alert and
progressive, with firm ideas on all sub
jects, conducted without fear, favor or
malice it must of necessity touch sore
spots here and there and incite envy
and enmity, but at the same time it will
receive due respect.
Personal as well as professional pride
is as necessary to successful editorial
work as to any other vocation. While
the editor may be a sort of impersonal
existence buried beneath the obScurlty
Of the pronoun "we' yet his readers
Especially of country paper quickly
give him "a local habitation and a
name" and by his editorial columns and
the general conduct Of his paper meas
ure his character and weigh his mental
calibre. The editorial page while by
no means the most important feature of
the paper should be conducted with in
finite care SO that it may be brilliant
frame work for the picture formed by
your news columns as well as the wand
by which to guide public opinion and
attract personal respect. In that de-
partment OF the paper avoid slouchy,
careless style; express no hasty. ill-con-
sidered opinions; be honest and consist
ent in your expressions lest your lack OF
sincerity be- discovered and your intlu-
ence weakened; back your ideas with
arguments for the human mind turns
upon the pivot Of reason; be fearless in
attacking what you believe to deserve
attack for even unavalllng bravery IS
more admirable than inactivity or cow
ardice; remember that through the me-
dium of the types you are speaking to
an immense audience that comprises
many critics. Above all do not give up
any portion OF your independence to
politicians or political parties; they will
favor you only SO long as you can ad-
vantage them, they respect you only
while they fear you and they will re-
ward you, if at all, only with the crumbs
that fall from the richly laden tables at
which you have assisted to provide them
with seats. The public regards the edi-
torial column as the mirror of the pa
per's individuality; conduct it with the
fairness, fearlessness, honesty and de-
cency that would characterize your per-
sonal bearing should you seek to obtain
personal favor in the public eye and it
will rebound to the benefit of the whole
paper. i.
Let me in passing refer to a rule of
| journalistic etiquette that is too often
| violated: give credit for ioeas or import
| ant items Of news that have originated
| with your exchanges. None know bet
| ter than newspaper men that the tOiler
of the pen is entitled to the fruits of
his labor and his genius and one Of those
fruits often most highly priced is the
credit of authorship; none know better
than publishers the benefit of advertis-
ing and the best advertisement for any
paper is to be quoted and credited. It is
not to be expected that all the compila-
tions of the exchange editor are to be
labeled with the record of their origin;
we all know where the line should be
drawn and should stick to the limit.
The newspapers represented in the
Association are mostly dependent upon
local support and their circulation is
largely confined to the immediate vicin-
ity Of the place of publication. It is
therefore the local department. that
should receive the largest share of your
attention. Local readers want to know
all that is happening among their neigh
bors and if they have dine anything
noteworthy Of which 5hey are not
ashamed they want it luly reported.
Few occurrences in your community