The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1885-06-06
Journalism's Hard Row.

in journalism" this morning but we
intend to get in our little say about
local journalism, and in our mind
this includes as well the local habita-
ton of the paper, as il does the state
of Texas, in this sense all papers are
purely local, because in other states
i'm ST. Louis, Chicago, New York and
Boston, immense hordes of people are
not sitting disconsolate refusing both
breakfast and the matutinal draught
until the Texas papers come in. We
have no trouble OF that sort, and no
responsibility of that nature weigh
ing upon us. Onr troubles come
from other sources but they are
in no whit less troublesome
because they are home products. This
is what we shall talk about. and we
shall do ii with tears dripping from
our faber, the while. In this blessed
Texas of ours there are men who
Notwithstanding all are democrats,
think they have royal right TO the
brain, the labor, the ink, the paper
end types of all democratic newspa-
pers, to push their self-sssertcd, claims
for Office free of oil tax, of all charges,
and the papers must take cursings and
revilings as the faithful hound takes
, the kicks of his master after the game
| has been run down. The news.
paper can adulate, but criticism
is deadly. Praise is the only note
, they will have. If the UNI
: fortunate newspaper should erect lis
crest and step out Of the beaten track
: even for one single day, the air is vo
cal ever after with the vile blessing,
( OF the demagogue. 1t is true-it II
, beyond cavil or dispute. Every news
paper. conductor knows ii, for al
J. have experienced 1t.
0 Then we come to purely local Of
y neighborhood matters. There arc
certain positive self-confident mel
r who not only run their own familie
f and business enterprises but they atten'
| stilStAs " thVot vi III thNh "a
bors as well, and those of the public il
general. Sewers must be built or re
main unbuiit, the city cleaned up o.
left dirty, new engines bought or re
: fused just as they say. Poor, unfor
Is tunate newspaper IL it cannot get oil
both sides Of the question or chang
as rapidly as its leading q patron
= do. Lot the poor paper be never 81
nimble it will lag behind or miss it il
= some way. Then the character of tn
conductors of the paper begins t
take OH dark shades at once. tn
~ editor is an ignoramus, fool, mel
50 cenary, merchantable fellow who ca
be bought for from ten cents to ift
Is dollars. There is nothing he has nc
20 stolen and no crime in all the calei
: dar of which he has not bee
N, guilty. Now we do not meI
: ton this fact. to cayil 1
il but to draw attention to the gre,
= amount of forbearance exercised b
the conductors of the papers. IL is
lis pretty bitter pill indeed to receiy
ne such provocation and yet renal
= quiet, especially when he feels conf
dent that by simple ten line motto
. he could eflectually puncture III thei
h insolent pretensions and at the san
time break the offender up in bushes
ie completely. II is rare thing for Il
newspapers TO take such turn, and
is strange that they forbear so ofte
when there is rod in their hand b
which the offender could be so efle
Ie tually punished.
Do what newspaper may il ca
but offend. No live line ever yet a
at peared in live paper but that son
one was MORALLY offended. New
papers learn tins soon, and they veI
w soon learn TO look at il with utter Il
o' difference, and in that they uncol
sciously do themselves wrong.
>, they resented these things in kin
=, they would have fewer such troubl,
to contend with. But consideration
men do not care TO lower the sta
st dard of journalism even to prote
10 their own characters and business II
terests from assaults OF this kind. II
newspapers are very poorly col
~ Quoted and sometimes very wickc
W but they have sufficient provocatio
" TO be very much more wicked AL