Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1886-09-02
Smalley's Contribution.


ten by T.. V. Smallcy, the veteran
journalist, was read before the late
meeting Of the Montana Press Associa-
ton, at Bozeman:
II has often struck me that the Montana
! newsra pers are mora original in their mat
/ ter and makeup than those of the east.
] mean that they dO not copy each other
and that each seeks to have II hook and
character Of it's own. This may come in
part from the influence of your grand and
peculiar scenery and from the novel con
ditions of life which surround you, for We
are all impressed by our environment
more than We are aware of, hut IL comes,
] think, still more from th" fact that men
who broke away from old associations in
the east to engage in newspaper work in
what was but n few years ago one oi the
most remote and little known regions in
the United States were men of considerable
originality Of mind aud force of character.
II they lad been co,nniot place men CON
tent to live in n
"a siecply land
Where under the same old wheel
The same old rut doth decpn year 10y year.
they would never have migrated to the
TANKS and valleys of the northern Rockies.
This quality Of originality is worth pre-
serving and cultivating. Our weekly papers
I
ARE two dales in n town they are apt to
copy each Others style without intending
to do So. ! believe that an editor who will
strike out new lines Of work and will put
his individuality into his paper as much as
possible. will be appreciated by his readers.
and will, beside, have the satisfaction that
I he artist finds in painting his own concep
tions instead Of copying those ri other
men.
of course there are limits to the original
ity If u newspaper. How much must be-
done in n routine way every editor knows
ut the cost of countless hours of ,lrudg.ry
much space must bc occupied with what
may seem trivialities to the cultured mind.
but are essentialto the success oi the paper
Tell men what they know before.
Paint the landscape from their door.
says Emmcrson This is u ma xin that the
successful editor mast always keep in view.
Horace Greeley once said that the interest
ol - reader in u piece of news was in inverse
rat tio to the distance of the event dt'scribed
from his own home. Frank Mclaughlin,
the publisher OF the Philadelphia Times.
once told me that he made il n rule in rid
ing from his house to his oiiice. mornings,
in the street ears to watch the people who
bought the Times and notice what articles
they read first. Nearly every oie of them
lIe found. would merely glance at the for
eign news, the editorials and the congr,s-
sional and political news and settle down
At once on u report of some occurrence IN
he city. Other things being equal, the
paper that is most strongly local, espccially
If il be "a country weekly, is most s,iccessiul.
This fact need not altogether bar ont orig
snality, however for the editor can, il he
wishes, put ~ good deal of his own person
ality even into his chronicles or minor
home happenings and why, when hr writes
So much with his thought ON the TASTES of
Al b.t la Ia
to crafty his own. lie may by 50 doing
find unexpected appreciation. There H.
much more of literary taste aud knowl-
edge i'm th, far west than travellers who
only the EXTERN of il suppose. ] have
heard Emerson and Tcnnyson quoted on
- Montana Indian reservation and listened
to original compositions ON ~ piano on "a
ranch the composer being - lady who had
never seen II largerciiy than Helena. Driv-
ing across the Dakota pr;,iries once Wit h
man whom had suppos''dto to hav. no ideas
in part icular ont side of the rasin. Of mum
her ON" hard wheat, ! was amazed when
some Wild Hover reminded him of line in
Walter Scott and he began to rccitr an cn-
tire canto from the Lady Of the Lake. The
thoughtful article or tn" beautiful poem
which the editor may fear will sr loHi upon
his matt"r-offact readers may bc ptizd 10y
many "a, the best tn.ag in the paper
Let me add a few words about indrp'nd-
.nre in journalism. \ great deal ui nun-
SENSE has been writ tea on this subject. Dnr
~oud suppose from much that is printed
written, fancy. by young fellows fresh
from ep.lc,r. aud new W the printing oi'irr,
that all an editor has to ioto br indrIend
eat, il 10 wish to he So. N,w the l.irt H.
that y. al seek Independence as the gr,at
est blessing IN life next io the love oi viii
and children. This universal desire was
expressed ia very iorciblc way Dy "A Non
"a n l.,t ~ | nm an l,,,
riie train last Iall. We became p,rtty well
acquainted during our two days Journey
tostth aud finding he was sonnet hing of Il
philosopher asked him what WA, hir chief
ambition ia lii.. lie replied, 'toget money
enough 80 ran tel any man to go 10 hell
when feel like il. la his peculiar trout irr
fashion this man expressed IA. truth that
there is n" intellectual indrpcn'!ruer with
out iinanrial independence. No editor ran
br iudcp .nd"p' who H. afraid H. ranuot
rai-, MONEY to m.-, his paper bills or tay
his hands oa the next saturday. aud who
is apprchens.ve that \. u. will stop advrr-
I Using orf. ID. .liscontinu. hiS p.ilpr The
first step toward iud-p,.ndenc.. * to get the
business department upon splid. surr,rss-
iul hass. 50 that tl. loss of no dozen men \
patronage viii cripple the paprr. aud thu
hostility of no political cisitir u-.l H..
frarrl. Wirii WAS 81 boy in ohio worked
upon a little villac" weekly that had und-r
II, hesdiin" this fine motto:
Her, shall the pre- the people right. main.
tain
Inased by influence aii unbrila-l by gain
Her patriot truth her gentle pr,scIf, iraW.
Pledged I" religion llsrt! AMI law
That was inspiring. bat | bad 10 giv, thu
publisher II weeks gotir, WHEN ! wrnt.d -
dollar, aud most of my sran,y earning,
w'.t" paid with orIrr, on he ~tofts Much
mora To TIA" point H. the motto ri "a certain
pa per In Dakota, which rt,td~. .''hr purrurr
of TIM newspaper J. - make livin, ipr
IL -ditpr
LET ur hy all mean, i,'' as independent A.
W. raa, but ~ us not forget that th,- news
but a money earning affair likr iarul ur -
srpc, rE. u, function j. not to tread on
ltrppl'. rorn-. Ia show thu world fh.v haH.
hiF- Huf" spots, or to pull their n,,-,,, to
- riiisn,"n them. II should try t. maEs
b" world littlr better 10y it. ini1uencr.
bHi - h. not bound to -.fctiiice it. lcgiti-
mat" business to rfprmafpry z4tl. The :
n" spai,rr r. product tp i.p Sold IN The
nHrhri like othrr mcrrlandise. l.rf TIN
-ilipr make IL honest. cl-.n ath u-.fuI.
after that u j. li- right 10 make il a. mar
ketal,ir a. pu-Sibl- When hr can nay hi,
tebi- promptly, support hi- family com
pr'ably aud se'' his bank account grow -
it'll" month Icy month IL will be tim.
-n"I.h ior hifn To- indulge in pleasant th-u-
rizins about independent journalism.