Mexico weekly ledger., 1886-06-10
Bob White Struck the Key Note.

Al the recent meeting of the Mis-
souri, Press Association, Bob White,
of the Mexico LEDGER, read timely
and carefully prepared paper on ''the
duty of the press during the prelimi-
nary canvass toward the candidates
for public office" which merits due
consideration. He pictures the duty
of the press to be outspoken, truth
ful and unprejudiced in everything
of interest to the public, condemns
as pernicious and debasing ''the
habit many Of us have fallen into of
putting all candidates in their pre-
liminary canvass, good, bad and in
different alike and says: 1.-The
announcement of candidate is SIM
ply matter cf advertisement. Every
body has right to run for office, and
having that rioht, he is entitled to
announcing space to put himself be-
fore the public. That done the ad-
vertisement Is at an end. Then comes
the duty to the public. #
The press then should investigate the
merits, the character and the ability
of those who ask to be placed i'll
power. If any are found who are
not honest, or not competent, let
them be friend or foe, the fact should
be published. Then the responsible
ity will be with the people. When
all are honest and competent it is
the duty of liberal press to so state
and by no innuendoes or slurs try tc
misrepresent or injure any of tht
candidates for personal reasons. 4
newspaper is run for the people anC
not to crafty any petty spite or jeal
ousy its editor may be nursing, ant
just as soon as he allows himself t.
become derelict in his duty on &C
count of personalities his paper is n
longer worthy of the support AM
maintenance of contiding public.
His idea is that in Democratic pre-
liminary canvass it is the duty of
Democratic paper to announce a
candidates who so desire, and stat
their claims fairly and honestly, an
I if all are capable and competent t
3 leave the matter in the hands of th
r voters. That personal preferenc
J. of the editor for any one candidat
should not control the paper nor il
Il duce him to advocate that candidate
e nomination through its coumns.
+ In this we believe Mr.. White hs
: struck the key note, and that b
e position will receive the unqualifie
L endorsement of every consister
u newspaper in the State. This hs
n always been the policy of the Dem
= crdt in preliminary canvasses, an
'e the same motives and principles th
N have governed US in the past wi
lie control our course in the canvass ju
% opening. Any man who desires C:
y have his announcement published
le the Democrat by paying therefor, al
n, if he is honest and has clean reco
Ill he can rest assured that he will
treated as courteously in our column
L. as his opponents.
We And right here is a good time
10 again revert to the fact that the Del
ocrat is not free horse, to be ro,
'e by every candidate and his friends
or a campaign. If you are interest
ok in candidates success, you do 4
IT ask a merchant to furnish free t
ret cigars, etc, you dispense so ibera
>, in his behalf. You don't expect
aA travel free from one end of the cour
Die to the other simply because you 6
ds going down to whoop up John Smi
he who wants to be public dog pelt
on and you needn't expect to use I
columns of the Democrat in his
terest without paying for the adv
for tlsement. That is business, and [
ror sooner the politicians of this q
'0A other counties learn that the news
&c, pers have all adopted business pr
ill eiples, and propose to stick to the
at the better for all concerned.