Mexico weekly ledger., 1886-05-13
Address OF Welcome.
BY ALDERMAN NJ. Y, DUNCAN.

Mr.. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN OF
THE PRESS ASSOCIATION OF Missouri
On behalf of the mayor, city council
and the people of Mexico it is my
highest privilege, as well as a
most distinguished honor, to well
com you to the Inequalities of our
city. You come not as the heralds
of war with sounding bugle, thun-
dering drum or glittering swords, but
as messengers of peace. Your COM
ing stirs no sad memories of the
dead past, but light hearted and free
you cheer US by your smiles and en-
courage us with your blessing. As
we scan this assembly our thoughts
instinctively
Turn to the press-its teeming sheets
survey,
Big with the wonders of each passing
day;
Births, deaths and weddings, forgeries,
fires and wrecks,
Harangues and hail storms, brawls and
broken necks,
Where half fledg'd bards on feeble pin
ions seek
An immortality of near half a week.
Where cruel ~eulogists the dead restore
In maudlin praise to martyr them once
more;
Where rufian slanderers wreak their
coward spite,
And need no venomed dagger while they
write,
While hard to tell SO coarse a daub he
lays,
Which sullies most-the SANDER or the
praise.
Such things are familiar to the
newspaper man, and no~twitbstand-
ing these Objectionable features
newspapers are indispensable to us.
As the physician when he lays his
gentle hand upon the wrist at the
sick bedside puts himself in commun-
ication with the current of human
life, so our Consciousness, as we
ponder the items of news that fly to
us from earth's remotest corners,
takes hold of the ever throbbing
puISt Vi LlIue uDu CduScS uo W lcCi
that we are a part of this ever moving
system Of mighty works. Your place
in a country like ours is a responsible
one. The masses look tn you, not
only for the faithful record of events,
but for their moral tone and senti-
ment, as we'll as for the advancement
and maintenance of such principles
as will most readily support the lib
critics and promote the happiness OF
the people. 1t becomes your duty
to lead in all great matters of public
policy by teaching true, honest and
patriotic doctrine. While the masses
have not been drilled in the schools
of mental and political science they
, possess in a large degree a discrimi-
mating sense-''they know their
rights, and knowing, dare maintain
them.
"a bold peasantry, a nations pride,
When once destroyed can never be sup
Piled"
Thanks to q kind providence we
have no peasants, but we have that
mighty host of tillers of the soil, the
mechanics, artisans of every trade.
and the day laborers, and these con-
stitute the bone and sinew OF the
land. These all have to be fed from
your thoughtful columns. Remem-
Der then, when you write, that you
are preparing brain food for that
class on whose strong arms our coun-
try has SO often leaned in her hour of
deepest gloom. 1t is not only your
DUTY to present wholesome truth tn
your readers but to hold up to the
gaze of mankind every form of crime
and misconduct, official and other
wise, that evil doors may be deferred
ana baffied in their wickedness. Ii
ever the hour should come when a
subsidized press shall obtain general
circulation among the people we may
nid farewell to all our greatness.
but OF this We have no fears.
our coming together for consul
tauon, having the welfare of the as.
sociatlon a well as the public good
at heart, no evil can betide your eff
iorts, and now thanking you in the
name of the people of Mexico for
your coming, it shall he our highest
am 70 make your stay among us
peasant and -agreeable. To that end
our nospitable doors are thrown wide
open' aud we give you access to oul