The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1889-05-02
EDITORS AND LAWYERS.

paper writer that there was a similar
ity in the professions Of editor and
lawyer; and the proposition has been
urged. lin extenuation of the offense
of accepting a subsidy by a newspaper
man, that there was no more improp-
riety in it than for a lawyer to accept
fee for defending a criminal 1t is
the gravest Of errors to suppose that
the lawyer and editor sustain the
same relation to the public, and it
would result in hopeless prostitution
Of the press if the supposition should
generally prevail There is absolute
" no profession that differs so widely
from the editors in his relation to the
public as does that of the lawyer.
Compare their clientage. The client
of the lawyer is always an individual
or a corporation. The client of the
eiitor is the public welfare. The law
yetis at best a special pleader. His
profession is not even ostensibly to
support the cause of justice. He is
as likely to be called to support the
wrong side of a case as he is to be re-
tanned on the right side. To-day he
defends the vilest criminal, and to-
morrow he pleads the cause of q
wronged Individual Whether OBJ
structing justice with technic.
alities, or appealing to it for redress
for an injured party, he is equally
bound to exert his best professional
energy for his client His services are
for sale, and if by the effort of his
genius he can cheat the prison of q
thief and murderer he is just as much
bound to do it, provided he is retained
, by the criminal, as he is to secure rep.
aration for injury committed.
How different from all this is the
mission of the editor. His client il
society. His publication is the rehec
tor of the best collective moral senti
ment of the whole people. He is mo-
in a strict sense the molder of public
opinion. 1t is rather his duty to crys.
talize and give voice to the prevailing
sentiment, and to harmonize. the bet
ter elements of society, to the end tina
they may work amicably together fo
the common good.
There is no ground too high for tht
editor to take. It is impossible fo
him to overestimate the dignity ant
importance of his responsibility, if, il
--asiIn-inc 1t he will only lose sigh
of the man and his wants, ana IuAoc
on the community and its needs. H
is literally a servant of the communit,
in which his lot is cast, and yet he cal
make his services of such high orde,
that he becomes also its leader.
The following beautiful lines, illus,
trating the relation of woman to man
serve with equal force to illustrate
our idea Of the editors relation to th,
people:
''As unto the bow tie cord is,
So unto man is woman:
Though she bends him. she obeys him
Though she.leads him, she follows
Useless each without the other"
The newspaper is a necessity to
civilized community; yet it could no
exist in any other. In one sense it
a public leader; yet if it does nc
faithfully reflect the prevailing pull
lie sentiment it becomes unpopula
and dies. It bends, yet it obeys. I
leads, yet it follows. Neither civiliz;
ton nor press can exist without tn
other.
1t is the editors mission to cate
the highest and best sentiment of til
people, and reflect it as the rays {
the sun are reflected from a miro
1t is his duty to consider himse
largely responsible for the moral ton
of the community wherein his inhI
ence is felt. The laws of the comtr
guarantee him absolute freedom, an
in return for this he owes it to th
country that his influence, thus mad
powerful, be cast on the side of til
moral and material prosperity of th
people. A republic could not exis
without a free press, nor could
exist and prosper with venal press
Just ahead of a nations progre
from despotism to democracy marche
the press, whose freedom is the deaf
of monarchy.
journalism is the noblest, I'll
grandest profession on earth, if i
devoteeS rightly interpret their mis-
sion. Its prostitution is a Grim
A newspaper does not belong to i
proprietor alone. 1t belongs to ii
people. Legally it is his. Morally
is the property of his clients. Th
man who manufactures faulty a
ticle of commerce simply hurts h
own reputation. The article will |
rejected and that is the end of it. Tt