Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-02-11
TAKE A POINTER.

Marrow Minded Policies in News
papers and What Disasters May
sheet Heed the Warning.
The so-called newspaper. said to be
published in Rock Island every morning
except Monday, evinces exceedingly bad
taste in attempting to criticise and say
funny things about the ARGUS for pub
fishing the news. The latest outbreak of
this freak of journalistic nature is to as
sert with reference to the ARGUS. that the
loss suffered by the hospital guild by the
recent charity ball. was from that paper
publishing the sermons against the charity
ball" The self accused idiocy Of thing
pretending to be newspaper making
such statement is 80 apparent that
comments are hardly necesssry-certainly
not in defense of the ARGUS. Propriety.
however. does not forbid the statement
that the morning sheet has by itsown
lips in this instance confirmed the weak>
ness of the policy so long pursued by it
with regard to the publication of news
1t has established fact which cannot he
misinterpreted or misunderstood, that
matters of public interest which do not
convey its sentiments or are not endorsed
by it. are not entitled to space in its
columns. In other words its readers
must think as 1t does or else they must go
in ignorance, or look elsewhere for infor
nation about things that 1t does not view
with favor. A conservative mind will
concede this as the only conclusion to be
drawn from the course outlined in that
little paragraph which appeared in the
Sunday morning edition of the obscure
publication. In view of this truthful
fact. the ministers who are opposed to
the dance would find 1t duty far more
BETTING to lift up their voices in
prayerful supplication to Merci>
full Providence to send a mission
ary to lead the unfortunate little
band that comprises the readers of that
sheet, out of the ways of darkness
and ignorance.
We have heard of papers so bigoted in
times of political warfare, that
they would decline to give space
to anything pertaining to the opposing
party, but the instance has not before
come under our observation, where an in
stitutioa with pretenses Of being a news
paper denied its readers, no m latter how
many or how few, the news occurrences
Of the day, until the surprising, self>con-
victing paragraph appeared in the hash
pan OF the Sunday morning publication +.
The ARGUS does not pretend to judge
Of the sentiments or opinions of all. or OF
any portion of its readers. whether upon
religion. politics or social Amusement s
1t nevertheless has its own convictions
and has never hesitated to express them
where the occasion made it proper to dc
so. The ARGUS has at the same time al
| ways entertained a conservative consid
GRAFTON of its readers. and has under nc
circumstances withheld from them any
thing that it could get its hands on, per,
tanning to any subject that would inter
] est them. The ARGUS did not endorse
Mr.. Marquis sentiments with reference t.
! the dance and it stated so plainly. but i
did not assume the right to keep from the
| general reader ideas and expressions
| which would excite so much attention
and comment. If the ARGUS was thu
only source through which the serm on
could gain circulation, and If without the
publicity 80 given, the remarkable utter
ances would not have been known, thai
is no fault of the ARGUS, and the AReU:
has nothing to regret.
The writer once heard of an editor who
was driven out of the country where they
sometimes hang editors" and drifted
into civilized community where he at.
tempted to introduce his wild and mar,
row>minded tactics. The consequence
was that he fell from his high and lofty
seat in the ssnctum to the roost Of
printers devil Let the morning sheet
And take pointer before it Is too late.