Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-09-16
FUNCTIONS OF Newspapers.
Some Sensible Reflections From Bush
ness ST udnoiDt

ness st ndpoint.
! Marysyille Democrat, September 18th
| A great deal of nlsapprehension pre-
| walls in the public mind as to the proper
function of a newspaper. In many quar-
| tiers the impression obtains that it should
| champion the cause of every citizen who
feels that he has grievance, take one
side or other of every silly quarrel that
| may arise and give every fellow blow
| ing up" who doesn't conform to some one
else's ideas of propriety. It is expected to
speak out boldly Thy which term is meant
rashly and unthinkipgly) upon all sorts of
topics and cheerfully to bear any and all
evil consequences that shall flow there
from.
1t is fact that newspaper is as truly q
business enterprise as is that of Smith &
Brown, merchants, or of Thompson &
Jones, grocers. Mr.. Smith doesn't roundly
abuse every man who fails to come up to
his idea of morality. Or, if he does so
abuse him, the chances are as fifty to one
that Smith will prove failure in business.
Mr.. Brown, the junior partner, doesn't try
10 impress upon The town that only he and
his church are orthodox and go round
spelling for religious discussion Neither
Mr. Thompson nor Mr.. Jones, if there be
sound Judgment and q desire to become
prosperous grocers, will attempt to shine in
politics or to take sides in every private
quarrel or the discussion of every social
scandal. No more will a newspaper at
tempt to do these things. Its office is to
give the news, though more occasions arise
than the public wot of when journal may
not give all the news.
1t is an Mrevocable law that the innocent
must suffer for the guilty. The drunkard
inficts pain upon confding, affectionate,
innocent wife. The improvident, worth
less scamp entails wretchedness and want
upon his household though they are in no
| wise responsible for his acts We are all
aware Of the ignominy that attaches to the
family of convicted felon Every day of
| his life the editor of daily newspaper is
compelled to reject items of news, which.
though they would furnish, in many in
stances, racy and exciting reading to his
patrons would humiliate innocent people
and inflict upon the blameless needless
pain.
w. S. Green, in his annual address be.
fore the Northern California Press Asso-
citation in Sacramento, was precisely cor
rect, when he said that paper should be
placed upon the same basis as any other
legitimate business; that no lines should
be given in charity; that the puff
should be abolished, and that the
editor should place himself un-
ger no obnSatlon" which would
trammel his editorial expression or his
treatment of news. The average citizen is
not in the habit of asking grocer to give
him sack of coffee or a merchant to pre-
sent him roll of cloth. Yet he will not.
hesitate to request the equivalent of these
things of the editor, and often feel ag-
grieved at bis failure to get it. Allen B.
Lennon, of the Santa Rosa Republican,
struck broken chord in the diapason of
journalistic struggle on the Pacific coast
when he said at the Press Convention:
Charge full rates to church socals and
pay your donations in cash. Advise your
advertisers as to the best methods of adver-
Using candidly and honestly. Make foreign
advertisers pay the same rates as those at
home. If local merchants don't appreciate
your paper bring new men into town who
will. As with patent medicines, so with
towns and communities-those who make
best use of printers ink will best succeed"