The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1890-02-27
quarters by great party monumental in
its emoluments.


quarters by great party monumental in
its emoluments.
The same business principle applies to
the newspaper. You are contributing abb
solute cash in the conduct of your busi-
ness to the support of the party you ad-
Vocate. In some cases you do more and
give the use of brains as well. You
wrestle with the tariff question nights
and Sundays without knowing anything
about it at the outset and less after
you have gotten through. But, little as
you know, you have given information
sideration therefor. You do not lay
You are expected to prove that white is
black and right is wrong or vice versa,
in support of your psrty, and you do it
manfully, oftentimes blindly and stu.
pidly, in your party zeal. That is your
unbought brainy editorial department..
But while you are doing this,
the business end of the establish
ment should be humming about
gathering honey from the politi-
cal party which profits by your labors.
Individual membeg of the party secure
fat offices and various jobs which put
money in their pockets and you have, by
the able advocacy Of your party's cause,
enabled them to thrive. The party
contributes to them and they should
cheerfully respond to the business de-
mands of the paper which has done more
than any one agency to keep up and
make successful the party.
There is probably no editor present
who has been in the harness fifty or
sixty years, who has not seen the lean
and the fat of political emoluments. That
is, he has seen some one else get the fat
while he has got the lean. Sometimes
political campaign is productive of a
liberal increase of the circulating me-
dunn, but those cases are neither fire.
quent or creditable. Leaving out the
question of right or self respect, it is to
the interest of the editor to establish
permanent and legitimate basis of "po-
litical emoluments." 1t would only be
occasionally that he could make
stake" in the haphazard and illegitimate
methods which sometimes prevail, but
which should be forever obliterated.
! have assumed in considering the
subject assigned to me, that it was de-
signed to refer to the emoiuments from
general rather than local politics. In the
election of local officers there are various
render a general rule impossible. The
editor oftentimes has an opportunity to
advance his own interests by supporting
some local measure, or the candidate
which will carry forward some local
Improvements, etc. These being specific
matters, cannot be diagnosed in a gen.
eral paper. They might be termed
political emolunents" Oh the side, and
as rule are probably legitimate. There
is not sufficient evidence of undue pros
perity among the Minnesota ne wspapers
to create any widespread alarm relative
to these emoluments; at least not at
present.
While the holding Of an office by an
editor is entirely proper, and as a rule is
just recognition of his political serv-
ices, it is rare that it pays in the long
run. Between extra help employed,
neglect of business, and being forever
after expected to do party work gratuit.
Ously because you once held an office.
the glittering bauble of to-day crumbles
to ashes and drifts away with the wind,
oftentimes leaving its possessor poorer
than at first.
l have endeavored to treat this topic
from a practical rather than a moral
l do not assume to be my
brothers keeper and while the moral
principles of Minnesota editors unques-
tionably average up as well as those of
any other body of intelligent men, be-
lieve you will all regard a business point
more valuable than an II am holier than
thou homily.
l accordingly reiterate that there is
more absolute hard cash in establishing
a permanent. legitimate and deliberate
system of demanding business recogni
tionand compensation for business serv-
ices rendered your party, than in bar
tering Gf occasional opportunity offers)
your editorial columns which are held
out to the public as expressive of honest
sentiments.
= The wisest policy to pursue is THE ONE
WHICH PAYS THE BEST.
trust my audience will feel no disap-
pointment to find that have omitted
all allusion to that popular melody emit
tied "BOOdle in Politics !"