The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-04-28
NEWSPAPERS AND PARTIES.

cedented growth ana prosperity OF the
democratic newspapers throughout the
country. Like the short-sighted poll
tician and spokesman that he is, he took
of course an entirely erroneous view of
the causes of this tendency towards de-
mocracy. As newspaper man he
ought to know that the press is but the
mirror held up to nature-the reflector
of public sentiment. The leading news
papers Of the country are verging
towards democracy because the country
is drifting that way. To talk about
some kind of secret movement on the
part of the national democratic organ
ization-a sort of propaganda for the
PRONUNCIATION of democratic ideas-is
absurd, and thoughtful student of
politics, which Mr.. Clarkson is not, could
see it. Not one Of the leading newspa
pers engaged in preaching democracy
to-day has been established by any
party organization; not one Of them has
been subsidized with campaign funds.
There has been no concerted action on
the part of the democratic leaders in
the matter at all. Every important
democratic newspaper in the country is
private business enterprise which re-
fleets the sentiments of the community
in which it is published, and prospers
according to it's merits as a newspaper.
New York is not an overwhelmingly
democratic town because four-fifths of
the great newspapers published there
are democratic. Mr.. Clarkson puts the
cart before the horse. Four-fifths of
the newspapers published in that city
are democratic because the vast major
ity of the reading people there are dem
ocrats.
Boston Is democratic city, not be-
cause its journals of largest circulation
are democratic; the papers are de mo-
cratic because the majority of people
call for newspapers that maintain the
party principles. Mr.. Clarkson, in
short, surveys the field with strangely
distorted vision that inverts all figures.
Take the state of Rhode Island, for
instance. For years the democrats of
that commonwealth tried to build up
party organ without success, because
there was no demand for it. Within
the last three years, however, the manu-
facturers of that state have changed
their views on economic questions.
Their business has languished, and in
searching for the causes of depression
they have discovered, as they believe,
that they exist in our present tariff pol
icy. The intelligent operatives in the
factories share the views of their en-
ployers, and the result has been politi-
cal revolution in that state. The lead
ing republican newspaper, the Provi-
dence Journal, owned and edited by
keen-sighted and sagacious journalists,
no doubt like other journalists, with one
eye to circulation and dividends, has be-
come staunch advocate of tariff re-
form. 1t went so far in 1883 as to
openly advocate the reelection of Cleve-
land on this issue. It simply caught
the breeze of popular sentiment. And
Mr.. Clarkson must be a very obtuse
person, indeed, If he believes for mo.
ment that that paper was suddenly
turned in its course by any set of demo
cratic politicians.
The Springfield Republican is another
case in point. Massachusetts manufac
turers and artisans we're affected by the
same conditions that existed in Rhod,
Island. The newspaper published in tn,
center of cluster OF manufacturing
wood tho slows 1f tho fs,,,oc rfrb I
and declared in the last campaign il
favor of the policy of the democratic
party. The election resulted in the re
publicans carrying the state by major
ity SO much reduced as to mean practi
cally republican defeat. In New York
former republican journals like the
Times, the Evening Post and Harper's
Weekly, unchanged in ownership, un
subsidized, uninfluenced by party organ
izations, became advocates of the princi
pies enumerated by the democratic party
The editors of all these newspapers ar
journalists of commanding ability
thoughtful observers of the times, ant
they simply gave utterance to tn
changed views Of great constituencies.
Mr.. Clarkson's insinuation that tn
agricultural press of the country has bee
secretly won over by PROSECUTING demo
cratic politicians, is even more silly. n
one should know better than Mr.. Clark
son, of Iowa. what is the matter with tn
agricultural newspapers. Let him as
any intelligent farmer in his own state
and he will be quickly informed that tn
agricultural journals but feebly refec
the sentiments of their farmer reader
on the tariff policy Of the republica
party. That would be bold and mil
guided journal indeed that would ventul
to tell the farmers Of Kansas and low
that they were enjoying prosperity Q
their mortgaged farms by selling corn ;
thirteen cents bushel while paying a
average tax Of nearly fifty per cent on a
the manufactured articles they consume
under the beneficent policy Of the repul
lican party.
No, Mr.. Clarkson, the press is becon
ing democratic because the country is b
coming democratic. There is no prop