The Russellville Democrat., 1891-05-28


 PERSONALITIES,
 | in dirt. in epithet, in ridicule, lampoon and denunciation, and abused one an- other roundly and soundly. To Gree | ley The Herald wss ssthe satanic press. To this Bennett good -naturedly re- l sponded to the philosopher" of The 1 Tribune, who dubbed Mir. Raymond the saittle villain.'' Meanwhile all three of the newspapers they edited grew in cir- | culation, usefulness and power, The 1 Tribune becoming the greatest of all the political organs, being the mouth 1 piece of the abolition propaganda which secured control of the Republi- can party and helped to effect the greatest of modern revolutions, that during which the Southern Con- federacy made it's appearance, and, after d struggle of four years unparalleled for the losses of life and property and for the heroic endurance of the people, disappeared AS completely as if it had never been born, taking slavery with it. Preceding that struggle and during it our own newspapers in the South were found quite equal to the demands of the people, the government and the armies and navy. They helped to fire tue DOutHtIH ds ldbCC1 cdiu, and to keep alive a patriotic public sentiment. Their resources of circula- | ton, for gathering, for distribu- tion of newspapers, for telegraphic ! services, or of presses were not to be compared to those of the New York papers of that time, but what they ] lacked in these respects, they made up in self-de nial, in zeal, in patriotic fer vor and in sacrifices for the cause. But even nnder these circumstances and atterward, during all the excitemehts of war, they found time for personalities, leading to difficulties and troubles, and, in few instances, to personal encoun- ters and deaths. Coming again to our own day, after this nasty and desultory review of a past that, properly dealt with, would fill more than one volume, we reach tbe period of the independent press. here never was time when newspapers gener- ally were so independent as they are now. But this is not enough. They must become entirely so. The days for organs have passed. No matter what the principles a newspaper may argue and contend for, 1t must, to be success ful, first of all furnish the news and fur nish it truthfully and ithout bias or coloring. My instructions to reporters and correspondents is to get the news, but tell the truth, and never wan.only assail character. An txacting adher- ence to such instructions is essential to independence.
 AN ORGAN,
 whether personal or political, cannot do this. It is published for special pur- pose, and in the pursuit of that purpose it publishes only what comports with its views or the prejudices of those 1t serves. The news must be colored to subserve those purposes, and where that cannot be done it must be excluded. Thus the people are, by personal or party organs, cheated of the news, or of true report of it, and petty politicians, full of self-conceit andjthe impotence and effrontery of ignorance, and in- different to the true aims of honest journalism, help to weaken, and in some cases, wreck, fine properties built up by the patient labor of years. With the organ, party committees and party leaders domlnate and are dominant, and what they order or instruct ''goes" with the organ editor. 1 know of no slavery in ancient or modern days so galling as this time-serving, and 1 have often wondered that men of spirit could sub init to it, as many has from mistaken sense of duty. Thousands have who thought it necessary part of the trades experience. The organ editor must be prepared to defend the record of every candidate, good, bad, or iEdif- ferent, condone and apologize for the defalcations of recreant public officials, for the shortcomings of candidates, and sometimes carry the merest dunder- heads into office; he mlst make big men out of small material and the com monest clay, and be full of excuses for political failures. Think of the degre- dation of this subserviency and almost truculency by any intelligent man to another and Cftcn ignorant man, but thiuk of newspaper which a ks and invites thu support of the whole public, lending itself to so debasiug. purpose as to be the agent of ward tummers, cradled in seltishness and greed and birding themselves upon their petty and uncontrolled prejudiees, creatures who, in the great cities, are the associates of criminals whom often they have employed to do things in connec- tion with politics than it is impossible to speak of or think of without shame. The independent newspaper shuns and avoids all this. It ayows prin- ciples for the public good and contends for them regardless of persons or of Interests that may be unfavorably affected by their adoption. The inde- pendent newspaper is free; it is not trammeled, 1t encourages no body of partisans nor any prejcdices. All men alike have claims upon it's columns to be heard therein aad fairly. It is, in the best sense, public and not per- sonal or political organ, and labors comprehensiyely for the general well fare. It has no religious or social prejudices. It stands and speaks for all the people
 UPON THE BASE OF LIBERTY.
 To be prejudiced is to be prejudged and one cannot prejudge with safety The Indian prince argued that water could not be frozen because he had never seen ice. As Brossnet once said, "Egerything which can be understood Is true. When one is deceived it is that one does not understand The false, which in itself is nothing, is neither understood nor is it inteIligible. Truth is that which is, the false is that which is not. One can easily under stand that which is, but 1t is impossible to understand that which IS not. We believe at times that we do un- destand it, and this it l. precisely which constitutes error, but, in fact, we do not understand it, for it has no exis ence." Read the conflicting testimony of by islanders who were witnesses of an acci- dent or crime and you will realizehow honestly men may differ as to facts. The newspaper editor should, therefore, above all men, be abDye DreiudpinQ