Los Angeles herald., 1891-01-14
THE EDITORS MEET.
THE SESSION OF THE SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION.
Proceedings at Last Nights Meeting.
The Programme of Entertainment.

The initial meeting OF the annual con-
vention of the Editorial association OF
Southern California was held in the
assembly room of the chamber OF COM
merce, last night, about fifty members
being in attendance, many of whom
were accompanied by their wives or
daughters.
The meeting was called to order at
8:2O o'clock by Colonel J. J. Ayers,
president OF the association, who, after a
brief speech, introduced Hon. H. T.
Hazard, mayor of Los Angeles, who in
turn delivered the address of welcome.
After few preliminary remarks, he
spoke in substance as follows:
The public press has done more to de-
velop the natural resources of Southern
California than anything else, and the
people OF Los Angeles probably realize
that fact more than any others. have
lived in Southern California since boy
hood; and l have seen since the
advent OF the newspaper man from the
east, how the march of improvement
has gone steadily on. The newspaper
has done more to educate mankind than
any amount of schooling, for after we
leave school we know little of the world
and its doings.
regret that, as was only notified a
few hours ago that | was expected to
address you, was unable to prepare a
more elaborate one, and one more suited
to so intelligent an audience. 1t occurs
to me, however, that there is one SUBJ
ject upon which you have hitherto said
very little, but which should interest
you more than anything else. No en-
deavor has yet been made to elect a
member of the United States senateby
the people, for the reason that the con-
stitution prevents it, in that it provides
for the election of senators by the legis-
lature of the state. We act on the sup
position that the legislature will legis-
late for the people; but tell you that
it is merely elected nowadays to elect q
member of the United States senate,
for the millionaire who seeks seat in
that august body buvs those in power so
that he can manipulate the party.
know that in the city of San Francisco
today the man who gets seat in the
senate must sign an agreement with the
men who put up the money and control
him, that no bill shall be passed with
out their consent, and he must see the
boss in the lobby before voting upon
any question. / say that it is CRYING
shame and disgrace that such things
are tolerated in this enlightened age,
and would like to see the public press
fall into line and denounce such out
rageOuS proceedings.
There is one thing that the public
likes to see in newspaper perhaps more
than any other, and that is that it has
an opinion. There are of course two
sides to every question of public mo-
ment, but the newspaper that has an
opinion and is not afraid to state it,
builds up reputation that will serve it
for years to come, and it's influence will
be greater than that of wealth. The
average man expects to find an opinion
in his daily paper, and he learns to look
to it for intelligent direction on the cur
rent topics of the day.
Col. J. j. Ayers on behalf OF the asso-
citation replied as follows:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN In respond
ing to the able address which you have
just heard from the lips of the chief ex-
ecutive of the city, / can but
say that when he speaks OF
the press as the conservator OF all
that is worth conserving in a moral and
social atmosphere such as we enjoy,
must at this point paynot a compliment
but q Just tribute to the man who has
been such factor in creating such q
state Of affairs. That the people appre-
ciate his sterling value has been evil
denced by the fact that after serving the
city for two years with credit and dig
nifty, he has been called upon to succeed
himself.
The compliments he has paid the
press are perhaps not undeserved, but
perhaps he overrates it's power, for man
kind has for centuries been struggling
up from darkness to light, at each meas
ured step gaining strength. But the
press OF yesterday was not what it is
now. 1t is far more instructive, more
large in its ideas, more catholic in
thought now than then.
When Washington lived there was the
Aurora in New York; when Hamilton
went to Hoboken to meet his death,
there were the Polyanthus and Star !;
and, thank God, today NO such news
papers exist as those. l say the press
is going on and becoming better every
day. It has taken time by the forelock.
and is far in advance Of the Polyan-
thus and Star of revolutionary days.
Its advance has been rapid in this
state, for not village or hamlet, and
certainly not town, but has its repre-
sentative paper.
The colonel then feelingly referred to
the Improvements he had noticed DUR
ing his forty-two years. residence in the