The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-09-17
As TO NEWSPAPER INFLUENCE.

The st. Louis Globe Democrat, in dis
cussing the things that influence the
political actions OF mon, declares that it
is' by no means certain that stump ora
tors are n advantage to their respect
i've parties in the way of making votes,
and that the party newspapers exercise
little more influence. The newspapers
may help to manufacture the excitement
necessary for getting voters to the polls,
it thinks, but it is doubtful if they
!. change the minds of many voters. "The
editor may cherish an amiable fancy
that he is winning votes from the other
party with his industrious and pains
taking services" it says, but the mel
ancholy fact remains that it is practically
impossible to show that such a result is
thus produced. He furnishes most of
the material for the speakers, and seizes
every opportunity to say the best posi-
BILE things about his party and the worst
possible things about the other party,
but if he could know the exact truth he
would probably know that he does not
make a vote once a month. His labor is
useful of it's kind and the party could not
we'll get along without it. There is a
a certain amount Of matter to be printed
in order to satisfy a prevailing view of
what Is proper in that respect and he
performs the task with a degree of sin
cerity and loyalty that does, him more
credit than is usually accorded, but his
influence does not extend so far as is
commonly supposed. He helps men to
cling to f~avorite opinions, but he does
not induce men to reverse their opin-
ions in any perceptible measure, sad as
it is for him to face such an ironical and
Notifying conclusion"
The able editor of the Globe Democrat
does injustice to himself and to the pro-
fession in which he is a shining light.
OF course it is impossible to measure
with eSactness the influence of a news
paper. Most men are unconscious as to
how they are influenced and the men
whose minds are changed by the telling
force OF an ably written newspaper arti-
Gle are not in the habit Of going around
to newspaper Offices to make confession.
But time and again we have seen party
policies changed and political sentiment
swung around by the unmistakable in.
fuence of the press. We had a notable
instance of this only ayear ago when the
republican party IN both branches of
congress, in caucus assembled, commit
ted itself to the support Of the force bill. !
The congressman undoubtedly reflected
republican sentiment in their districts
in taking this action. Where is that
force bill now? Dead, and dragged from
the field. Who did it? Why, half a
dozen powerful republican newspapers,
OF whom the Globe-D Democrat was chief.
These able and courageous newspapers
saw more clearly than the republican
masses the danger of such legislation,
and sounded the alarm. They had two
things to accomplish: first to arouse pub
lie sentiment against the bill, and then
to hold the politicians in Washington in
check until public sentiment could reach
them. A more notable illustration of
the power OF an unmuzzled press has
not been seen in many a year
1t is true, as the Globe Democrat sue-
gests, that "the increase of education.
the wonderful growth Of popular intelli-
gence, the multiplication Of facilities of
information has created q new and sur
passing political influence in the form of
conversational activity" but the ques-
ton naturally arises, what gives rise to
conversational activity" Not the sim
Pile printing of facts without comment,
as some of III latter day theorists about
journalism assume, surely. Does any
believe that had every voter in the
land had before him the dry routine
proceedings Of the last congress, as pub
lished from day to day in the Congress
sional Record, we should have witnessed
last TAILS political uprising and revolu-
ton! No, it was tho discussion, the
comment and the Interpretation of those
proceedings in the press of the country
that aroused the people to the fact that
they we're being robbed by unjust tariff
laws, extravagant pension appropriations
and in other ways.
1t is no doubt true that the power of
the press is ri%diculously overrated by
many persons, including some able edit