The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-02-20
A Question for Newspapers


r
didates is again receiving the attention OF
portion of the press of the country. News,
papers are inquiring whether 1t is any part oil
their duty or business to boost and boom the
ambitions of political candidates without any
/ other compensation than the satisfaction OF
seeing them landed into fat offices, and reap
ing the benefit of all the glory and all the
swag there may be in it. There is some quite
| high feeling manifested over the matter IN
certain papers. Editors are getting tired OF
expanding their energy in working up fame
! for mediocre men, who without the aid OF the
newspaper would never be known outside the
! limited circle of a village acquaintance. 30
| the Clay County, Neb., Journal appeals to the
| brethren ofthe pen in query, which 1t thus
/ tersely puts: ain looking at this matter from
| Il business standpoint. it strikes us that m en-
who seek positions through the suffrage oil
| their fellow citizens do so because 1t gives
them paying employment, from which they
expect to realize comfort, pleasure and mo
ney. Now, the question comes to us, Is 1t
the duty of newspaper to give its time and
space to help secure these positions to others,
giving them honors, ease, comforts and emol,
uments, while the editor stands back and
holds the bag?''
Brother Haddaway, of the Easton Led-
ger. publishes the above, and calls upon the
ADVOCATE, among other journals, to ex-
press an opinion upon it.
The extract from the .JoUnaIiH en-
bodies two questions
First, whether it is the duty or business
of newspapers to boost or boom the ambi-
tons of political candidates.
Second, if newspapers help persons to
get snug places of profit, should not the
editors charge for their services.
We enter a negative answer to both. 4
party paper should deal with principles
only When it leaves principles and deals
in personalism, its usefulness to the party
it processes TO serve is impaired, and it be-
comes a personal rather than party organ.
The publication Of newspaper is bust
ness chosen by those who engage in it for
IA livelihood, just as any other business is
engaged in. Success is the object aimed at,
and any publisher who engages in the can
didate booming business, just for the salts
faction of seeing his favorites safely landed
in office. is bound to incur the enmity Of
others who want to be doomed and the
booming business becomes losing one to
him. There are occasions when a party
journal can properly champion the ambi-
tions of a candidate for party favor, with
out exciting jealousy or arouslng antag-
onisms Party interests may sometimes be
subserved thereby, but the instances are
rare The safe general course to pursue is
to deal only with principles and let the
people deal with individual ambitions, \
party journal cannot long enjoy the entire
party confidence if it champions the cause
of an individual. The party will soon as
sign it to the position Of personal organ of
its favorite. and "A desire to establish paper
that cW be a party paper will not be long
in manilesting itself We believe we are
safe in saying that il party papers had fol-
lowed the principles laid down here, there
would be fewer journals and more pros
perity among publishers And we here
assert that paper that becomes allied to
a politician, and is continually sounding his
praises and cndeayoring to further his am
billions, is not Il party paper and not emit
tied to party confidence.
The second question, at the first glance,
would appear to require an affirmative an
swer. 1t would seem natural that paper
should be paid for its services in helping
candidate to an office with a comfortable
salary. Candidates seek Office, as a rule,
for the pay attached. If an editor helps a
candidate to Il snug place, it would seem
Just that he should be paid for his services.
This is one view But if it were the
practice of an editor to boom candidates for
pay, it would not be long before the fact
would be known. aud the influence of the
paper would not be worth purchasing.
When it championed the cause of an indi-
vidual the public would conclude that the
editor is employed to do so, and would pay
little OF no attention to its utterances. In
fact the editor would soon be regarded as
up for hire to any one who would pay for
his services, and the influence of his paper
would amount to nothing. \ paper that
could be purchased would soon decline in
circulation and influence, and its opinions
upon any subject would be given no con
sideratiou. As a purely business matter,
no editor ought to enter the service, with
his paper, of any individual for pay. His
selfrespect is at stake, and his business is
always in jeopardy from the establishment
Of rival journal Besides, the man who
hires him will drop him as unworthy of
confidence as soon as his own purposes are
subservcd.