The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1892-01-21
THE REAL LIVE NEWSPAPER.


|
Col. a. X. Mcclure, the veteran
Pennsylvania editor, one of the few
strong connecting links between the
days of moral ana intellectual giants
like Abraham Lincoln, Stephen A.
Douglass and like patriots fro on princt-
pie, contributes to January LippiEcott
a characteristic article on the Editor
in Chief"
In this survey, which takes In the
whole broad field of journalism, Col.
Mcclure comments upon the old, con-
servative newspaper magazine of bye
gone age, such as still liuger on the
ragged edge of newspaperdom and
examples of which are not lacking in
Canton today; such as suppress all
news that betoken healthy agitation
of the body polite and cOnine them
selves to births, deaths and funerals,
provided the editor has official certifi-
Gates that they are properly conducted
Then, turning TO the electric .whirled,
news-spesdinE newspaper engine of
today he describes the Editor in Chief
who receives the latest from reporters
and correspondents "whO are flashing
their news add speculations over the
wires from all parts of the earth, to be
hurriedly jimmed into q newspaper
and printed without verifying any:
legally responsible for libels he never
dreamed of, and held morally response
Bile for utterances that often CRATE as
harshly upon his views as upon the
views of his readers"
This powerful contrast between the
newspaper that prints no news and the
newspaper that holds up, as in mir
ror, what people do and talk about will
be recognized in an instant by the
people of Canton, who have been
| floClking in large numbers to the busi-
ness Office these days to subscribe for
the News DEMOCRAT because they
must have the news. One Ofthe choice
weapons which those who find them
selves in bad predicament use against
the Editor in Chief, to prevent him
from printing the news is the threat of
libel and Col. Mcclure has enjoyed
twenty. nine libel suits in the course of
his journalistic career.
The NEws-DEMOCRAT has not been
without its attention on this score but
proposes to publish all the news, now
as IN the past, without fear or favor,
and in so doing will, as far as possible
publish the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth.
Ia concluding his able definition of
editorial duties and responsibilities Col.
Mcclure pays fitting compliment to
the popular sense Of justice in the fol-
| lowing:
Libel suits have become one of the
| important incidents in the life of every
| edltUT-in chief of sufficient Importance
to attract public attention or to make
a newspaper read by the public, and
but for the generous sense Of justice
| that the law extends to the edItOr-in.
chief, by protecting him from punish
ment for others wrongs as far as it can
be done with public safety, there is not
al editoT-in-chief of the daily news
paper in Pennsylvania who would not
be fined or imprisoned every year OF
his life, unless newspapers ceased
to be newspapers. Thus the
chief distinction of the editor
| in-chief in these days is first
of all he 10 responsible for the general
tone and expression of his newspaper
columns, and next he is responsible for
the countless utterances of Others
| ,tVhi inn hf,
he is sensitive man, he is likely to
first meal he takes after reading his
own newspaper; and if he is not a
sensitive man, he is likely to land him
self in Jail by his neglect of caution
about the things which are written and
published in his name. But, with all its
unpleasant embarrassments, ] regard il
as the most important position that a
man can attain under our our free in
stitutions. The editor-iu-chief of a
Widely-read and respected daily news
paper holds the highest public trust un-
der our government OF the people. II
is the most responsible office to which
an American can aspire. Parties rise
and fall; Presidents come and go; Cabi.
nets gather and scatter; Senator's anC
Representatives fill their brief missions
and pass away; but the daily news
paper continues through all the swift
changes In politics and society, ever
teaching and ever ennobling mankind
if faithful to its sacred duties, and it'
influence, although often unseen anC
apparently unfelt, is as constant as thu
genial rays of the sun that bursts the
seed and ripens the harvest.
For all the news at home and abroad
read the NEWS DEMOCRAT.