The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-04-27
THE POWER OF THE PRESS.

In the Chicago election the world
has an illustration Of the power of the
press when that power is directed to
malice, ignorance and prejudice. The
triumphant election of Carter Harrison
as mayor of Chicago while opposed by
the allied newspapers Of the city IS the
most humiliating example Of tn.
impotency of the press ever presented
to the public. By that wretched com
bination of all the daily papers of
Chicago, with one exception, to
defeat Mr.. Harrison by any means
and its miserable and signal failure,
the popular belief in the influence OF
the press has been badly shaken.
The attempt made by the Chicago
papers should not be taken as tar
test of what conscientious journalism
may accomplish in a good cause. 1t
may be assumed that some OF the
parties in this Infamous combine were
actuated by motives apart from
personal interest, and it is as we'll
known that others were animated by
individual envy, enmity and spleen.
From its inception until it was over
whelmed in the election of Harrison
the bombine did nothing but plumber.
The members failed to agree upon a
plan of attack, and no one Of them
was able to develop a single specific
charge against the Democratic candi-
date from which to project a cam
paign. They were unable to present
a single accusation against the ability
or honesty OF the man about which TO
rally great popular movement against
him. The people waited in uncer-
tainty to see what great things this
powerful newspaper alliance was about
to accomplish. But it brought forth
nothing but buster and buncombe,
and the voters concluding that moth
ing could be charged against Harrl-
son swarmed to his support.
Failing to unearth and exploit
serious objections to Harrison, the
combined papers fell to abusing him
numerically, published indecent and
meaningless cartoons Of him and
filled their columns with scurrilous
attacks that made friends for him
wherever those sheets were read. One
imbecile sheet had pictures every day
of Harrison decked with wheels,
laboring to carry out the idea that he
existed in senility and had wheels in
his head, a policy that would be
unworthy the filthiest quagmre publ
cation that ever pandered to the
brothels. This ignorant and cowardly
method of fighting an adversary no
doubt won thousands Of votes for
Harrison. The opposition newspapers
we're strong enough and had the
attention of enough people to have
started political revolution, but their
imbecility and coarse methods only
served to create sympathy for Harrl-
son and greatly assisted in his cleo
ton.
That the press of the country has
power to prevail upon the people and
direct their action has often been
demonstrated, but never by such
unworthy and utterly disreputable
tactics rs were adopted by the news
paper combine organized to defeat
Carter Harrison for mayor of Chicago
The lessons of the Chicago election
in which Carter Harrison was elected
mayor by 10000 plurality, teache:
that a candidate may be abused into
office as surely as he can reach it by
any other means. If the newspaper
abuse of Harrison had been kept up
for another week his plurality woulc
have reached 4o,ooo.-Waterloo o.
| SefDer.