The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1893-12-29
POWER OF THE PRESS
ITS INFLUENCE IN POLITICS FOR
GOOD OR VII.
Abused to the Injury of Labor--selfsh
Advertising From Its Sufferers.

A workingmsn Shows How It's Use IL
Abused to the Injury Of Labor-selfish
Advertising From It's Sufferers.
That the press is power which the
people at last have cause to dread has
been amply proved, not only in the last
campaign, but since the termination of
that important contest. That an intel
ligent class, such as American work
men claim to be, with their eyes wide
open, could be hoodooed into condi-
ton of party servility which made them
the agency of their own degradation is
not only equaled but surpassed by
the still further manifestation of its
power over the minds of workmen In
closing their eyes to the real cause Of
the existing industrial depression.
That the decline of industrial enter.
prise, which transformed the indepen-
dent, self supporting workman of yes
terday into the helpless pauper of today,
was caused directly by the pledged
purpose fortified by absolute power Of
the Democratic party to abolish the
tariff no intelligent workman will
deny. Yet in plain view of this condi.
ton of facts and in plain hearing of the
voice of conspiracy to hand our indus.
tries over to England, what is the att
tude of working people-the class who
are most deeply interested?
Daily quenching their thirst for
knowledge from the fountain of so
called Democratic press, their opinions
are made for them in England and
transmitted from The World building
and other agencies of an acknowledged
foreign character.
Like field in preparation for a Ger.
tain crop, the public mind is prepared
now by Democratic journals for the
seeds of depression and the harvest of
industrial ruin that is sure to follow,
so the minds of the working people, who
are to be the first and greatest sufferers,
are so imbued with the doctrine of po-
litical falsehood that while the factory
is closed against them, while their
wages are getting less and less every
day, and while many are needing,
If not already eating, the bread of
charity, they quietly accept change
of conditions which in some other coun-
try would cause revolution or a change
of the ministry.
Owing in larger measure to the
subtle influence of the Democratic press,
they were prepared for the harness.
But at this critical point in the pro-
gramme, the genius of evil manifests
itself in the personality of one Pulit-
ger, Joseph Pulitzer, now of The World
next of - With loaf of bread
in one hand, to allay popular vengeance,
he gains time to write the decree of in
dustrial ruin with the other. This Mr..
Pulitzer is one of the chief propagators
of the free trade scheme which created
hunger and now glorifies himself for
relieving some of the hunger he has
helped to create.
This he calls charity, while it is one
of the most useful levers in the pauper
finishing machine that he is daily con-
structing. Until it shall please an all
wise Providence to put an injunction on
the laws of nature, on the mental or
physical powers of men, the term char
ity should be obsolete in America. 1t
is an insult to American manhood and
should be regarded as such by all
worthy of the name.-James Johnson.