The morning call., 1895-02-08
LEGITIMATE JOURNALISM.

LII Lie UdNS NIe1 OI1C p4CcCli0 PAOPAiCSOA
of THE CALL was in a position to study
metropolitan journalism from the point OF
view of an outsider and yet with sympa-
thetic insight derived from long experience
in provincial journalism, he was impressed
with the conviction that the true glory of
the American press is marred by certain
defects which from small beginnings are
yearly growing to an extent which threat
ems to obscure the full brightness of its
splendor.
An invitation to address the Inter
national Association of Press Clubs at a
convention held in this city a few years
ago, furnished an occasion to give we'll
considered expression to this conviction.
Accordingly, i'll speaking of the metropol-
itan journalism of to-day, the editor said:
1--WE have what I may term the legiti-
mate and the illegitimate in metropolitan
journalism. There is the straight, clean,
dignified, condensed newspaper; and there
is the shifting, stuffed, padded and taking
newspaper. 1t may be known as the
clown, or the hippodrome, of journalism.
1t furnishes the fireworks of the profession.
These pyrotechnics, when they are resorted
to, may attract the gaping crowd for
season, but the result is not lasting. The
burning of red lights may momentarily
illumine the heavens, but in an instant,
where all was brilliancy and illusion, will
be found more than Egyptian darkness.
The ascension of balloon may excite won
der and admiration, but the reaction of its
collapse comes on apace. 1t is time, there
fore, to call a halt; high time for the legiti-
mate only; time that the hippodrome was
out of journalism-sent back to the circus
tent with its painted clown and cage of
monkeys. / say to the great journals of
the country, this modern hippodroming is
unworthy of your high mission. 1t is
therefore against personal journalism as
INDUCED in by the interior press and hip
podroming by the metropolitan journals
that l raise my voice and record my objec-
ton and my disapproval."
The conviction expressed at that time
remains unaltered. The CALL under its
new management will devote itself solely
to legitimate journalism. 1t will resort to
no fakes to attract fools. In the purchase
of the property the present management
assumed an existing contract to sell books
on the coupon plan. We have arranged to
get rid of these, and then we will drop the
fake system entirely. We are here to pub
lish the truth and not coupons. We deal
in live news and not miscellaneous bric-a-
brac. Our business is journalism, and
we are not conducting either notion-store
or iunkshop.
With all due respect to our contempor-
aries who find it profitable to combine the
fal~ %. ID 10 IN
mold the opinions of the people on great
subjects at the same time that they solicit
the nickels and the dimes in cateh-penny
tricks, we believe that the two pursuits are
incompatible. A man cannot turn the
sanctum into huckster's stall without
becoming a huckster. The man who re-
sorts to fakes for a living must sooner or
later live as faker, and journalists are no
exception to the rule.
4 newspaper is either worth the price
asked for it, or it is not. If it is, then the
editor should be Statistic with the support
of those who recognize its value and not
seek the senseless crowd that cannot appre-
ciate a newspaper and demand a coupon.
On the other hand if the paper is not worth
the price asked it, is the duty of the editor
either to diminish the price or increase the
value of the paper. The modern journal is
one of the greatest achievements of human
thought and enterprise. 1t can give the
people much besides the news, but it
should give greatly and give to the whole
people and not be peddling trifes
to individuals. At this time in
California great journal can act with
great fnanciers, great merchants
and great statesmen to give the
people competing railroad, the Nicaragua
canal the reconciliation of silver, the an
nexation of Hawaii. Why then should it
use its vast powers to compete with some
poor bookstall in selling cheap novels and
pictures, or try to undersell Woodworking
florist in disposing OF penny blossom?
Let no man believe that newspaper can
pursue the course of a faker without pay
ing the penalty. Cheap methods of at
tracing men are only profitable when one
has cheap wares to dispose of. We will
have none of the system. We stand for
legitimate journalism and leave the fakes
to the takers.