Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1895-01-27
SAT0LLl ON The PRESS.
THE PAPAL ABLEGATE READS AN AID.
DRESS BEFORE THE GRIDIRON CLUB.
Thinks the Daily Press When Well Ordered
Fully Proportionate to the Social
Exigencics Of the HUI
man Mind.

Washington, Jan. 26.--The tenth annual
dinner of the Gridiron Club given tonight
at the Arlington hotel was one of the
most successful ever given by this club.
Walter B. Stevenson. Washington corre-
spondent of the Globe-Democrat, who was
recently elected president of the club.
proved well equipped presiding officer.
Among the many prominent guests were
Archbishop Satolli and his secretary, Rook-
er eX-Speaker Reed, Associate Justice
Brewer. Major General Schofeld. the Ger
man, Hawaiian and Argentine ministers,
William Edgar Nye. II. II. kohlsaat. Cap
tain Frank NJ. Howes, of the Merchants
and Miners Company. Baltimore; Senators
Teller, Dubois and German. Representa-
tives Hopkins, Weadock, Baker Caruth,
Springer and Cannon; Judge Rufus B..
Cowing, New York city; Thomas Belson
Page and First Assistant Postmaster Gen
eral Jones. Many novel and Interesting
features of entertainment We're introduced
and the speeches We're unusually bright
and able, notable among them that of
Mgr. Satolli, who had his first opportunity
since his residence in this country of ad-
dressing the press.
Mgr. Satolli's address, which was read
by DR.. Rocker, was as follows: From
Aristotle to the renowned author of l.
Esprit des Lois learned men have divided
the functions of government into classes
the legislative, the executive or admin
istrative and the judcial-which are in
truth but three activities of one and the
same power which is vested in him who has
the care of the people and represents
them. Now. however, an adequate division
of the powers of government would have
TO include n fourth element and this is
public opinion. exercising its activity
through the organi2cment of the public
press. 1t is consequently a great pleasure
and honor to me to be with you this even
ing, feeling as / do that | am surrounded
by the representatives of this fourth DOW
er in the greatest and most glorious of
modern republlcs-a republic emulous of the
glory of those of ancient times.
1T is the public press which has the
most general and etilcacious influence In
constructing, moderatng, keeping alive
and modifying when necessity requires
public opinion. 1t is a question whether
laws depend from the social dispositions of
the people or whether the social dlsposi-
tions depend from the law. In my opinion
the dependence is mutual and consequent
ly the legislative power cannot hold itself
independent of nor Indifferent to the pop
ular opinion which manifests itself through
the press.
Man as a social being has three nat
ural needs: The communication of his
ideasi interest and participation In the
government OF the state to which he be-
longs; to be kept as accurately and prompt
ly as possibly Informed OF what goes on
in the world about him. Nothing better
meets these three wants than the public
press. II man We're left with the faculty
of speech alone none of these three needs
would be satisfied. Books are, tits true, a
useful eXpedient, but rather serve for gem
eral instruction than for the practical
knowledge of the daily course OF events
and may httingly be called the fixed press
Periodicals answer the need better, but not
sufficiently as experience proves. They
may be termed an intermittent press The
daily or public press. continuous press
when well ordered has the advantage of
being fully proportionate to the social ex-
igencies Of the human mind.
1.-The practical life, not only of the in
dividual, but also of the body polite, is a
syllogism. the major portion of which con-
tanning general truth may be found in
the book press; the minor may be had
from the periodicals. but to draw the con-
clusion belongs properly to the daily press.
which day by day describes the social life in
minutest details And, therefore, Just as
the conclusion of the syllogism contains in
itself all the strength OF the premises. ana
is distinct from them, so the public press
contains all the force OF general truths
and of particular applications describing as
in its proper field that which Is done in
practical life as well by the governing as
by the governed
Society IL an organized body. The gov
ernment Is It's head, the people its mem
bers; the military It's veins and muscles, its
blood and wealth. which has Its beginning
and ending in the history of the people;
morality and religion are Its heart; the
press may well be termed Its lungs. since
II serves as the organ of publication. I
do not hesitate TO say that In the body pol
itic the public press has that office which
in the individual Is performed by con-
science. and 70 define It as the organ Of