The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1895-07-30
PROVO CITY. JULY 80.
FRIENDLY TO EEWSPAPERS.

n
At the meeting of the Utah Press as
sociation in this city acouple of months
since there was strong talk about sup
porting no man for public position who
was not friendly to newspapers. A
casual glance at the phrase would con-
vince one that the thought is a harsh
one. That it is illlberal and perhaps
unfair, but a closer and more careful
examination will show tnat it is just
and fair, and that it should be broadly
adopted by the papers. There are GER
tainly hundreds, if not thousands
of men today enjoying public positions
of trust and honor as we'll as Of prctiT,
only because of the friendship of the
papers. Some of these men, II not
the majority OF them, delight to bellttle,
if not to slander, the papers and who
never suffer an opportunity to do them
The an i'll Office to pass by unimproVed.
id newspapers" is stock phrase
formed oftener in the mouths OF the
chief benefciaries of the papers than
anywhere else. There are thousands
of men today occupying proud public
positions who, but for the papers,
would be resting quietly at home as
obscure and as utterly unknown as
BELTS their real merits, if 1t were not
for the fact that some KinklY hearted
newspaper man reached out and took
them by the hand. 1t is very sorry
return they make when upon every oe-
casion, fitting or otherwise, theY seek
to pile contumely upon the papers
which made an honorable career for
them possibility.
This thing continues only 30 long as
the papers will consent to be thus
treated, and no longer How many of
the present congress of the United
States would there be but for the ac-
tive, unselfsh aud generous friendship
of some poor, struggling and impover-
lsked newspaper man2 And yet, how
many newspaper men have received
the least requital for this unseltish
service? How many Of the craft
have been invited to share thA
honors or the incomes built up ~
them for others2 What newspeRsr
man is eyer mentioned in nominst-
ing convention? When it comes to
parceling out the good things of vic
tory which he has been mainly instru-
mental in winning, who remembers
himP Where does his "dIYy" come in?
Is he not rather as the old broken
down cart horse, turned out upon the
common to starve?
How many newspaper men have q
competency to say nothing of a for
tune? 1t is not shown that they are
any less deserving than any other
class of workers. Neither are they
less able, less patriotic or less deserv-
ing than others. Why this neglect?
Why this discrimination? Can any
one newspaper man or other satis-
factorily answer the question? 1t is
true that now and then we find some
one of the poor devils selling out to the
flesh pots, but how many public Off
GERS and bank cashiers do that every !
day? We contend that there are fewer
instances of venal unfaithfulness IN
the ranks of the newspaper workers
than is to be found among any other
class of the same numbers. No other
class makes greater sacrifices for prin-
ciple than the journalists, Even in
Utah today there is hardly a newspaper
man, no matter how obscure, but who
could pick up corruption money if he
would consent to soil his hands with
it. We do not mention this to boast,
it is only the plain duty of an honest
man in any walk of life, and we only
mention it to show that newspaper
men are no worse and possibly much
better than some others, as class. The
time has come in all of its rich full
hess when newspaper men must assert
heir manhood and resent the sland-
RS which have grown to be q matter OF
curse in the unthinking world, as
veil as to rise up and demand fair
ivision of the rewards of toll.