The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-08-06
ON NEWSPAPERS QUARRELL1Na

y
it's rivals in the same town. Tt mag
ines that a constant slang whanging Of
''the other paper picking at it, cen
surfing It. calling it liar, traducing its
business standing and saying unpleas-
ant things about its editors. is the
proper way to conduct a newspaper
Now, there are towns no larger than
Topeka where two and three papers
prosper without saying disagreeable
things to each other. The way
one man conducts his business is GER
tainly not the affair of another man in
the same business. And constant AN
swerfng'' of the editorials in another
paper convinces no one, and merely
tires the reader. To answer the edi-
torials of another paper, implies that it
is feared those editorials viii have great
strength and influence. 1t is a tacit
admission that they are powerful; if
they We're not, they wouldn't need to
be answered" Every newspaper
should print its own views on public
questions without falling into acri-
rnonious disputatious debate with some
other paper. Readers usually regard
the whole affair as merely a news
paper quarrel and no real good is ac-
complished.
The morning gold organ here also
fancies it a great stroke of journalism
to copy from envious and malicious
enemies of The Journal. offensive things
said about The Journal This kind of
Improbable warfare can be carried on
indefinitely and by any newspaper; but
The Journal is not given to it, because
it considers it neither polite nor inter-
esting. Scores of letters are received
at The Journal Office abusing the morn
ing paper. We do not print them;
when the morning paper receives one
directed at The Journal it maliciously
and spitefully rushes into print with it.
If this affords that paper any salts
faction, we suppose it will have to con-
tinue the mean-spirited and unprofes-
ional habit. Merely to show that The
Journal could carry on the same Will
fcation if it wished to do so, we clip
out several references that come to
hand. How would the morning paper
like to keep up a battle of the Chi
nese stink pots?" like the following.
What good would be done by it?
The poor old Capital is now engaged
in fighting its former self in fighting
the interests of the people and the state
at the dictatiOn of party. Hence fight
ing its more successful rival the State
Journal, a paper, however, that is get
ting there all the ame.''-Lyndon Her
aid.
THE lying department of the Topeka
Capital seems to be complete We
don't know who edits it but we want to
endorse him as a daisy and very hard
tn as
GOguery. AS soon as we can do so we
propose to show up it's different kinds
of lying-by implication, by innuendo
and straight out, strong sulphurous
smell and spiked tail."-Rice County
Eagle.
THE boy editor of the Capital. only
recently fresh from the university and
greener than a gourd in all things 9TH
er than the construction of language,
has climbed upon a pedestal and pro-
claimed himself dictator of Republican,
ism to men who were Republicans be-
fore he was born. Silver Republicans
this golden calf and prefer to take their
inspiration in Republicanism from
source a little further removed from
the clOut age. There are others who
pattern after this wise young man of
the Capital too, who will know more
after election. "-Delphos Republican.
The following letter is sample:
Dear Sir:-I have taken the CAPITAL
for about 20 years, but it is becoming
so acrimonious and unreliable that
have discontinued it today. Please
send the Daily Journal" beginning
Monday, August 8, to my address.
Topeka, Kan. MRS. B.
We do not consider these things as
either nice or proper matter in a news
paper.
The Journal does not intend to re-
peat this offense against good taste
although the morning paper is contin-
ually doing it. The above is merely an
object lesson of how easy it is to mere
ly abuse. No Intelligent editor does it
very long before he finds out that it
isn't popular with the reader.
If the morning paper were conducted
on newspaper principles and did not
NEEDLE in The Journals affairs, The
Journal would not mention it once
year. Months so by and The Journal
never notices the constant filings of it's
contemporary, but it can never learn
the lesson of decency by example We
have to come out and tell it plainly that
it is foolish; that no good newspapers
abuse each other. Every man raised
to the newspaper business knows this,
and people who get into it accidentally
ought TO learn II the first thing they
do.
The most satisfactory way to con-
duct a newspaper is to simply ignore
the others. If this were done there
wouldn't be any mud-slinging, every
body would be better satisfied and each
paper would get along just as well as
ever Newspapers ought not to sink
to the level of mouthy pugilists. The
Capital will have to carry on it's
Chinese stink pot campaign by itself,
hereafter We are not disposed to any
further encourage it in its folly 1t win