The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1897-04-29
VALUE OF A GOOD NEWSPAPER

VALUE OF A GOOD NEWSPAPER.
The 75oo Republics, published in
the City of Mexico, pays the follow
ing tribute to the value Of good
newspaper to the community in which
i, is published:
1t is impossible to estimate the val
ue of really good newspaper to the
community. Year after year the size
and scope Of the paper is enlarged
with the growing demand Of It's con
stituen,s As there is no royal road
to learning so there is no royal road to
success in newspaper making. New
papers grow by inches not by leaps
and by bounds. There are crea-
lures Of hard and incessant toll and
honest, painstaking endeavor. A man
goes to them no. only for the news but
for history, law and theology. HIS
paper tells him where to make bis
purchase Crooks find that the man
who reads the newspaper is "onto their
little game" and they seek the fellow
who is not a subscriber when they
wan, to sell an exceptionally fine gold
brick or a batch of green goods. But a
newspap per must have reputation just
the same as an individual and thl,
cannot be obtained by self-recommen-
dations and vouchers. 1t must 60
through the crucible of public inspec-
ton before it can hope for complete
public confidence. The paper which
starts out with an ak in one hand and
grindstone in the other never
reaches the goal. The newspaper
which begins its life in this world by
stating that it intends to "plant flowers
over The graves Of its contemporaries
invariably goes TO The journalistic
Gods acre unwept, unhOnOred and
unsung. The newspaper that Tries to
rise on the ashes Of its rivals Is gener-
ally picked up by the dirt cart itself,
and everybody is glad when the rub
bish is carried away.
TUESDAYS TRIBUTE TO GRANT.
The dedication of the tomb Of Gen.
L. S. Grant in New York to day is
something more than a personal NIB
ute to a distingu shed soldier. The
occasion has national sign .hcanCe
and means that this IS 4 united COun
try, and that the people Of every sec
ton earnestly desire that the Union
may be preserved henceforth, one and
indissoluble. Tbs presence Of South
ern veterans is an indication that the
wounds left by the war have been heal
ed and that those whom General
Grant fought SO sternly and PERSISTENT
ly to subdue cherish no hard feeling
against the commander Of the vic
torious Union forces, but gladly j)in
in this tribute 70 his sterling qualities
as a man and soldier.
General Grant was relentless
fighter while fighting was the order OF
the day, but when the war ceased he
became man Of peace. The ConsId
Grafton which he showed for the Con
federates at Appomattox won for him
the respect and esteem of the people
of the South. Among his last utter
ances was that notable one in which he
expressed the hope that the sections
might be more closely united, although
he said, in his blunt way, that a few
unreConstructed persons on both sides
were still willing to make mischief by
exploiting the resentments Of the war
period. General Grant lived long
enough to observe the partial restora-
ton of the era of good feeling, and
to day, at his tomb, the evidences Of a
Union completely restored will not be
lacking
The fact is the great masses of the
people long ago accepted the results
established by the war between the
States, and the bitterness Of the con-
flict would not have lasted as it did
but for the mischievous agitation of a
few politicians on both sides of the di-
viding line between North and South.
The old theory of one party that there
was one more President in the bloody
shirt was met in the same spirit by a
few representatives of the other party
and the resentmenss of the war were
apparently kept alive, although the
majority Of the people, both in the
North and in the South, were heartily
tired of the agitation and longed for a
union of hearts, and not mere com
bination of the States held together by
| force.
"l.et US have peace, said Genera
Grant, almost with his last breath, anC
the sentiment has been echoed by the
earnest men of both sections, SO that
the discordant noe occasionally
heard now on either side of Mason
and Dixon's line is ha dly given a
passing thought. This was an achieve
ment Of the man whose memory will
be honored in New York to day not
less worthy than his record as com
mander of the conquering Union
armies. The South, therefore, honors
him as peacemaker as we'll as a sol
der, as man who in time grew tc
abhor sectionalism and had the cour
age and the wisdom to denounce it
The North regards him as its creates
general, whose tactics made the tri-
umph of the Union armies possible
North and South can meet at his tomb
and pledge anew their allegiance tt
the, Union, which now has the loyaI
support of both sections, recog
nizing at the same time that patriot
ism is not confined to either, and tina
sectionalism is not consistent with {
broad and true patriotism. -Baltimor
Sun, 18th
The South, needs no protection
Two thirds of its cotton crop is ex