Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-12-15
Newspapers aad Politics.

Smith, delivered a very entertaining
lecture on Newspapers and Politics"
before the Independent Club of Buffalo,
Tuesday evening. 1t was a polished as
well as instructive discouI Sc On subject
with which he is intimately acquainted
In estimating the censorship of the
press as a factor in modern political
life we must first measure the press as
it is, he said. mo development of the
last amazing quarter of a century has
been more remarkable than the growth
of journalism in it's material resources
and in it's comprehensive scope" And
he takes a different view than do some
critics who know far less about the
subject. After citing the marvellous
changes which increase many fold the
magnitude of the undertaking of
modern newspaper as contrasted with
the political pamphleteering of Weed
and Croswell he expresses the opinion
that this has brought more BREADTH
and more integrity. The inves; ments are
too great to be lghtly hazarded. That
brings care and responsibility. They
rest upon the foundation of wide popu-
lar support rather than of official pat
ronage. That brings independence, in
sight and integrity. Their success de-
pends upon their energy of enterprise
and upon the reach and reality of their
broad human interest. That brings
breadth of aim and amplitude of scope
All of these forces have lifted journal
ism to the rank of a profession, and
have necessitated varied and versa
tile intellectual equipment as well as
high administrative capacity. They
have created a professional standard
which, measured by any fair test
whether as TO it's code OF ethics or as
to it's general observance, is. venture
to say, as rigorous as that of any other
profession. Above allthey have made
the great American journals the best
newspapers in the world
Mr. Smith has no sympathy with
freak journalism but he believes that
while the appearance of these meteors
in the newspaper sky has influenced
the fixed stars of the journalistic iirna-
ment to some extent, it has not seri-
ously detected them from their regu~
lar orbits. a striking proof of the
generally healthy and wholesome char"
acter Of journalism was given year
or two ago when in one or two quarters
there was a manifest tendency towards
the indecent in story and the meritri-
cious in art as pandering to diseased
and debaSed taste. 1t aroused a prompt
and general storm Of protest before
which it covered and skulked away.
The purification of the atmosphere
was quick and exhilarating; the gro
tesque remains, but the salacious has
disappeared. Compared with European
journals our American papers are
clean and decent"
Wherein some newspapers become
impertinent in prying into personal
affairs they are prompted rather by
the competitive straining for popular
favor and from our airy good humored
view of life than from any acrid,
malign spirit.
He regards these faults as superficial
rather than vital but "in coming to
consider the censorship of the press Is
factor in our political life we enter
upon broader realm of philosophy, of
criticism and of influence. The two
great factors in our political life are
the party prganizationHfand the press.
The press is the educating force; the
organization is the inStrumentality of
practical operation. The former moulds
opinion; the latter is the agency for
making it effective in government. The
tendency of the party organization is
to develop into a machine under the
control of a boss With the absorption
of the mass of the people in their own
affairs, with their disposition to leave
public affairs in the hands Of the few
and with the cohesive power of patron
age, political control naturally gravi-
tates to those who make it a business.
Parties are the necessity and the life
of free government. Domination with
in party is the natural outgroWth Of
general apathy and special application,
of personal aptitude and superior op-
portunity. The one available check
upon this inevitable tendency is the
press If it does not educate and
GTouSe lne people there Is Ho eiIeCliNc
protection. AS De Tocqueville said
more than sixty years ago, Nothing
but a newspaper can drop the same
thought into ten thousand minds at the
same moment The vigilance, indie
rendence, courage, publicity and ar
ticulate public opinion of the news
papers must be the real safeguards of
= the social and political fabric.
do the newspapers fairly fulfil this
mission? The personal and machine
domination which spreads it's arms in
every other direction like an octopus
naturally seeks to strengthen itself by
substituting or silencing them. In the
old days of limited range and resources
it largely succeeded. Does it now? On
the contrary the remarkable expansion
and financial success of journalism is
a business enterprise have brought I,
visible emancipation and elevation.
The press has become far more than
ever a ruling power because this vital,
masterful strength of it's own makes it
self-respecting. self-asserting, inde-
pendent and courageous" I'VE
used to hear great deal about inde-
pendent journalism as distinguished