The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-03
MR. JONES AND THE PRESS.
An Iowa Paper Takes Notice al
washfngtoa's Congressman.
Sioux City Journal


Kansas and Nebraska should look 10
their laursss They are no, 10 be par
mitted TO enjoy all the distinction OF far
tastic representation IN congress- The
young state Of Washington is getting
strongly IL. the push.
The far Western commonwealth has IN
Hon. j. Hamilton Lewis a representative
who has already won nearly as much dis
tinctson as Sockiess Simpson with MS
much longer service. He began coztrae-
uting 90 the gayety OF the nations as soon
as he reached the capital and has an IN
limited capacity OF making people laugh
at him. He has the courage that never
permits him 70 be ahashed. as a heu'en-
ant coione: OF militia should have. and
whether he takes the floor 10 dsnounce
the officers OF our regular army as giided
military satraps and tasseled society sap
heads. or for any other purpose ne makes
a notable appearance and adds 10 his
fame
Mr.. Lewis. however, is not the only peb-
bic on the Washington beach He has
worthy colleague in Hon. William Carey
Jones, OF Spokane. Mr.. Jones has been
little slower In getting TO the front, bur II
given opportunity viii become as famous
as Mr.. Lewis. 1t is certain that no other
state has two such men at the national
capital Mr.. Jones is not quite so hunlor-
Gus as his colleague. but he has the faculty
Of saying unexpected things. His chief
characteristic a public man Is a strong
dislike OF the press. Perhaps the press
has paid too little attention 10 him. Ii
SO. there are indications that il viii make
amends, for ii cannot permit such genius
TO long hide his light. The greater the
paper the more keen his dislike of it. and
his contempt for the metropolitan daiiies
Is boundless. He has introduced a bill
which, he explains. 'if enacted into law
would require such journals 20 publish
cks.er,
ownership of the paper and requiring edi-
torials TO be signed by the writer" The
bill has been pigeon-holed by the COM
mittee on postoffices and postroads, where
its author fears it will remain until the
people elect a congress in which Wall
street has less influence than at present"
1t will be noticed that Mr.. Jones has no
use for Wall street.
Mr.. Jones has lately made a speech on
the election OF senator's by direct vote OF
the people. He has discovered that the
senate Is full of venality and corruption,
but he thinks that a corrupt press is main
" RESPONSIBLE for the deplorable fact. He
therefore devoted much Of shis eloquence
to the press. The fault of electing bad
senators lies more with the newspapers
than with the legislators. he declares. the
newspapers being controlled by men who
have hidden, Interior and selfish pur-
poses" Soaring aloft, he exclaims: These
newspapers that ought to be the liyeries
OF heaven seem to have been chosen TO
serve the devil" Mr. Jones admits that
not everything in the so-ealled newspapers
is false. They publish narratives OF COM
monplace facts. such as baseball scores,
dog fights. cock fights, boat races, adver-
tisements and the like that may be true
enough" But this is where they are dam
Eerous for having ingeniousiy gained the
confidence of the public with their reports
of dog fights they insidiously advance 10
the consideration of questions OF govern
ment and economic policy" and delude
their leaders at the dictation of the ras-
cally but gigantic selfish interests which
have now adopted the newspapers as an
adjunct to their business" He draws this
dark picture Of the manner in which the
modern journal IS conducted:
1.-THE counting room directs the policy
of the paper without any reference to the
honest sentiments OF those whose literary
genius Is to give that policy editorial cur
rency.
that the Geographic news is revised and
revamped by the business end of the in
stitution. Information which does not CO.
incide with the selfish interest of the pro-
prietor is either cut out entirely or grossly
CARRIED.
Great financial managers now own con-
trolling interests in most of the metro
politan dailies, and dictate the contents
not only of the editorial. but OF the news
columns. and writers employed by them
have become mere literary prostitutes,
whose duty is to put forth not their hon
est convictions, but such sentiments as
the proprietors deem most conducive TO
their selfish purposes
Ii seems evident that at some time in
his career Mr.. Jones has had disagree
ment with a newspaper. Perhaps when
he WAS running for congress and before
he became famous some editor failed TO
properly appreciate him. 1t Is not plain,
however, how his scheme of signed arti-
Giles would reform the evils of which he
complains. A signature at the bottom of
an article would not make up for its lack
OF truth, IL il had that lack. Mr.. Jones
himself says nothing anonymously in his
speech. and yet there may be people who
will not accept all his statements as
verties.
Mr.. Jones is not without courage In ex-
pressing his sentiments. and the press
must at least recognize that II has a
strong man TO reckon with. and one who
has as thorough an understanding of the
way newspapers are made as he has of
the intricacies OF finance. 1t il perhaps
unnecessary 10 say that Mr. Jones is a