Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-01-13
THE NEWSPAPERS OF PIKE"
Response of R. III. White, of the Mex
leo Ledger, to a Toast at the
"Pikers at Home" Banquet,
December ~.
From the Louisiana CMo.) Press.

festival. Pike county has turned out
statesmen galore. Not ready-made
or hand-me- down, but self-made,
sturdy, fearless statesmen, and when
say statesmen do not mean poll
ticians or demagogues, but men oi
brains and true worth who have had
much to do with the best administra-
ton of the affairs of this grand State
and this glorious nation. Some of the
men refer to are here tonight. There
is not room enough in this building for
all of them. While all statesmen do
not hail from Pike and all Pikers are
not statesmen, I know of no county
which has sent forth so many and
such true and loyal patriots to stand
for all that is best in politics and most
wholesome in legislation, and there is
another crop, / understand, almost
ready for the market. But my subject
is "The Press of Pike County," You
would not have such famous states
men from Pike except for your splen-
did press. Not that all statesmen
must be editors, but the editors and
newspapers make statesmen. Some
newspapers make better statesmen
than others, and the press of Pike
county may we'll be proud of its pro-
duct.
While thepress can make statesmen,
statesmen very often cannot make
newspapers. Sometimes when they
cannot make them they buy them, but
not in Pike.
The press is not through when
statesmen are made. The press must
look after them and see that they do
not go wrong. The press of Pike
county is watching you tonight and
is proud of this royal meeting of the
loyal sons OF Pike.
hold that the press, the liberty of
the press, I might say, is the bulwark
of this republic. To be brief, the first
newspaper published in the United
States was printed in 1890 at Boston,
Mass. AS late as 1775 there were only
80 newspapers in this country, all
weekly except one, which was semi
weekly. In 1880 there were 1000, and
in 1860, 8, 900 newspapers in the United
States. OF these 400 were dailies.
There are to-day in this country 2G,-
600 newspapers; 1000 of these are
dailies, $1,000 weekly, 5000 semi
weekly, monthly and quarterly. We
have in Missouri alone over 700 news
papers. The freedom of this press is
the safety of our republic. The first
newspaper published at Boston on
Sept. 25, 1890, was promptly suppress
ed by a general court because 1t con-
tanned reflections on very high mat
rers." Did culprit ever hear his doom
with good opinion of judicial rhetoric?
But in later and better times the
wisest men have been readiest in their
assumptions of honor. Thomas Jeffer-
son asserted his preference for news
papers without a government to gov
ernment without newspapers.
The dangers which threatened the
colonial government in 1866 were not
more deadly than those that threaten
our republic to-day. Each year pro-
duces new and more dangerous crop
of corruptionists, lobbyists, dema-
gogues, cranks and agitators, in ad-
dition to anarchists and dynamiters
who come in from other countries,
and these are more to be dreaded than
war. But we have law and govern
ment and people loyal and true and
the patriotic press ever on guard
When I speak of the preas 1 refer to
the patriotic papers of this country.
1t is true we hear good deal oi
complaint, especially from those who
are exposed and feel the lash of public
opinion, that the press is governed by
prejudice and ruled by greed. This is
not true. AS a class the journalists ol
to-day are as honest, as honorable
as patriotic, as incorruptible, as the
members of any other profession
Lucifer rebelled against the power ot
God, but that did not make archangels
rebels and devils; Judas Iscariot be.
trayed Jesus Christ, but that did moi
make the rest of the apostles traitors;
Benedict Arnold sold himself fol
British gold, but that did not cast any
stain upon the honor of George Wash.
ington and his band of glorious pa.
triots. In all of the professions ani
walks of life there will be found scoun.
drels, corruptionists and frauds
There will be found politicians whit
betray their constituents, physicians
who kill for pay, lawyers who take
| fees for both sides, preachers who
| serve the devil in the livery o
heaven, merchants who misrepresen
their goods, grocers who sell sand fol
sugar, yet among all classes and con
| ditions of men we find these to be ths
exception and not the rule. In tht
aggregate men in all professions anC
calIipgs are noble, honest, patriotic
| and upright. In the main human
nature is genial, sympathetic, charita
BILE and generous.
am proud to know that in gran(
old Missouri journalism is fast rising
to that high standard which it shoul.
always maintain. A better class o
-men are publishing better class o
| newspapers. The penny a liner
and irresponsible, disreputabie black
mailers are now few and far between
| The newspapers of the country ar,
not run by beggars, pot house politi
clans and deadbeats, who were th,
offscouriDgs of all other trades an,
professions. The tone of the press il
day by day getting better and it
power for good growing throughou
the entire world. The editors of th,
country are not groveiing mendicant
or suppliant tools, but independen
thinking men who have duties to per
form, noble calling to follow, an,
are men generally equal to the ener
| geney. And I desire to say right her
that the press of Pike county is in tn
front rank of journalism. Your edi
| tors are as famous and as highl.
thought of as your statesmen.
What does the freedom of the pres
4