The age-herald., 1898-03-15


 | of newspaper makers. Since the day af-
 ter the disaster to the United States battle | ship Maine there have been more sensa-
 tional developments of a warlike nature
 than have existed in this country since the 1 day Gen. Lee presented to Capt. Grant
 his sword at Appomattox in 1865. It has
 been a class of news that has aroused pub
 lie sentiment throughout the entirety of | this country and Spain, and, to certain 1 extent throughout the civilized world, es-
 pecially In England and upon the continent
 of Europe.
 There has been a most spirited contest
 between rival newspapers of wealth and
 circulation. It has been contest not un-
 like that which has always existed between
 rival papers. The papers that were will ] ing to spend the most money for news are
 the papers that have laid before their read | CTS the freshest news of the latest develop ments There may be war and there may
 not be war. But anyhow this country mas
 for the past two weeks been making most
 diligent arrangements for war. It has | gone upon the principle "in time of peace
 prepare for war" It is the mest natural
 thing in the world that upon the eve of
 great crisis, as has in the past fortnight l threatened the American government that
 all news bearing upon that subject would l be of a sensational nature.
 At frequent intervals the situation be- came so critical that it seemed it was question if not within the next hour Spain | might declare war upon the United States | or the United States declare war upon l Spain Public feeling was at high ten l sion and it continues so. The honor or
 the country is at stake The patriotism of | it's citizens is asserting itself. While the l powers at Washington are seeking 10 pac-
 ify the people the spirit of indignation against Spain in the heart of every coun- l tryman is paramount to all other issues' l sas
 1 The congress of the United States passed
 an appropriation bill authorizing the ex- penditure of $50 O0O, 900 to be used as soon as possible in equipping the army and navy I for action Gun factories which had been | idle for longer than the past quarter of a century had taken on renewed life. Lathes | and forges that had been dead for twenty l five years fairly breathed with a war-like | spirit of activity The sound of the fife | and drum is heard in the city, town, vll- 1 lage and hamlet rattling their music to
 the rising sun, as if inviting the American l citizen to enlist in defense of his coun- l try's honor.
 All this and much more of similar na- | ture has made up the news-the important | news-the all-absorbing news-the news in which every person in the United States I high or low has been interested. This is 1 the class of news that the enterprising | newspapers have printed. This is the class 1 of news that every patriotic son of America i wants to read This is the class of news l that fills every heart with pride for his | country's good name. This is the class | of news that make people forget their own | interests and think only of their coun- try's need. This is the class of news that 1 the bondholders, the stock gamblers, the | coupon clippers. the note shavers, and the l "peace at any price, patriots want to have l suppressed They raved at enterprising | newspapers and were pleased to refer to | them as the new or yellow kind of | journalism.
 | As strage as it may appear, number of l papers throughout this country and some l in the state of Alabama, who yelled vel l low'' at their more progressive rivals, | printed the day after what their yellow l rivals printed the day before Yet they | kept on yelling about "yellow" journalism 1 The Age-Herald has been referred to by some of its anticipated contemporaries as l possessing very large streak of yellow l in it's columns during the war scare. If to | be progressive at a time when progress l was most needed is yellow journalism The | Age-Herald must plead guilty to the soft l has layiSllV | for news It has printed more good news l more exclusive news-more news that subsequent events have verified as absolute | ly authentic than any ten papers in the l southern states.
 l It has secured its news from news cen-
 ters, from correspondents upon the scene of action. who have written of events as they actually occurred. One daily paper 1 printed in Alabama not far from its south
 ern border, has grown at times very frantic about yellow journalism. It has so raved that it actually frothed at the mouth. It has apparently prded itself | upon the fact that 1t printed little news. | If a piece of good news were to get into
 the office of that paper, I am inclined to l the belief that it would be "viewed with alarm" rather than pointed to with pride" | At one time it went so far as to intimate | that the news from the Maine disaster was
 a canard creating the impression (possi- | bly) that the Maine had not been blown
 up, nor had anything unusual taken place 1 in the Havana harbor.
 |
 Another paper printed at the capital of the state, has shown disposition to find I a great deal of fault with the news printed l in The Age-Herald. A large percentage of | exclusive advance news printed by The l Age-Herald, in addition to that furnished l by the Associated Press. was purchased l from William R. Hearst, editor and pro- | prietor of the New York Journal, which is today the most progressive newspaper in the world. It prints more exclusive and l advance news and prints more papers