Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1900-11-23
A Newspaper Degenerate Scored.


a minister of the gospel, who fills one
of the local pulpits, went to the Repub-
licsn Office aud told the fellow who pre-
tends TO edit that paper, that the peo-
pie do not approve of his methods OF
conducting a paper. The editor was
given TO understand that his dealing In
personalities showed q narrowness on
the part of the editor and instead of con-
tributing to the moral and social up
building of the community, his little
pesky attacks upon individuals are
seeds of discord, encourage and feed
snlmosities and damage the moral and
social sentiment of the community
faster than the ministers, and others
engaged in bettering the community,
can build 1t up. These same ideas
have at various times been expressed
by hundreds of others interested in the
welfare of the moral and religious life
of the city and community.
The criticism and advice offered the
editor of the Plymouth News and Re-
publican was like pouring water on
ducks back. The fellow hopes to lead
the people down to his level of moral
ity and when the disintegration of the
best forces of the community comes,
then his paper will be in demand. 1t is
likely however that the best thought
and efforts of high-minded people will
eventually drive this fellow from the
position he now occupies to one where
his concentrating influence can not be
so generally felt. If journalism de-
mands that an editor be constantly
keeping the members of q community
at variance more or less with each
other as this fellow at the Republican
office seems to believe, then the sooner
that newspapers cease to exist the bet
ter. Fortunately, that is not the mis-
sion of Journalism or the Journalists.
What journalism Deeds is q riddance
of writer's who are narrow between
the eyes.
newspaper owes fairness and
honest treatment to every citizen, and
when it refuses to grant this it ceases
to be moral power and becomes
weapon for harm to the community in
which it circulates.
The Independent hopes that some
time in the future our people in Plym-
Outh and Marshall county may all rec.
ognize these facts and lend their sup
port to institutions that strive to up
build the moral, religious and social
sentiment, rather than to those who are
always fighting higher tone to our
community life.
For character IN q newspaper, there
ls perhaps no publication in Indiana
that takes higher rank than the South
Bend Times, edited by John b. Stoll.
This paper is exceptionally careful to
do no one an injustice and if by mad
vertance some one is misrepresented 1t
is quick to make amends, even if the
right statement of facts are against its
political or personal advantage. Such
manifestation of character on the
part of newspaper is what has
given it such high position in the esti-
nation of the people of the whole state,
and it Is such q publication that other
publishers can safely take as model.
1t is the ambition of the Independent
to prove itself as worthy in character
as the South Bend Times and other
papers of like tone have been demon
strated to be. With this end in view,
we expect ultimate triumph over publ
cations that stand In the way of the
social and moral growth of the COM
munity.