Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1900-02-01
;asocNp PAPER
The EDITOR AS A A
by Wnl Q. Clough, E.gan Hxpres..)

tues TO OVerShadoW the venial sins of
q loosely governed tongue or a hyper
bolic pen. In my treatment of the
subject | shall not pose as Lne discov-
erer OF a new principle in newspaper
ethics, nor shall 1 plead guilty to the
sinful act of an Annanias nor the
crime of a modern Judas, b~etraying 20
the enemy the s~trategetical advan-
taGes and reserve forces of my masters
and c~o-laborers. So, If n of the
members Of the craft have approached
this part of the program with positive
misgivings, and f~orebodings of embar-
RAISING secrets proclaimed from the
housetops-still your timidly throb-
bing hearts and rest easily in that Sc
curity which is made doubly secure by
reason of the fact that / can't say very
much about you without duplicating
myself.
All men are liars" saith a good book,
and in this sweeping classification
and arraignment, only the ladies are
excepted; and while some of us may
pose as ladies' men," the fact remains
that we are men, or ought to be.
TELL THE TRUTH.
Tell the truth and shame the dew
H. is an old maxim by which exhort-
ers of all ages have sought to direct
the tagging footsteps of the over-cau-
tious and the careless, the extravagant
eXaggeratorS anu plain preVaricators,
along the paths where simple truth is
found in its abundant frultion. The
maxim is a plain one about which
there is no "variableness nor shadow
Of turning" 1t is beautiful in the
courageous fearlessness which it
breathes forth, forcible in it's com-
mand, and as a precept it ranks among
the sublime utterances of the sages
and seers Of all past ages. But as an
iEvariable rule of conduct, applicable
TO all of the peculiar conditions which
may arise, even in the humble expert
ances of a country editor whose life
is pictured in as sombre shades as a
twilight lost in a fog, it appears tine
tured with the impractical and theo-
retical and lends force to the SUPPOSE
ton that the author had never ex-
pended his talents and his time upon
the columns of a newspaper.
Tell the truth or trump" is the apt
advice OF Mark Twain, and besides
being both practical and philosophical
it ONE to us as a deduction from the
experience Of a newspaper man, while
the authorship of the first named max
I'M is shrouded in doubt and obscurity
1T is MIGHTY.
Truth has been named the Imperial
Virtue,-the thing which is mighty
and must prevail" and while we all
admire it enthusiastically, dwell upon
it's beauties rapturously, and roll 1t up
OF the tongue Of popular taste as a
deliciously sweet morsel," the obvi-
GUS fact remains That there is no COM
mandment, either Mosaic or prosaic,
which says: Thou shalt not lie.
And it may reasonably be presumed
that there are those, even in u pro-
~fession, who have reason to be glad
that this Is true. | am not really re-
GREETING it myself.
In all vocations there appear to be
ethical standards or laws by which arc
measured, conduct, liberty, license,
truth and untruthfulness; but in the
application of these ethical standards
there are certain rights, privileges
and immunities which man does not
abrogate when he becomes amenable
to the general law.
LEGAL STANDPOINT.
According to the ethical standards
of the legal profession a man Is per-
mitted to keep his mouth smut when
the spoken truth might hang him. In
law also it is permissible after a VIII
ness has been sworn TO tell the truth
and all there is OF it, that he be pre-
vented by an attorney from more IMAM
touching mildly upon it's surface. BY
the ethical standard or legal action IL
Ia right for an attorney to assume the
"a ~ nIF-nnnra CGnn murderer
or help a delinquent subscriber, SO 1ar
ns technical law permits, to eVaoe the
payment Of his subscription.
According to the ethics Of the medi-
cal profession 1t Is permissible to ad-
minister pellets made Of bread dough
RI counteract insomnia, and practlce
thousand other receptions upon the
HELPLESS patient to accomplish the
cure which is sought after.
WOULD RUIN TRADE.
The most thrifty banker who tells
,be whole truth ABOUT his loans am
1~enosits must close his doors and take
down mis- sign while the comptroiier
puts I'D another.
The tradesman who publishes the
fact that sugar will cheaper a cent
a mound within ten days must sell MS
four cent sugar for three cents n IL
he has enough of 1t, go broke.
THE politician Who tells the whoie
truth about himssf and his party VIII
SOON find himself out of a JOB and MS
narty in embarrassment. II not III de-
feat. .oaa ~ 9TH
ics is in most perfect harmony win
hose of Him Who spake as never
man spake," finds Il don't Know the
,nly lie which keeps what ne aoes
know from furnishing authority II tne
arguments of the local gossip society.
with all these things and NUMBER
less others the editor comes mo al
most daily contact and, to employ po-
tic license on a B~yronio quotation,
.Of all these things some VIZ
enough" and yet some people expees
him TO tell the truth. To do SO wouaa
70 more than human" In many cases
n would be decidedly inhuman, anu
would produce a frst-class revoiueiua
with the editorial sanctum as a s1ofni
.enter. .yDrNo
,,ssac and representatives OF