Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-11-20
A NEWSPAPER MENACE.

"A newspaper, III ColIlpSlSu'
hands, may be made power fol
good; but, carelessly or blunder
ingl5 edited it becomes danger
Gus weapon and constant men
ace to the community. The edi'
tor who yields to the clamor o:
certain readers for the sensational
or who publishes whatever ap-
pears readable, without thought
or care for the consequences,
may increase the circulation
of his paper, but it will be al
the expense of the moral
and material welfare of society.
Evils exist, but they are more
often aggravated than corrected
by newspaper publicity. In cor
rection of abuses the newspaper is
most often necessary only as an
heroic remedy, when all other
remedies have failed.
A case in point is the "Stu.
dent and Saloon" serial recently
begun in our contemporary.
There is either much ado about
nothing in this matter, or there
is something seriously wrong
somewhere. If the former, then
the college and the community
are being injured by the publ
cation of articles which are bound
to give the impression abroad
that the students attending the
state agricultural college are be-
ing debauched by the saloons of
this city, and our citizens and
the authorities at the college
should demand that agitation of
the subject shall cease.
If, however, the conditions ex-
ist which justify crusade by the
newspapers, then it is the part of
duty and common sense to dis
cover the cause of these condi-
tions, in order to correct them.
Since the establishment of the
college on the hill, we have had
saloons in Corvallis, and the
same saloon keepers have been
here, or practically so. The
Times says: 'sFor years the
people of Corvallis and the faculty
at the college have been free
from vexation over the problem
of students visiting saloons"
Why, then, do we now, after
years of immunity, find ourselves
confronted with this menace?
The fault-if, as we said before,
these conditions exist-1ies as
much with the college authori-
ties as it does with the saloon
men. If affairs are as serious as
we are asked to believe, the
problem is a vital one and there
should be no mincing of matters,
no compromise. If the authori.
ties at the college are unable to
cope with this matter, they
should be replaced by those who
are. The Times says: "The
town has been fortunate in hav-
ing saloon men of superior rel
spectability." Then there is
something radically wrong with
the management of affairs on the
hill, for the authorities in other
institutions, not so fortunately |
located, protect their students |
without the assistance of the
newspapers.
Heretofore, with the same
saloons and the same saloon men,
"the college has been free from
vexation over the problem of
students visiting saloons.'' The
Times has placed itself in one of
two bad ways: Either it isl
again bidding for popular favor
under the guise of being active
for the public good, or it lacks
the courage to fight the evil as
it deserves. If the Times be-
lieves that the saloon men are
responsible for the de-
bauchery of the college students,
then it is making a cheap bid for
their favor, when it'says they are
men of superior respectability."
If the evil exists and they are en-
tirely responsible they are not
men of superior respectability,"
and if the Times is in earnest it
must muster up courage OF re-
ire from the conflict.
We are 1oath to- believe that
conditions warrant the spasms of
our contemporary. We believe
hat the saloon men of Corvallis
will compare favorably with men !,
.ngaged in the same business
We believe that the
resident or head of an educa-1
ional institution like the Agri-
ultural College, aided and en-
outraged by the faculty, is thel