The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-15
THE EVOLUTION OF THE COUNTRY EDITOR.
CONGRESSMAN CHARLES 3. LANDn

estimate: If he IL unscrupulous. he can
do incalcuiable injury. because the readers
of his paper are slow TO attribute Ques-
tfonable motives to their home editor
and besides. political discipline Is so per-
feet in the country, that whatever the
party organ OF the county says is general
~ considered law and gospel.
Country editors are born. or made only
by the machinery OF experience One
cannot be made In day Money can
make metropolitan newspaper man in
an hour Give a country editor money
and he will make a metropolitan news
paper successful while not one metro
politar newspaper man In a thousand
could make a country paper succeed
Why2 Because the metropolitan news
PAPER man IS not adaptable to circum-
stances.
IL would not surprise a country news
paper man were he in a single day to he
called on TO suggest two OF three sub
tects for high school commencement es-
says. asked to write an obituary for
leading citizen, requested TO advise
farmer on the matter ~ a lawsuit i'm
plored to tender his good Offices in set
thing a dispute among friends. entreated
to quiet domestic discori in a neighbours
family that threatened to ripen into d.
Vorce, or waited on by the daughter OF a
farmer subscriber who IL about TO marry
against her fathers will and desires the
wrath Of the parent stayed. medley
like this would drive the editor in a large
city crazy.
To answer all these demands calls Tor
not only ability. but also Judgment dis
erection. tact. common sense and sym
pathy. II requires more genuine genius
to be a successful country editor than II
does TO capitalize and successfully organ
ize trust.
The country newspaper man fashions
the politics of this nation. Upon him
Lincoln leaned. Oliver p. Morton. Indi-
ana's great war governor said a score OF
times that he could not have saved In
dana to the Union without the assistance
of the country editors, They were always
brave and fearless. One might be ASSAULT
ed and his plant destroyed. but he had
his wounds bandaged. put In a new out
fit and fought on for Lincoln and the
Union and the freedom OF the slave.
The country editor nominated Cleveland
in 1899, and viii nominate Bryan in 1900.
and all the metropolitan newspapers In
the country cannot prevent II. II was
through country editors that Mfr. Hanna
worked prior to the st. Louis convention
that nominated William Mckinley; and.
when the Republican members Of congress
today show an inclination TO antagonize
their chief executive, II Is the country
editor who wires. Stand by the pres.-
dent and with the representative who
has enough sense To obey the will of the
people, that telegram Is law. for the rep
resentative recognizes In the expression
of the country editor the voice of the COM
munity in the midst OF which he lives.
The country EDITORS influence on county
politics is paramount. He is a delegate
to the state convention. and Is generally
on the COMMITTEES on resolutions. He in
'sists on candidates that will justify eul-
ogy and platform that he can honestly
champion. He insists on doing the county
printing when his party is in power, and
he 10 right about g. He not only ought
TO do this work. hui should he paid a
good price, for even then the community
would remain his debtor. for az a mat
ter of fact he does more work for which
he gets no pay and casts more bread on
the water that returns TO him in the
shape Of bady-soaked dough than any
other man In any other profession.
II the final estimate OF mans life
work 10 made from the standpoint OF hon
est endeavor and unselfish devotion to the
community in which he lives. l am not
afraid Of the final score of the country
editor.-SucccSs.