The Republican journal., 1901-07-11

AoPluS are superb, duu dV tlIHcS Tie CATS
run SO close to the angry waters of the
lower rapids that it seems as if the
wheels were actually going into the
water.
Perhaps it was due to the fact that
the acting president was from Texas
that two gentlemen from that State
were on the. program; and if so it is
subject for congratulation that the
chair was SO filled. Both gentlemen
spoke wisely and well. Hon. W. F..
Ramsay of Cleburne, introduced as one
of the leading lawyers of his State, dis
cussed the libel laws and argued in be-
half of uniform law in all the States.
AS national legislation in this direction
is not possible, this result can only be
obtained through the efforts of the sew
eral State Associations. The task,
however, is one of no small magnitude
The Maine Press Association took the
matter up and appointed an able and
energetic committee, who, with the best
legal advice, framed a bill to take the
place of our present antiquated libel
law; had it introduced in the legislature,
appeared in its behalf before the COM
mittee to which it was referred, and
only succeeded in having the final
clause adopted. This provides penal
ty for those giving false information to
a newspaper. No newspaper or news
paper man wants legal protection for
wrong-doing. All they ask is the pro-
lection given to others in conducting an
honorable business.
The other speaker, W. V. Grubbs of
Greenville, was introduced as Judge
Grubbs, and he said that in his State
everybody who practiced law was call
ed Judge and every newspaper man was
given the title of Colonel. AS he is an
editor as we'll as lawyer he may
claim both titles, but for our purpose
one will suffice. Judge Grubbs is the
personifcation of an old time Southern
gentleman; but is evidently imbued
with the spirit of the New South or he
would not have made the long journey
from his home in the Lone Star State
to utter his eloquent plea for in
dustrial education as part of the public
school system in all the States. He is
the father of the movement in Texas,
where he was instrumental in securing
the passage of bill establishing the
Girls Industrial College, and of a series
of strong resolutions looking to the in
PRODUCTION of industrial training into
the public free schools of the State
We quote as follows from his address
The first thing, in my Judgment, to
be done is the Inauguration of a vigOr-
GUS campaign, embracing every section
of the country, against the false no.
tons of responsibility based upon mere
differences of occupations and callings
equally useful and essential to the we'll
being of the community. There is alb
solutely no reason why the mechanic
should not be as intelligent and enter
tanning in his peculiar line of effort as
the man who follows one of the alleged
learned professions. He has as much
right to be highly educated in his work
as the professional man in his depart
ment of human exertiOn.
But it is one thing to realize this
truth and quite another to get the
masses of the people to believe it.
While the need of special educational
facilities for the development of legal,
medical. commercial and theological tai
ent has been long recognized by all
classes, the propriety of establishing
and maintainin, schools of technology
for the development of mechanical gen.
ius and of agricultural schools and col
leges for the training of scientific till
ers of the soil has not been and is not
now apparent to the collective under
standing Of the great body of the peo-
pie.
OF the many other papers read, and
the many good things said; the banquet
given at Statlers to the newspaper men
by the Pan-American officials; the cleo
ton of officers, and the action with re-
gard to the assumption of legislative
powers by the United States postoffice
authorities, l have neither time nor
space to speak. But, as verifying a
prediction made in an earlier article, 1
may say that the Association voted by
an overwhelming majority to hold the
session of 1902 at the Hot Springs,
Arkansas.
| must also forego the anticipated
pleasure of giving pen sketches of
some of the newspaper men met in
Buffalo; among them, B. B. Herbert
of the National Printer Journalist, the
founder of the Association, it's first
president and still its guardian spirit;J.
M. Page, Democrat, Jerseyville, ILL.,,
and James G. Gibbs, Reflector, Nor
witch, Ohio, the courteous and efficient
secretary and treasurer,
respectively; Charles S. Patteson of
Newspaperdom, New York, an expert
in all the branches of journalism, and
whose presence at the National
Editorial meetings everybody said they