Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-12-10
INDEPENDENCE in JOURNALISM.

INDEPENDENCE IN JOURNALISM.
Est. Louis Globe Democrat
The growth of independence among
newspapers has been one Of the most In
Iteresting of the developments of Ameri-
can journalism of the past half or
three-quarter of century. Most OF
the newspapers of the country belong
to one or the other of the great parties,
but all of them are much fairer to their
partisan opponents than were any Of
the newspapers of an earlier age. The
late John Russell Young, then con-
nected with the New York Tribune,
asked Greeley one day IL he would pub
lish, as a matter of news for the Tri-
bune's readers, speech which was to
be delivered that night by Horatio
Seymour, and Greeley's answer was
that he would print speech by Sey-
mour when the New York World would
print one by Morgan. Fenton or some OF
the other leading republicans. ALI the
great newspapers OF today give hear
ing to the other side.
Gales, of the old National lntellf-
gencer of Washington, one day read an
! editorial in his paper which neither he
nor his partner, Seaton, wrote, and on
inquiry he found that 1t had been con-
ltributed by Webster. 1t was the GUS
tom in those days for prominent states
men and politicians to write editorials
| for newspapers which were received by
the public as the utterances those pa
pers' editors. Calhoun did this for
Duff Green's Telegraph, the Jackson
administration organ at the outset In
Jacksons presidency. Benton did 1t
frequently for the elder Francis r.
Blair's Capital, Jackson's mouthpiece
| after the break between johnson and
Calhoun took place. Clay, Ewing, Van
Buren,, Douglas, Jefferson Davis and
other party leaders, wings and demo-
tcrats, were frequent contributors to the
editorial page Of prominent newspapers
/ in Washington and elsewhere, anony
mously, of course. The New York Eve
ening Post, which has been independent
of all parties for about a third Of Q
century, was established by Alexander
Hamilton In 1901. and from that time
until his death in the duel with Burr.
lin 1904, he contributed most OF that
papers editorial expressions.
| Almost every president, beginning
with Jefferson. and ending with Bu-
chanan, had q personal organ In Wash
ington. The editorials on partisan mat
ters in those papers during that two
thirds OF century were subject to .
censorship almost as rigid az 10 observed
in those of st. Petersburg or Moscow to-
day. The National Intelligencer the
Telegraph, the Capital and the Union
furnished the "keynotes" to the news
papers Of their respective parties ana
/ factions turnout the country. The demo-
cratic and whig papers in the United
States in general were bashful about
committing themselves on new issues,
or on old issues which took on new as
poets, until after they had found out
what Gales, Duff Green, Frank Blair
Thomas Richie and the rest OF the nom-
inal heads Of their respective party'e
mouthpiece in Washington said, or were
permitted to say by the administration
which they represented, except that
James Watson Webb, Thurlow Weed
and a few other political nagnates.
wings and democrats outside Of the ma
tjonal capital, established other centers
for the distribution OF the party gospel
to the faithful. The National InteIli-
gencer was friendly to Lincoln, but he
had no personal organ in Washington.
| or, in fact, anywhere else. Greeley, who
controlled the most prominent paper Of
Lincoln's party, was apt to be rather
t censorious, and Weed was disposed to
be critical while Raymond, of the New
York Times, who was more consistently
friendly to the president than was either
of the other two leaders here named. did
not support every measure OF the adj
ministration. A still greater degree Of
independence has been acquired since
then. No American newspaper Of any
conse euence, democratic or republican,
in this age accepts every act Of an ad-
ministration Of Its party with the slav-
lsh obedience which most OF them dis
played half q century ago or earlier.
The great newspapers Of the present
time feel that they are bigger ana more
permanent than any party leader. They
have double function to perform-to
print the news OF the world and to gin-
duence public opinion thru their edi
torial discussion thereof-but their esti-
mate OF what Is news is not affected by
their partisan afliliations. and their
judgments. as based on its exposition
and Interpretation, are not dictated by
any politician or president.
Three prisoners broke jail at Circles