Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-12-13
::LOOKER-ON In IOWA:


/
| Randall. Dec. 12.-The good people of
1 Ames, as well as others, can not UNDER
stand the ethics of Des Moines journal
| ism. On Dec. the Capital arrived Civ
| ing q lurid account of q class scrap at
the Agricultural College, winding up
with the statement that one student
was in the hospital for repairs. This
was news that was news, for no one IN
Ames had heard of it, and the regular
correspondent of the Capital at Ames
positively denied sending it. But this
is not the best of the story. The next
morning the Register and Leader came
to town with denial of the whole bust
ness and inferentially severely scoring
the evening paper that published sucn
fake stuff This appeared prominently
en- the first page, but on the editorial
page of the same paper was short ar
ticle condemning the class scrap at
Ames and deploring lsnch rowdylsm
among the students of the college. This
was virtually an editorial pounding the
students for something they didn't do
and something the Register and Leader
said on page one they had not done.
Then to complete the myStfication OF
the citizens and students of Ames the
Capital arrived the same evening stat
ing there was not word of truth In the
special from Ames the night before, but
failing to mention how they happened
ito rum such stuff not received from a
regular correspondent or verified in any
way If received from stranger. Oh
course all this has brought out the Con-
ger fake interview again, as well as UNI
complimentary remarks on all 1.-THE ly-
ing newspapers
All this reminds the writer of how the
Register was once picked up by the
democrats of Grinnell. They would have
it that in those days, when the Register
had the same feeling towards the demo-
Gratis that the devil is supposed to have
towards holy water, and the feeling was
reciprocal, that the Register would
publish anything sent them never
stopping to inquire into the source or
accuracy of the dispatch received. So
during hot political campaign one
night the republicans had rally in
Preston's opera house, and a speaker
of national reputation made the adj
dress. Some democrat or democrats
sent a stsreotyped report of the speech
TO the Register and closed by claiming
that the speech was so strong, so effect
i've, so logical and so powerful that
John Sawyer, Dave Beardsley, G. M. G.
Hatch, H. NJ. Bray and eight or ten
more of the prominent democrats of
Grinnell had, after listening to this
speech, publicly announced their inten-
ton OF voting the republican ticket.
And the Register published it verbatim.
All of which gave the democrats
chance to say Il told you so.'
1t is not safe nor good policy for
paper to publish fake story even as a
joke. Some years ago the Times -Repub-
lican ran a special from Searsboro
which gave a detailed account of man
giving his name, who lived near town.
finding cheese mine on his place while
digging well. The fortunate owner OF
this cheese mine, so the article went on
to state, had already marketed a wag-
Unload OF cheese which was in all re-
spects equal to New York factory and
brought the same price in the market.
And the curious part of this joke was
that many believed it as gospel truth.
The cheese mine owner received several
letters in regard to his find. Some more,
in dead earnest, asking all manner OF
fool questions. Now while this hap
pened a dozen years ago, 1t was only
last year that an old settler of Sears
boro used this cheese mine story as an
illustration of the unreliabilfty OF news
papers. Said he to the assembled crowd
in the corner grocery, THAT shows you
can't believe what you read in the pa
pers."
And even partisans are suspicious or
their own party papers. The next morn
ing after presidential election the
writer was down on the 60" in good
democratic town, where old Jackson1-
ans are in big majority. The news
had been sent over the wire that Cleve-
land had been elected. One old moss
back felt that 1T was too good to be
true. wait" said he, It'll the Times
Republican gets here. II they say
Cleveland's elected I'll believe 1t and
not before" And the T.-R. had to tell
the truth and admit that Ibis ponder
osity" was elected.
aN Hve.7AA/