The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-05-06
Women and Newspapers.

Indianapolis Journal:
Women are suddenly asserting them
selves in the journalistic world. At
Cambridge. Mass, d number Of women
have secured possession of a paper and
are arranging to issue it without the
assistance of any man, save one who
win serve as pressman. In Chicago
plan is on foot for the establishment of
a daily paper to be owned and operated
exclusively by women. though in this
case operation" signifies the general
direction, a man having been engaged
as managing editor. Men as well as
women will also serve as subordinate
members of the staff The purpose of
the projectors, as explained by one OF
them. is to put out a paper that viii
dare to print anything and everything
just exactly as it really is The eV-
erytning' chiefly in mind seems to be
municipal affairs, as an intention is eX-
pressed of telling the truth concerning
local corruption and crookedness, with
out fear or favor, and so helping 10
purify Chicago politics.
The plan is q proper and piOus one,
but how far it viii be successful re-
mains to be seen. a good many women,
to say nothing of men, cherish the be-
lief that a considerable number OF lheH
feIow-citizens. especially those in oiii-
cial life and in positions of trust, are
constantly engaged in netarlous trans
actions which need the limelight turn
ed on them. and which, Tor pollucal
and other rather vaguely DEFINED rea-
sons. the newspapers refrain from men
tioning. 1t is the common demand OF
people who do not run newspapers
upon those who do that the latter
write up this or that suspected lti-
dividuaI and his dOiugs and expose MN
as tha rascal that he IS; but it is IN
varisblv noticeable that these same
persons are never ready to pupnsh
these charges over their own names
nor are they prepared to back their ac-
accent
mors for facts and expect the newspa-
per ia bear the responsibility OF publ
cation. charging it with cowardice or
dishonest completely with the supposed
rascals when it discreetly declines 10
do SO. 49,,
No doubt there are many things In the
Chicago municipal administration, as IN
the local government of most CUES lnat
need detection and exposure put ~
Journal does not know OF any city where
there is not an opposition press con-
stantly on the alert to discover queS.
tionable acts and make them known II
the proposed Womans paper can III IN
earth any crOOkednesS IN ChIca8O not
nOinted out by the papers already IN eA-
isfence there. it may help the cause on
reform but there IS reasonable uouDe
if If can cover the field Of 1nVesuSdtloh
better than is now done. me women
ro,,-t learn that there is a libel law 10
consider, and that one or two damage
suits. in cases where they can ofly oIlsL
a moral certainty TO sustain thSH
charges may make a big hole IN the
S1OO 900 they expect to put into their pa
per As for telling the plain truth,
plain truth is not always fit for publ
cation The Journal is not infrequently
in recent of communications bearing on
certain social evils, written by dear,
good innocent women intent on erect
ing reforms, whose publication would
iustifv outraged patrons in casting the
paper out as unsuitable for family read
So far as actual operation of news
papers BY women is concerned. there
should be nothing to hinder success ana
the wonder is the attempt has not been
made before on an ambitious scale Ger
tainlv there should be no difficulty in
securing experienced workers since
there are few papers of any Importance
in the country which do not have wo-
men in their employ. 1t is not clear, IN
deed why the Chicago venture should
have to depend upon a man as man
ager. since there must be women IN the
service quite capable of that response
bility. The Cambridge and Chicago pro-
iectOrs of the new enterprise should be
warned, however, that if they mean to
publish their papers solely in the inter-
ests of any special cause, or REFORM
they viii fail Whatever may be their
own personal enthusiasms. the pubic
VIII decline to be permanently interest
ed The public is tickle, it wants to be
entertained it wants variety; it does
not wish to be too serious and, sad as
@the conclusion is. it fatty declines to be
continuously keyed up to high moral
purpose Even women, serious as they
are in these days of feminine strenu-
osity, lean to frivolity in unofficial inter-
wells. and at such times could hardly
become excited over the worst iniqui-
ties of Chicago politics