The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1903-11-19

4AD411t 4O3 4OOC.
igating subjects to which they give
pages every day for months at time.
Take, for instance, the boom in indus
trial stocks a few years ago. The
press of this country by its stories of
millions made overnight is to blame
for the fact that the public is now hold
ing the bag. The papers lauded the
Wall Street millionaires up to the skies
and made them demigods in the eyes of
the public; they doomed stocks as If they
were the subsidized organs of stock
brokerage firm. The Pierpont-Schwabs
needed no press agent, a snap shot was
taken of them in their every act and
blossomed forth on the first page with
a double loaded tribute to their genius.
What was the result? Millions of dol
lars were paid by the American public
for worthless stocks. Now these very
papers turn around and in no less lurid
style inform the public that they have
been "done up" that these Captains of
Industry of yesterday are today pack
of swindlers.
Out west some years ago man failed
in business, owing some two hundred
thousand dollars. Creditors came
from miles away in special train ac-
companied by corps of attorneys, but
did not get cent. Mr.. Delinquent in
formed them that he was ,"all in" A
rough and ready stockman from the
next county came riding in on cayuse
with his claim for some odd thousands.
He held gun to the head of Mr.. Delin-
quent and was paid in full. Ii this
man was caught in the recent cleanup
in Wall Street he could probably justi-
fy himself in going to the editor of
some of our metropolitan papers and
after producing his gun demand why
he was not informed of all this water
in his stocks two years ago. The water
was there two years ago in the same
quantity as it is today and it seems pos
sible that careful investigation would
have disclosed the fact. Our metropol-
itan press boasts that its facilities for
making investigations are far superior
to any detective agency in the country.
Its duty to the public was to investi-
gate and make its disclosure early in
the game, instead of waiting until the
crash came and then hurl odium at the
promoters of graft.
In some of the business offices OF
our great papers the greatest care is
taken that no objectional or fraudulent
advertisement is allowed space in the
publication, and it stands to reason
that the same care should be used in
guarding the news columns. This il
especially true of our larger dailies, al
they practically influence the whole
country. A few lines in a New York
daily becomes column in Seattle anG
the writer of stick on Park Row may
see it blossom forth into whole page
in the interior.
We do not want restriction of tht
press but we do want press that will
print things as they are rather than al
the public wants them. A more con
servative press would be great thing
; for this country, press which woult
not entangle itself III position wher'
they call man god one day and |
devil the next, where their hero of toda.
will remain hero and not be the COW
ard of tomorrow.
Another little weakness of the fourtl
estate is its prOneness to play the jug
gler with some piece of nonsense ant
keep it up in the air all the time. W.
suppose the editor who would drop tn
Carrie Nation item would be counted
out of the game and considered guilt
of unprofessional conduct. The pub
lie may demand to know every move
ment made by Carrie, but we doubt il
The power of the press is wonderful
but the daily paper under present con
! ditions is on the decline. People ar
: turning more and more to magazine
and reviews for their ideas on moment
GUS subjects and unless change fo
the better occurs there is danger Of
! deteriorating to the place of q bul
}. lesque furnishing vaudeville enter
: tainment to amuse, but not iniuenc'
the public. w. E. C.
I
8 Teach thy necessity to reason thus,