The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-22
BEING A NEWSPAPER

h G O b has received some not
at all unwelcome tributes for its course
in handling recent political events of
great interest and significance. 1t has
been commended for publishing in full
both the Johnson report and the Dunn
reply as a matter of fairness. Accept
ing with conlpletest acknowledgment
this recognition, it wishes to add that
this policy is also essential, in it's view,
to the existence of newspaper.
We do not know how long any pub
lie will tolerate a certain practice of
newspaperdom that has become COM
mon in this neck OF the woods. We do
not refer to- any particular newspaper
or any particular event, but find in
general that the predictions of
! newspaper are permitted to govern it's
presentation and treatment in the bare
publications Of news events. This we
confess we cannot comprehend. Still
less do we comprehend the federation
by readers Of such newspapers of the
| imposition practieed upon them.
The opinions of every newspaper are
its own. It has principles that it be-
| 1ieves In and place in which to en-
| force them. No one can quarrel with
| it for the freest exhibition of its ideas
and arguments in its editorial columns.
But to real newspaper man and to the
real reader of newspaper the news is
sacred. It's expansion or condensation
lisa matter of daily Judgment; but its
suppression either by holding out or by
garbling or by such emendation as will
destroy it's purport is nothing short
of a crime. The punishment of that
crime is not by statute or by ostracism,
but lies with the reading public. 1t al
| ways has resenedsit and we believe it
/ always will. zss
The intelligent reader wants the
facts. He intends to form his own
opinion from them. If he is in doubt,
and generally even when he is not, he
turns to the. editorial page to find what
Iopinions are there expressed. But he
wants all the facts as a matter of in
formation, as a matter of fairness, for
the furnishing of his own intelligence
| and the action of his own mind. When
he is deprived of them he is defrauded.
The newspaper that does not give then,
to him is worse than useless to him.
/ It is on this principle that fh e
| GTobe acts. 1t believes that every
/ reader is entitled to the news. For ex-
| ample, the letter Of acceptance OF
President Roosevelt was matter OF
some 1900 words. not of vital interes.
to Democrats perhaps, and vastly con-
sumptive Of space. Yet z he G 10 b e
4 published 1t without abridging it by a
word, just as 1t viii the letter Of Judge
| Parker; since both are public docu-
ments of such wide Importance as te
constitute imperative news. The con-
troversy over the administration OF
Mr. Dunn's Office Is large public
| question, involving all the people. II h {
lGIobe believes the voters are entitled
I to all the facts on both sides of 1t, and
has given them. It will do preciseI,
: the same. and has done it in the case
Of any differences among Democrats.
4 Few papers. perhaps, hold their con-
4 victions more strongly Or express them
more freely than The Globe. But
not for any conviction will it alter on
suppress thenews. That is immoral. Tt
do that is to cease t>ins newspaper