The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-31
CITY, IOWA, TO
 CONDUCT A NEWSPAPER
BY PHlNEAs FLETCHER.

in strict limits along the lines of mu- nicipal ownership; and if the daily is merely a news bulletin plus the fashions, market local happenings and a few gen oral articles with illustrations, totally devoid of editorial individuality and pith, will there not be very soon in Webster City an open field for d rival daily With some Sunny Jim in the sanctum full or vigor and vim, and making the Webster ties patrdnize his paper, because or ms aggressive. partisan editorials?
 The proale.A of running a mutual news paper successfully seems to me, an old newspaper man and not opposed to muni- cipal ownership, simply because bunch of blockheads denounce all the achieve ments in this line and all the steps in this direction as yelled socialism, a problem fraught with many peculiar difficulties. Still, that 1t will be found impossible of 1 satisfactory solution, l would not ven ture to say in the face of so many re- cent triumphs of human intelligence which in their vague beginnings were derided by the great, slowmoving majori-
 ty of mankind as mere dreams by half cracked doctrnaires, or visionary schemes ] of vanity -puffed inventors, or worse as cunning devices of commercial bunco steerers to separate good people from good cash.
 The miracle may be performed by the Websterites They may succeed in pre- l senting such an objeet-lesson to mankind as will soon alter the entire character of journalism and put 1t on higher, more scientific and less uncertain plane. If they do they will make Webster City one of the most famous places in the world. It's already Q good offer at world wide fame for them merely to propose so daring thing-and fate loves the bold, If not so overbold that they get bowled over. Even then, the poet tells us.
 Jade Fortune loveth him she cannot quell And sometimes crowns the victim on the
 cross"
 Then. too it is generally true in the lives of communities. as In those of 1n- dividuals. that one success leads to anoth- CT. The Websterites have shown them l selves singularly successful in their suc- | cessive municipal or collective undertake 1 ngs, being, l believe, far in the lead of | the other six hundred and odd cities and l towns in this country that have gone into l extensive application of the doctrine of | municipal ownership; and among these towns there have been few real failures. 1 Webster City. I confess, appears in this new development to have bitten off more than she can ehaw; but. If there's any
 thing in omens, the omens are all with | her, in spite of the vast difficulties in-
 herent in her present proposition. l If she succeeds, not alone will she be likely to revolutionize journalism. The
 impetus given to general municipal own
 ership will be simply tremendous; and herein might lie a peaceful solution of the
 trust evil now looming up as a menace
 to the stability of the republic far great l CT than was the menace of the extension
 of slavery in the middle days of our his | tory; and likely to preciptate more blood 1 shed, unless 1t be settled rlght--and not 1 pusillanimously compromised so that 1t
 shall fall like Johnstown flood on our l posterity.
 Meantime, all eyes on Webster City.
 Iowa, and let's send on nickel, a dime | or quarter for a sample copy of the
 first municipal newspaper. The Daily l Graphic Herald, I've sent mine.