The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-18
NEWSPAPERS SUPPORT IN GREAT
CITIES.

When the elder Carter Harrison
was in the zenith of his power he
was elected Mayor in Chicago when
everv newspaper in that great CITY
was actively supporting his opponent
Instead of rejoicing at that peculiar
state of affairs. Carter Harrison felt
the danger of such opposition and es-
tablished the Chicago Times SO tina.
In the coming elections he would have
medium through which his views
could reach the public. His son. who
has three times been elected Mayo"
of Chicago, has ALWAYS had newspape.
support, and once or twice he has had
the support of nearly all the paperS
AS a rule, the Chicago papers do not
support candidates as actively or as
aggressively as papers in other great
cities.
With reference TO newspaper sun
port of candidates. the Greensboro
Record says:
'It is a strange fact that in the elen-
ton for mayor of New York last fan
Mr.. Mcclellan had the support of onlv
Every other paper except the Ameri-
can fought him. al we'll as the preach
ers. vet he was overwhelmingly elect-
ed. This fall Judge Parker has tho
support of the majority of the metro
politan press Has the incident an1
bearing on the present political sltua-
tion?'
Is the Record right in saying that
only one New York daily supported
Mcclellan? Our recollection was that
he received the support of several o.
the. leading dailies. but Van WVcs
was elected with most of the papers
against him. Newspaper support Is
not essential to success in every CAM
paign. but the man who wins without
it rarely succeeds himself.
One secret Of the loss OF influence
of some papers is that they do nos
deserve any influence. The people
have found out that there is bacS-
door to their office. that they are es-
tablished by some great corporation
having an axe to grind. Such paper
may be never so brilliant and enter
tanning, but it has no influence. A
few days ago a certain big newspaper
in America, which had been abusing
Roosevelt since the Northern Securt.
ties case, suddenly declared in favor
Of his reelection. What did the peo-
pie say? What did the plain-spoken
press of America say? What was in
every mind? There was universal and
ready agreement that j. Pierpont
Morgan-widely advertised as hostile
to Roosevelt-had been "pacified'' and
would throw his great influence to thu
reelection of the President OF course
he will not show his hand plain
enough to order the little organs his
wise. These organs are printed 20 in
fiuence legislation and taxation of the
Southern Railway, and since the de-
feat Of Radicalism in the South, he
keeps such papers Democratic to FUR
Their loca! ends for his railroads.
When North Carolina was Republican,
the Southern Railway organ was the
Raleigh Tribune.
The support of newspapers OF char
acter, whether party organs or papers
independent of political parties. is Of
the very higheT Importance in a
great political campaign. Compare
lively few men in the great cities hear
political speaking. They get all they
know of politics out of the news
papers, and they are unconsciously
biased more by the papers they read
than they will ever know. Tell me
the paper you read with most pleas
use every day and / will tell you what
you think upon the most vital ques-
tons has world of sense in it.