The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-02-21
]. B. BABE TALKS
 ABOUT THE PRESS
Newspaper Man Delivers Ad- dress Before Woman'S Club
PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS
MT. Babb Points Out Power of the Press and What Has Been Ac- complshed for Morals
 and Humanity.

Joseph B. Babb. managing editor of the Birmingham News addressed a large audience of women yesterday afternoon at the Woman's club on the subject of The Press It's Power for Good or Evil. J, Mir, Babb was introduced by Mrs. Charles S. Simmons. the president of the club. His address was frequently in terrupted with applause. Mir. Babb be- gan by saving that there were two classes of people who read the papers, those who believed every thing they read. and those who professed to believe noth- ing that they saw in the papers. He brought out in the first part of his ad- dress the effort that is made to print the truth, to present the facts. and he said that from his personal experiences and observation he could say that the chief requisite of newspaper was to print only the absolute truth.
 In New York.
 In showing the power of the press MT Babb recalled the vigorous crusade in New York's municipal affairs when two years ago the Tammany candidate was opposed by the Herald, the Sun. the World, the Tribune and other great pa- pers and Seth Low, the reform candi- date, put in office. This, said Mir Babb, was an instance of the power of the press He then referred to the recent victory of Mayor Mcclellan, the Tammany candi- date, against whom the papers waged all the force of opposition. He declared how ever, that the press had forced Tammany into nominating a clean man, and that the other names on the Tammany ticket were those of clean men. By the united effort of the New York press, said the speaker that city will have clean ad- ministration under Mayor Mcclellan.
 Appeals for Humanity.
 Other illustrations given by Mir Babb of the good accomplished by the press were the stories told of great disasters. notably the Galveston flood. when through appeals in the papers the strick- en people of devastated city were en- couraged to rebuild their homes until to- day the city by the sea is more beautiful than before.
 MT Babb spoke of the several depart ments of newspaper work, each of which had its great mission 10 perform. He said that while the papers printed stories of crime until crime become monotonous to the men detailed to write the stories, butt that even the news -aplumns of paper taught lessons of bravery and heroic acts. He cited several incidents of remarkable ee I women in time of great danger and such stories us these were an inspiration to ev- cry one who read them.
 MT. Mabb in the course of his address discussed at length the war situation and expressed himself strongly in Japan's favor. The club women showed which side they were on by an outburst of ap- plause.
 Russia said MT. Babb, must some day answer for her continued oppression of her subjects"
 A Free Press.
 In pleading for a courageous presG, he said that freedom of the press meant freedom of thought. of speech, of re- ligion
 Show me a land" said the speaker, where it's press is not free and l will show you land like RussiaI Through out his address he maintained that the press must stand for community inter ests. He believed that a paper should not be partisan, but that 1t should he en- tirely independent and not being to cliques of any kind. MT. Babb said that he was not touching on politics when he re- ferred to the country as a democracy. He used the word in it's broadest mean ing
 Reaches All Classes.
 The newspaper, said the speaker, reaches all classes of people. The bank er the laboring man, the man in broad cloth, the man in overalls. It goes into the homes where 1t Is the only literature In conclusion. MT. Babb touched brief ly upon the other great educational in- fiuences. that of the mother the teacher, the preacher. The mothers influence was greatest because it reached the child at its plastic state. All three of these the other, while the press influences all three.
 At the close of MT. Babbs address an elaborate luncheon was served Mrs. Robert Jones was in charge of the pro- gramme for the afternoon