Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-08-15
THE PUBLIc's BUSINESS.

In the town council Of Rock Hill the
other night, says the Greenville Her.
aid, an alderman got worked up and
wanted a muzzle-a good, stiff muzzle
put on the local press. Addressing
the city gods the embryonic Bombastes
spoke thus:
Mr.. Mayor" said he, II move that
certain restrictions be placed around
newspaper reporters and that they De
requested to submit their reports OF
council proceedings to the mayor Tor
him to look over, before publishing
them. 1t would be better for all. l
have nothing personally against any
Of the newspaper men and am perfectly
willing for all l do to be made public.
The press report taken from the ROCK
Hill Record gives this additional In
formation
The motion was seconded. Before
1t was voted on however, the only
newspaper man present (poor deytD
asked the privilege Of addressing the
council requesting that the matter be
reconsidered; that 1t was public gath
ering and the matters discussed were
public matters, and the members or
council were public officials, and, fur
ther, to place a censorship OF such a
nature on the press was an assumption
of authority which this public body did
not possess; that II any errors were
made In a report Of council proceed
ings the newspaper regretted 1t ana
would make any correction: that the
newspaper men desired above all things
to be accurate, and the newspapers
used their best endeavors to do this.
Mr. O'Neal "a merchant) then ad-
dressed council saying In substance,
that he did not think that body had
the authority to put such requirement
on newspaper reporters, since II was
public gathering.
"Mr. Reid (an undertaker) offered
an amendment to the motion OF Mr..
Johnson, "a druggisD in substance;
requesting that all reporters be asked
to exercise great care. Mr.. Johnson
accepted the amendment Mr.. Craig
{ broker) in speaking to the original
motion said: =.
"As a financier we do not think 1t
necessary to give certain matters 10
the public. 1t might interfere with
business"
Now, IL this exhibition Of aldermanic
asininity had occurred In some dark
corner of Russia-say in the neighbor.
hood of Damiccevitch, where they sell
men and women as they barter sheep
and cattle-then there would have been
no protest from this newspaper but
It happened in Rock Hill, an able
bodied community whose people have
accomplished fine things In the half
century or more Of the towns exist
ence. ,,.
Public men owe more to the charity
of newspapers than people Wot OF.
The average reporter Is not blood
drinker, pistol-toter, or vampire. II
given a fair show he will treat officials
with the same consideration they give
him. But when a public man or set
of public men attempt to work a muZ-
cling bluff, as the Rock Hill alderman
essayed, he, and they are quite likely
to get the hot end Of the poker.
Newspaper men are about as human
as the average citizen-have the same
sensations, love and hate, the same
emotions. fight and make peace go 10
church when the laundry comes In on
time, eat meat when they can get IT,
pay their bills when they've got the
money and stave 'em off when they're
hard up In fact they act according
to the accepted formula usually prac-
ticed by the civilized genus homo.
The Rock Hill council has made
bungling job Of playing what they raise
in Kansas. the same being that Whlch
has been known to break loose In Geor-
eia on more occasions than one.
Let Alderman Johnson keep TO MS
bread pills and calomel powders II ne
wants to make a factor of himself Or
II he wants a job as press censor let
him get on Pennypacker's stan or ap-
ply to the military governor or ODESSA