The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-24

business in Alabama, Tn all Its branches and all conditions, I do not know that am fully prepared to or satisfactorily answer this question. Has the personnel and morale of the press of the country, and more particularly of Alabama, im- proved during that period, and is the standard higher today than it was at the beginning of that time; and has 1t been at any time in the interim?
 In 1865 when first went into the newspapr business, just at the close of the war. the newspaper business. like everything else, was at a very low ebb, but the moral tone was high and the made up of the flower and of our citizenship; those who had championed the cause of the Con- federacy ,~and who were at any time ready to lay down their lives for their country's sake, to give their life's blood to sustain the cause they loved so dearly and to save their people from other humiliation and disgrace. through the horrors of reconstruction. and like the days at the front, ready to face any danger and brave any threatening doom to enforce what they believed to be the right. The press devoted the space more to editorial opinions and expressions and endeavored more to lead and take the initiative in forming opinion, and was not so much given to printing all kinds and character or news. as is the case today
 Newspaper editors were leaders in their respective communities in poli- ties in business, and in social affairs; they were the rulers, the autocrats, without a crown. as it were, of their limited sphere, in the former, days; and woe be unto the man or set of men who dared contest the privilege or dispute the power which they wfefded, in most instances, wisely and discreetly and honorably for the public veal. So 1t was in the olden days of which write; on the daily press there was Forsyth. a Tyler, a Screws, a Hodgson. Lang don, a Macon, and others whom do not now recall. who thundered In no uncertain tones their views and ideas. and made the daily press respected and followed to a great extent in the ar fairs of that era; dark days they were after the war. of reconstruction. mili- tary. despotism and the like. or the weekly press of those days. l can re- call at the moment a Mckee, Stanley. a Randolph, a Kellar, Clay, Meeks, a Harvey, an Adams. a Monroe. Herr. a Grace a Cooke, a Henderson, ana hosts of others who held the destinfesi of the State in their hands almost, and who spoke out in stentorian voice on all questions, shaping and leading pub lie opinions ana dClloht anu do not intend or desire or wish to be understood, to draw any invidious or unpleasant comparisons or distinctions. and while think those at the helm or the press today in Alabama are as pure and incorruptible now as they were Tn former times, I must tell the truth, and say that they tended more to lead in the old days than they do now; they printed their opinions in the editorial columns of their various papers at length on questions of a public or prt- vate nature of those days and times, and to a large extent molded sentiment and led the people.
 In tsiese latter days of journalism in Alabama, as we'll as in other parts of the country, the news Is printed, and yellow journals vie with each other in printing everything, no matter how in- decent or seurrilous or scandafous, the "sweet morsel" Is rolled under the tongue with greater delight If 1t actu- ally tends to besmirch the character and draw down and take some poor mortal to shame and disgrace. This spirit, however, is confined to the yell low journals, and am sorry to say 1t, there is a morbid and abnormal yearn- ing from large portion of the reading public for such disreputable stuff as this, and the papers printing 1t sell like hot cakes, to the discredit of the buy CTS ana SELECTS anu lO dll COHCCIHGu= am pleased to feel, however, and to know that, as a rule, the tone of the daily and weekly press of Alabama Is as pure and undecided and the standard as high and its personnel as incorrupt- ible and as honorable as ever before In the history of the State. And yet will be borne out by the fair and can did opinion. of all Of those acquainted with the situation, that the press of Alabama today, does not attempt or profess to take the lead In shaping public opinion or to direct or influence the action of the people as it did in the past and the people are not fol- lowing them as they have done.
 The press is not in any way corrupt or fin any sense venal or dishonest, but somehow, as a rule, the editors hesi- tate and manage to sall in with the tide and drift along with the popular clamor and idea of the times and just drop into the rut they deem to be the prevailing side. This may be caused from the fact that the people, as whole, are better read and better fn- formed than they have ever been and they refuseJ to follow and balk at the lead of anybody.
 The daily papers of the State do not favor the views of the radical railroad rate agitators and yet how many or them are there who are devoting their columns to an untirtnR and able ana jealous and ceaseless effort to convince the people of the error and to correct them before 1t Is too late, and to lead them into a rational and conservative course. which they all prefer to pur- sue, if they are warned In time? Is the press speaking out in strenuous and clarion voice against the move ment? How many of the newspapers of the State are doing so? And yet how many of them are there who really favor the proposed action against the railroads and other corpo- tions, the taking of the corporations by the throat and strangling them al- most out of existence? I do aot be- lIeve there are many Then what Is the matter? How are we to account for their silence and failure to warn the people of the Impending danger. as they ought and have done in times gone by? This Is one view of the mat ter, from this standpoint. and from the argument I have used you can but draw the conclusion that the press of the day Is not the "watchman on the tower" and the shapers of public senti- ment and action that 1t was near half or quarter a century ago
 With all this. who is there that will say that the editors of to-day are not equal in every way to those mention ed of the former period? Major Screws Is still at the head of The Ad- vertiser, just as steadfast and as true, aiding in bringing that paper to met ropolitan proportions; there is also MT. Glass. of the same paper. bold and feaFless for the right; in Mobile may be found MT. Craighead of The Regis ter. levelheaded and conservative in