The Republican journal., 1905-08-03
NEWSPAPERS AND REFORM

WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE MAKES A
SPEECH. HE SAYS EVERYBODY is
ENGAGED IN REFORMING SOME
BODY
William Allen White, editor of the
Emporia Gazette and the far-famed
discoverer of what was the matter with
Kansas, was one of the bright, particu-
lar stars at the recent meeting of the
National Editorial Association at Guth-
RE, Ok. At the last session he deliver
ed witty address on the somewhat
forbidding subject, Newspapers and
Reform and his speech was the hit of
the meeting 1t was as follows:
''This is day of reform. Everybody
is engaged in reforming someone else.
The preachers are reforming the news
papers, the newspapers are reforming
the politicians, the politicians are re-
forming the railroads, the railroads are
reforming the tariff magnates, The tariff
magnateS are reforming the Standard
oil, the Standard oil is reforming the
preachers-so the happy circle is COM
pleted, and when the bulldog of reform
finally does catch his tail and swallow
it and turn himself inside out, we shall
have a fine country.
Generally speaking, most reformers
are carrying their reform as side line.
They make travelling expenses on it. 1t
doesn't cost the preachers anything to
reform newspapers. In fact the preach
ers get a good deal of top column next
to reading matter space out of it that
they would hardly get if they devoted
themselves to the perseverance of the
saints and higher criticism. 1t doesn't
cost the politicians anything to reform
the railroads-not that anyone knows
of.
Tie politicians keep right on riding
on transportation from the law depart
merit of the railroads, while whooping
it up for railroad reform; and it doesn't
cost the railroad president to be for
tariff reform, and what's more it doesn't
seem to hurt the tariff. If the railroad
magnates were as serious about tariff
reform as they are to see the trusts get
reform. And the beneticiaries of the
tariff aren't losing much by reforming
the Standard Oil.
Anyone can reform Standard OIL 1t
is the punching bag in the national re-
formatory that we all try our muscle on.
Standard Oil and its associates form
whole carnival Of pleasure-one round
of joy for the reformers. In one booth
are the Rockefellers and Henry Rogers,
and their friends, and it costs nothing
to throw at these babies, and every time
you hit baby in the Standard Oil booth
you get fine cigar two babies, two
cigars.
The only place in this bright and
more or less beautiful world where re-
form takes the hair and the hide and
the tail thereunto appertaining, is in a
newspaper office. 1t costs newspaper
to 60 into the reform business. If you
tackle the beef trust, brother editors,
you will hear from it when you make
a contract for the beef extracts.
If you tackle the railroads, you will
get chance to see more scenery to the
square mile when you travel than you
have been used to observing If you
tackle the politicians they will start
another paper, which won't hurt you
particularly except as it is a disgrace
to the honorable profession in which
you are shining. If you whack away
at Standard Oil there is danger of los
dies advertising, and if you are for Sun
day closing you lose your tobacco and
cigar and malt advertising.
! ct you must reform something. The
people demand reform, and if they don't
get it they will stop the paper.
After a long session of meditation
and prayer the Gazette has come to the
conclusion that the only safe thing to
reform is the Russian navy. 1t needs
the reform, and the cZar only gets Or
valuable papers through a clipping bu-
reau, and if he should decide to blister
the varnish off several clipping bureaus
DO one would care much. The thing
for all true reformers to do, therefore,
is to go after the cZar.
bid you notice that our beloved Presi-
dent-the most exalted trust buster and
eformerissimo-ha this week passed
few hot ones to the car? That means
that he is merely getting his breath,
sparring for position in the big home
fight. He knows it wont hurt the car,
who is always for peace anyway, and it
will give the President a chance to get
his wind in the Panama matter.
The President is successful reform
Ell. He has done many useful things in
fine way. He has had the big nation
al stage and been under the lime-light
for 10 years. He has worn the cham
pionship belt for four years and has
been in the heavyweight class for a
long time. More than that, he gets his
gate money regularly, whether he wins
or loses.
But sometimes when the telephone in
the Gazette office is having a fit, and
the man with a tirm-set mouth and
naughty air is in the business Office
stopping his paper, there comes funny
thought to the editorial mind; What do
you suppose Roosevelt would do if he
was running the Oyster Bay Tribune?
Would he go right after the gamblers
and saloonkeepers and violators of the
law who lived in his town? Would he
print the item that showed how the
local banker was gouging in his interest
account?
Would he dare to go to the court
house and get the personal property
tax list and run tor would he consid-
er the larger good and take his type
writer in hand and blaze away at the
practice of polygamy in Utah, the in
EQUITY of the fruit trust in California,
or the violation of the game laws in
Maine?
1t is one thing to be President with
$4,000 year raining on the tin roof
whether you work or not and quite an
other thing to be the editor of paper
in board sidewalk town, dependent
upon retaining the good graces of the
people for your board and keep. There
4.