Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-07-01

L
of the annual convention Of the Ma
tional Editorial association at Guthrie,
| o. T., was the inimitable address
of William Allen White of the Emporia
| (Kas.) Gazette. The audience listened
| intently to the characteristic paper. 1t
follows:
This is day Of reform. Everybody
is engaged in reforming some one else.
| The preachers are reforming the news
paper, 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 Stan
dard Oil and Standard Oil is reforming
the preachers-so the happy circle is
completed and when tho bull dog of re-
form finally does catch his tail and
swallow it and turn himself inside out
we shall have fine country Gener-
ally speaking most reformers are
carrying their reform as a side line.
They make travelling expenses on 1t.
1t doesn't cost the preachers anything
to reform newspapers. In fact the
preachers get a good deal of top of
column, next to reading matter space
out of it that they would hardly get
If they devoted themselves to the per-
severance of the saints and higher
criticism. 1t doesn't cost the politi-
clans anything to reform the railroads
not that any one knows of. The pol
iticiana keep right on riding on trans
portation from the law department of
the railroads, while whooping 1t up for
railroad reform, and 1t doesn't cost the
railroad presidents anything to be for
tariff reform, and what's more 1t does
not seem to hurt the tariff. If the rail
road magnates were is serious about
tariff reform as they are to see the
trusts get their rebates, there would
be home tariff reform. And the bene-
ficiaries of the tariff aren't losing
much by reforming the Standard OIL
Any one can reform the Standard Oil.
1t is the punching bag in the national
reformatory that we all try our muscle
on. Standard Oil and it's associates
form a whole carnival Of pleasure -
one round Of JOY for the reformers. In
one booth are the Rockefellers and
Henry Rogers, and their friends, and
1t costs nothing to throw at these ba-
bies, and every time you hit baby in
the Standard Oil booth you get fine
cigar; two babies two cigars. and
three babies subscription to Every
bodys magazine.
| Costs to Reform.
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 a newspa
Ter to go into the reform business. If
you tackle the beef trust, brother edit
tors, you will hear from 1t when you
make a contract for Vigoral. and the
beef extracts. If you tackle the rail-
roads 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 politi-
clans they will start another paper
! which won't hurt you particularly, ex-
cept as 1t is a disgrace to the honor
able profession in which you are
shining. If you whack away at Stand
ard Oil there is danger of losing your
Mica Axle Grease and parafine candles
advertising, and If you are for Sun
day closing you lose your tobacco and
cigar and malt MURINE advertising.
Yet you must reform something. The
people demand reform, and If they
don't get it they will stop the paper.
After 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 car only gets our
valuable papers through clipping
bureau and If he should decide to
blister the varnish off several clipping
bureaus, no one would care much. The
thing for oil true reformers to do,
therefore, is to go after the car. Did
you notice that our beloved President
the most exalted trust buster, and
| cd
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 1t won't 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.
President is an Editor.
The President is successful re-
| former. He has done many useful
things, in a fine way. He has had the
big national stage and has been under
the limelight for fifteen years. He has
worn the champion belt for four
years and has been in the heavy
weight class for a long time More
than that, he gets his gate money reg
ularly whether he wins or loses. But
sometimes when the telephone in the
Gazette office is having a fit, and the
man with firm-set mouth, and a
naughty air. is in the business office
stopping the paper, there comes a
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 saloon keepers 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 consider the
larger good and take his typewriter ir
hand and blaze away at the practice
of polygamy in Utah. the iniquity OF
the fruit trust In California, of tht
violations Of the game laws in Maine
1t is one thing to be President. with
fifty thousand dollars year, raining
On the tin roof whether you work 0,
|, not. and quite another thing to be the