The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-03-23

foreign countries showing beyond con-
tradiction that the foreigner was pre-
ferred over the American by the very
manufacturers whom we have taxed
ourselves for fifty years to sustain.
A New York daily spent last year
$4,000 on the reporting of one divorce
case, that is, that was simply the sal
airy and expenses of the reporter and
photographer assigned to that single
case, 1t made a sensation for several
weeks, and many papers were sold,
but if the manager had spent that
much money getting the facts about
the coal trust it would have made a
greater sensation and even more pa
pers would have been sold.
The daily press is wholly owned and
managed by one set of interests. In
supporting democrats and republicans,
it supports in all cases the same
thing. There is no opposition press.
1t is all on one side of the question.
Lately there has been a small effort
in opposition, but it has not come
from the daily press. II has come
from the monthly magazines and the
enormous circulation that some of
them have attained shows what
field there would be for a genuine OPP
position press.
What a fight such paper could put
up! 1t could send it's Washington cor
and get the contracts
made with the railroads and favored
steamships fer carrying the mails. The
publication of some of these contracts
would produce greater sensation
than any divorce case, however nasty
the testimony might be- 1t could get
the facts about the paper trust and
show up it's extortions. 1t could as
sign reporter to the packing houses
and give the exact selling price of
steers and follow the meat to the re-
tail market and show that it was sold
there regardless of the price of live
stock at the cattle yards. 1t could
follow carload of dressed beef over
the private industrial roads, out to the
various cities and tell just what was
the rake-off given to the directors of
the roads and the owners of the beef
shipped. It could send a reporter
down to Mortons salt mines, and print
the rebate given to the Morton broth
ers.
An opposition press would be doing
those sort of things all the time and
every day in the year. But there is no
opposition press The people are de-
MED all knowledge of. these things ex-
cept what they pick up here and there
Or arrive at by intuition. There is a
great and unlimited field for that kind
of journalism, but it takes piles of
money TO run great daily paper and
the banks won't let a man have the
money for any such purpose. If pa
per really got to publishing the facts
about the trusts and tariff grafters, it
might also say something about the
bank graft and that would never do.
Any man can easily imagine what
an uprOar there would be in New York
city if what are called the "opposi-
ton" or democratic papers there
would assign a reporter or two to
write up the banks, show just what
their deposits We're and the actual
of cash that they had on hand.
The reporters might drop into some of
he banks that supply money for bet
ing on the stock exchange and ask
'or the cashiers slip for several DAYS
n succession and then publish what
hey had found out. The newspaper
men of the United States are keen to
10 such work as that. They would Il