The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-04
THE WRONG POSITION.

In another place in The Advertiser today we reprint an editorial from The Birmingham Ledger of recent date. The
 Ledger is usually a revel-headed and conservative newspaper but in this in-
 stance 1t Is clearly of the track. TO treat a political campaign as merely business proposition is entirely misapprehension of the province and duty of a newspaper,
 If a public journal sets out with no higher purpose in view than to be mere organ of it's party, to do nothing except what it is ordered to do, to print nothing until it has been cen sored, and to say nothing unless leave is given, then The Ledser's position
 might be we'll taken. but such is not our idea of a good newspaper. We hold
 that 1t has something higher and bet ter to labor for than a mere matter of receipts at the business office. and we do not admit that its duty as a public journal is to print only what 1t might think ..'ould pay best.
 If the contest for Governor were be- tween two Democrats. each qualified to fill the position. and each contend ing for the theories and principles which would be best for the State and the people. we might consider it unfair to advocate one and oppose the other but such is not the case in this cam paign. and The Ledger should see it. It is not merely that man who is holding an important and good sala- ried position Is using that as step ping-stone to boost him into a high place with a larger salary-drawing one salary. in short, to help him win another. That is not at all in accord without our conception of right and propriety. but that is not the reason why The Advertiser is supporting Cum ningham and opposing Conner.
 Mir. Conner himself has given ample reasons why he should be opposed by newspapers having the good of the State and the people at heart, and who have a proper respect for the character and good name of Alabama He has gone over the State maligning better
 Democrats than himself because he hoped to make capital by it; he has on numerous occasions either ignorantly or wilfully given utterance to charges and statements which reflected upon Democratic administrations, and has not hesitated to denounce those wht disagree with him and who are posted as to his record. In addition to all this, he Is going about the State mak- ing promises which everybody knows he cannot carry out and which the peo- pie should know he has no power to
 make good.
 Knowing MT. Conner and his record as we do, and knowing just what sort of misleading campaign he is engaged in, The Advertiser feels that he is not a proper man for Governor of Alabama, and feels that it is not only right but a duty to oppose him and to try to prevent what we consider would be
 a misfortune to Alabama. If The Ledger looks at it differently; if 1t thinks it is not good business to op- pose MT. Corners claims, that is a
 matter for 1t to decide. but this paper
 is not looking at the present campaign
 from personaIsbusiness point of view.
 In one way we do consider 1t good
 business to try to defeat MT. Conner,
 and that is because we look on 1t as a
 good business proposition for any prominent newspaper to oppose any
 man or any proposition that might be injurious to the whole State. That is
 the only business point of view that
 we can or will take in this campaign.