The Greeley tribune., 1906-08-09

paper Whlch accepts pay from us
own political party for services rend.
cred during campaign time in the
way of an unusually large amount Of
editorial space, or many extra copies
of the paper for free distribution, OF
for printing circulars or other
printed matter, is not in any sense
bought.
Newspaper publishing is primarily
a business enterprise and while ir
a manner different from most other
lines of business, it has many
things in common. For instance,
no politician would expect a livery
man to furnish teams to carry the
voters to the polls without pay just
because said liveryman happened to
be of the same political faith, nor
would he expect hotel to feed dele
gates to the county conventions free
Of charge for che same reason. The
candidate or county chairman who
would ask such thing would be
laughed at. The stump speaker who
goes from town to town in the inter-
est OF his party, gets paid for his
services every time in cold cash. If
he happened to be a candidate him
self, or expects to be. or wants an
appointment Of some sort from his
party if it proves successful, he may
and does forego the money considera-
tion, but he fully expects to get
value received some time and in
some way. He may believe all he
says and be willing to do certain
amount. ..of work free for the good Of
the cause, but he can't spend time
and money to any great extent with
out hope Of reward, nor is it expected
of him.
So it is with the newspapers.
When it comes campaign time and
they are asked to give up column
after column of space, hire men to
write arguments in favor of their
party, and print thousands of extra
copies and pay postage on them, they
expect pay for their work, and they
get 1t. They are chumps II they
don't. Even my good friend, Roy
Rag, of the Poudre Valley, who is a
tip top democrat, and whose integ-
rity nobody would ever question, but
who occasionally breaks loose and de-
clares that every newspaper In the
county is bought but the Poudre
ValleJ-even Brother Ray didn't
hesitate to take $500 from the demo-
cratic county central committee two
years ago, for editorial space and
extra copies of his paper, and have
not the least doubt but that he is
open. to the same deal this year. All
party newspapers expect to get pay
some way. Some of them are owned,
openly or secretly, by politicians who
want office, and do much political
work that is not paid for directly,
in older to push their owner upward
politically. Others take all or part
of their pay In promises of various
favors If the party Is successful at
election time. An example of this
sort of pay was the late Weld county
printing scandal, whereby a fat
printing contract was let by two of
the county commissioners, Messrs.
Devinney and Wattenburg, to the
Geeley Sun in payment of political
debts Of the last campaign.
} Political promises. being more
plentiful than cash, are when given
in lieu thereof. more liberal than
cash payments. The candidate who
pays in cash never forgets the fact
and seldom allows the newspapers
man to do. so. The one who pays in
promises often forgets it the day
after election. The newspaper that
takes pay in cash for work actually
done and services actually rendered
its party, without expectation Of
favors Of any sort from the successful
candidates, is better off in the long
run and can maintain larger degree
Of self respect.
But while partisan newspaper
may and does receive pay from its
own party candidates for services
rendered, it is under obligations in
that case to work for the success of
every candidate on that ticket,
whether they are personally pleasing
to the paper or not. Further, the
minute paper takes anything like
an independent stand in politics,
either as a strictly Independent
newspaper, or as party paper with
Independent leanings, like the Gree
ley Tribune is doing this year, then
and In that case it ceases to be
proper or square for it to solicit or
receive any remuneration for the use