The Republican journal., 1906-05-17
The Country Editor.
AS Portrayed by One of Them.

Address delivered at the meeting of the
Kansas Editorial Association held IN june
ton City, Kan, April IL, II, by Governor E.
w. Hocb of Kansas.
Great is the power of the daily press,
, still greater, believe, is the power of
! the country press. 1t is the old home
paper. From infancy the children read
it. If it is faithful chronicler of local
events, as it generally is; ii its editor is
conscientious and truthful, as he usual
ly is, the local newspaper has power
and an influence of which its maker IS
| unconscious and its habitual reader
himself scarcely aware. OF the 10000
| newspapers in the United States only
one in ten is a daily. Nine-tenths OF
them are weeklies. 1t must be, as Abra-
ham Lincoln said about the poor in ref
erence to their relation to the rich-lt
must be that God thinks more of coun-
try editors than lie does of daily editors
| because he makes so many more OF
| them. The theories about how to run
country newspaper vary widely. One
| is that it should run exclusively to
| news-that is, should contain little l.
| any editorial comment; that the editor
! should continually crowd himself out
of it's columns to make room Tor local
| happenings. Others contend that the
PAPER should have individuality, that
! the editor should have opinions and
convictions and that his paper should
reflect largely his own personality. Like
the schoolmaster in reference to the
question whether the world was round
or flat | take both sides. My observa-
/ ton is this-that the country news
paper that has influence, that has
power, that in the end makes the money,
and that stays, is the paper which gives
the news in an attractive form, but
which at the same time pumps the per-
sonality of it's editor into the pages
every issue. He must have the right
kind of personality, however.
love country editors. l love to visit
them in their shops, to get a Whit OF
the odor of printers ink, to listen to
the music of the type, the click Of the
type in the old fashioned country print
ing office, to renew over and over again
the acquaintance of that stiff and for
NAL old pioneer, the office towel, and to
meet face to f ce the people who are
making the country newspapers. AND
when j can't do that in person l like to
visit them around the exchange table.
Talk about your social calls, your ban
uuets and other social functions. They
pale into insignificance compared with
a visit one may have with the country
editors around the average country ex-
change table.
What a delight it is to sit down in all
easy chair with great mass OF ex-
changes piled in orderly confusion be-
fore you, to tear off the wrappers one
by one. to look at the familiar old
pages. to read the editorials, to get in
touch with the people who make these
pages hundreds of miles away, to lay
the favorite ones aside tor TURNER
reading, because there is certainly So
cial caste at the exchange table as
there is in polite society, and an editor
has his favorites among his exchanges,
to scan them one by one, to get little
Jealous about some superior print and
envy some sublime thought, to let your
MUD wander to distant printing office
whence comes that paper, to see in i'm
agination the editor, whom you know,
in his own printing shop-in word to
get i'm touch with those editor people
by those ties which knit souls together
that is social pleasure without any
foolishneSs or frillS. Let the deyoteeS
of fashion worship at the shrine OF their
deity. let the Chesterfelds of society
don their uncomfortable clothes and
nav tribute to their deity in what they
call society, but give me the Joy of de-
lightful communion with the brightes
and best people on earth around my
exchange table, the country editors.
There is no better index to town
than it's newspaper. If it is well print
ed, attractive in its makeup, reliable IN
its news columns, strong in editorial
comment, but, above all, liberal in ad-
vertising patronage, depend upon it,
niue cases out of ten, that town is an
enterprising, up to date town. but if if
the paper looks shabby depend upon it
the town is shabby, for newspaper is
everywhere and always towns best
mirror. -.
Brethren of the country press, exalt
your station. You are real kings and
queens. Your throne may be rickety
chair and your scepter the stub of a
lead pencil, but you rule the world Just
Local politicians iSsa s@a may yh affect sC
pearance Of your paper each week with
| fear and trembling. Evil doors may try
to belittle your influence. but they dread