The Greeley tribune., 1906-08-09
Little Lessons in Politics
BY Independent Voter.
BY Independent Voter.

of the purchasers and the public gen.
orally. There are newspaper har-
lots as we'll as the other kind, but
there is no mole cause to suspicion
every newspaper than there is to
look with distrust on all womankind
because one here and there goes
astray.
| don't believe country newspapers
are bought nearly as often as many
people think. By bought" as al
ready explained, l don't mean re-
ceiving pay for services rendered
their political party, If a partisan
newspaper, but the taking Of money,
or of any valuable consideration from
corporations or others for the influ-
ence of their paper, either by silence
or by editorial utterance on any par
ticular subject. Publishers, like
other people, have prejudices and
frequently make mistakes, and 1t is
an eusy explanation OF the attitude
of any newspaper whose stand you
don't like, to suggest bought.
Might not the newspaper man with
as much propriety suggest that you,
dear reader, were in the pay of some
trust because you failed to agree with
him? Votes are often seld as low
as one dollar each, and might not
your Influence be bought as cheap as
your vote?
During the Bell-Independent tele-
phone controversy a year ago the
papers in this county all had their
say at some length; some faSoring
one company, some the other, and it
was common talk that the news
papers were bought. AS matter
of fact, only know one paper in the
county that sold its influence. 1t
sold out first to the Bell; then the
Independent fellows raised The bid
and it Topped before the fight
opened. So far as the Tribune is
concerned, in the last five years not
one word has been printed in its edi-
torial columns for or against any
corporation whatsoever for which it
received or expected to receive, d.
rectly or Indirectly, before or after
ward, one cent Of pay orAny favor.
Farther back than that the writer
cannot speak from personal know
ledge, but he is informed by former
attaches of the Tribune that this has
been its honorable record from the
date Of its first issue thiry-six years
ago.
One of the hardest problems
that confront newspaper is the
matter of communications from
people with grievapces-when to
print and when not to. print. 1t is
a problem that is never really salts
factorily decided by the newspaper
that wants to be fair, both to the
writer and to the party attacked.
The rule in this office is to look the
matter over carefully, and use our
Judgment. If the writer insists on
the publication and 1t Is not libel
Gus. take it at advertising rates.
That usually settles it, though once
In while, like certain pair of
auto builders, both parties to the
controversy are willing to pay to get
into print. These two fellows would
have been. .scrapping yet If it had not
cost anything. A couple Of years
ago subscriber brought in a letter
about three columns long proving by
his reasoning that the sugar com.
panies could pay ten dollars ton
for beets and make money, conse-
gently they were robbers because
they didn't. saw no merit in his
communication and refused to donate
space for 1t. Since then it has
been freely St; ted In some quarters
that the Tribune is bought by the
sugar trust. A couple Of weeks ago
l got warm letter from a woman
who claimed that the mayor Of Gree
lev had buncoed her out of three dol.
lars and divided the swag with the
city hall crowd. l didn't publish
1t, but as yet haven't been charged
with being bought off.
One OF the funniest things that
ever happened in the Tribune Office
occurred couple of years ago, when
a man who had a grievance against
the county commissioners called and
told his story to the editor, then
laid down new tifty.cent piece with
the remark. Now, l want you to
write those fellows up good; give
'em hill, and am willing to pay
for it. He was very much disap.
pointed because we couldn't see it
his way. After all, the editor must
use his judgment and take the con.
| aenuancas