The independent., 1907-01-31

by-way, 1t will soon be discovered.
Deceptive journalism cannot long de-
ceive today. Should newspaper once
establish the unsavory reputation OF
indiscrimnate and commercial adver-
tising of candidates or of INSCRIPTIONS
and unreasonable attacks upon the
party in power. the best way to send
good man to an unearned political
grave would be by getting that paper
to favor his nomination"
He adds: "The argument against
the press can therefore not be serious
ly considered" He illustrates the i'm
possibility of the retention Of influence
by venal newspaper by his own state,
Wisconsin, Of which he says: Even
better illustration Of the inability of
INSCRIPTIONS politicians to gain heir
ends by corruption of the press is af-
forded in Wisconsin where, during tho
last year, an organization patterned
strikingly after the New York Tam
many, has. by a variety of wrongful
methods obtained control of both edi-
torial and news columns Of a very
large number OF daily and weekly
newspapers in all parts Of the state,
to prosecute their fight against the
enactment Of a direct primary cleo
tion law and the institution of a more
just system Of taxation. NotWith-
standing the comprehensive manner In
which the work was done, with thor
ough organization to support it, both
money and labor appear to have been
wasted y = = Within brief period after
newspapers commenced taking their
inspiration from the organization which
had subsidized them, they began to be
discredited by their readers, even be-
fore the opposition had made COM
pete exposure Of the means by which
such newspapers were controlled"
The direct primary does away with
the political influence most likely to
corrupt the press-and by observation
it will be seen that 1t Is these inf1u-
ences that express the greatest terror
of the alleged power of the press under
the direct primary-but as Mr.. Meyer
points out, very soon after the press
becomes corrupt 1t becomes without
influence. He says: Even though
they are in business for what there is
in it, they can realize their aim only
by following rational and an honest
course. While they make mistakes, and
at times fail in proper business meth
DDS, IL the desired goal Is to be reached
they must in the long run hold to the
road Of propriety, honesty and justness
However great the inducements of tho
| moment may be, their existence is not
to be terminated by the day, the week
or the year. Their reputation grows
slowly. Their hold over the public
mind tightens with yours only No
prominent paper under sane manage
ment would for a moment entertain
the idea of compromising future and
hard earned reputation in return for
an immediate paltry sum of money"
The later experience with the pri.
mary in Wisconsin justified his further
assertion that the press as a whole.
will continue to perform the high SER
vice Of an unprejudiced, disinterested
dissemination of information in behalf
of trusting public, and that deyia-
tions from such rules will be resented
by the readers Of the papers in the
most effective manner" If a news
paper were to attempt to set itself ur
as boss, it would be in the inme-
date power of the public to foil it's
first attempt by withdrawing their sub
scriptions. They have no such power
over the boss Of the back room whom
their representatives in the legislature
have promised to put in their power
TO eliminate by means of the direct pri-
mary.
The state wide direct primary, as It
bears upon the members of the Ne
oraska legislature now, is a question of
good faith. not of argument. 1t can do
no harm, however. for everybody to
understand the nature of this latest
DOGGY man set up by the endangered
bosses Of the back room and the inter-
estS they represent