Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1907-06-20

puDuC questions from the sole stand
point of doing the greatest good to
the greatest number. | believe that
such policy is not only the right pol
icy, but believe 1t is the winning
way.
The editor must be fair. He must
public. He should stand fairly in IA
vor of right principles. sobriety, hon.
esty, integrity, honest and econom.
ical public service and "hurrah" for
his town always and all the time.
He should print good newspaper,
a newsy newspaper, an enterprising
newspaper, an up-to-date American
newspaper. He should see that the
local news field is carefully handled,
thoroughly covered and the paper edit.
ed with view to making the news
reliable as well as readable.
But it is useless to offer suggestions
along these lines You all know these
things as well as, many Of you bet
ter, than l do
AS to the town much depends on
that. Some cities are very proud Of
very poor papers. Some cities are
constantly kicking at very good pa
pers. No hard and fast lines can be
laid down as to what the town should
do for the editor. But l think 1t Is
safe to say that IL he will give his
town his best efforts, even though they
may not always be brilliant, just an
honest effort to serve the people, his
town will be good to him.
The editor must take the people as
| he finds them. He must take his
town as he finds it. 1t is not the ed
itor's duty to carry all the burdens Of
the town on his own shoulders, but
he will have to carry ten times as
many Of them as any other man.
The editor should not imagine that
he is the dictator He should not
swell up and become infected with
the notion that he is the big boss or
the one overgrown boy, who is to do
all the talking. That won't go down
with lot Of people.
The town is full of people who know
what they want done just as well as
the editor knows what he wants done.
They can give him bushels of points
every day in the week. They can tell
him where to back in.
They can tell him when to slow up.
Then can tell him when to put on
steam and when to throw on the
brakes. That is a right that belongs
to every free American. 1t is his
privilege to show the editor where he
thinks he is wrong in patches, bush.
els and bundles.
In fact, some of the people some
times get so excited over their fail
ure to reform the editor that they
are liable to quit taking his paper fol
few weeks at least.
If the paper Is really worth while
they soon come back. After that they
do not try to reform the editor al
the time-they begin to stop and eat
once in awhile, at least-and they
usually stay longer after an expert
ence Of that kind.
For myself, ! believe in opening uI
the columns of my paper freely tt
the people who disagree with my ed
itorial policy. The public is given
to understand that while / am com
PEELED to pay for the privilege Of say
ing what l please, as well as pay
for the other fellows privilege Of ap
pearing in print, the public can use
the columns of the Telegram without
money and without price to agree OF
disagree with my editorial policy OF
utterances just as much as they like
so long as they present their remarks
in a respectful manner.
The real editor it seems to me
should not be afraid to open up his
columns to the kicker, the knocker, OIL
the objector. Give these people
space, and If they are wrong they
will hang themselves. If they are
right, the editor certainly has nc
reason for keeping their utterances
from the public. After all every grea
reform that has ever blessed man
kind has been started by what in thi.
day and age would be called +;
"knocker."
If the editor is the man he ought t,
be, he lights the torch Of progress
and goes marching up and down thu
streets. He asks the popuhce t
unitedly and earnestly get togethe
and give the old town a boost.
Sometimes in some towns the pee
,, pie quickly respond. They follow TIL
=. leader and they do things for the oil
town that make the knockers and tn
kickers' club waken up and take nc
tice.
Sometimes in some towns no amour
of coaXing, no amount of argument
y no matter how well the story is pre-
I sented, will bring results. In sue
5 place ! can see only one hope 70
: the real editor, and that is to sell on
and get into some town where int
d ligence, hard work and enterprise wi
/ be appreciated.
d The editor must believe in the towI
: if he wants the town to believe /
1t, II 30 l.