The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-01-22


 States. The people are entitled to all the news, and men in public life who are doing right will never be afraid nor ashamed of newspaper criticism.
 The press throws the searehlight of the truth on everything, everywhere; and any movement to check it's liberty 1 is a movement in the dark and should be condemned.
 Washington believed in "a faithful representation of public proceedings diffsudew ithout restraint through the United States"
 Jefferson said "the most effective ave- nue of truth is the freedom of the press" And that genius of the Revo- lution, Alexander Hamilton, declared that the road to tyranny will be opened by stifling the press.
 Gentlemen, the state of Connecticut owes debt of gratitude to this Editor- ial association-a fearless body of men whose labors are always on the side of good government and always devoted to the best welfare of our state Ernest Howard, an editor of the Springfield Republican, was next intro duced to respond to the toast "Sensa- tionalism in Journalism" He said: I wish to speak tonight of q type of sensationalism of which we hear little. I refer to the sensationalism in our modern magazines. Our magazines are developing type of sensationalism that is unequalled anywhere in the world. There are only few now that may be placed in the class with the Contemporary Review and the Nation al Review, Sensationalism seems to be the whole view of these magazines.
 am told that the editors of some of these papers spend hundreds of dollars in getting articles for the magazine, but that when these manuscripts are handed in they are unceremoniously thrown into the waste basket, because they will not create Q sensation and cause the people to gasp at their con tents.
 This brings up a serious question not only as to the effects on the nerves of the people, but also as to the effects on their moral welfare.
 Let us turn our attention to the coun- try papers of the state-those that keep the even tenor of their way. They sift the news from week to week and take a more rational view of the importance of the various items. I say all credit to the country editors who are keeping the press within the bonds of reason | able and tolerahle existence
 Professor Henry w, Farnam was next introduced to reply to the toast My Friend the Newspaper" He said, in part: The newspaper is the dynamo which converts theories into public opinion. Public opinion is a difficult thing to create It takes long time for a new idea to be adopted. livery new device raises some abuse The automobile is to-day the plaything of the rich; tomorrow 1t will be economic necessity. It is the same With the cor poration, Legislation is always behind the needs of the times. The task of the journal is to peepere public opinion for the legislation that is to come.
 Tn facing this task the journal has two dangers. The first of these is sen satlonalism, and the ether is far more subtle, the danger of silence, This later is the source of a growing abuse. It is easy to see that proprietor of a paper will suppress q disagreeable item rather than lose a Dig advertise
 ment. It is part of the duty of the press to make some legislation un- necessary by exposing the abuses from which they arise. Be on the alert to expose them in partisan way. Alexander Troup, editor of the In ion was introduced as the next speak er His subject was "The Editorial Chair. Past and Present" He gave a history of the development of the mod. ern paper from the early papers of the country. He said in part: The Am erican journalism of to-day is to be epitomized in the New York morning papers. I do not mean to cast any reflection on the evening papers, bu they do not reflect the advance of oul journalism This will be known in newspaper history as the age of yellow journal ism. This type of journalism is popu lar because it is militant. It has som good points and some bad ones. Tn, good ones will remain with us but tn bad ones will be. rooted out. He ex
 pressed the hope that the papers would [ regain their former reputation for re liableness, and that the name of tn editor would not become mere cour ] tesy title as the tendency now seem to be. He advised the young mel starting on a journalistic career to frs
 gain accuracy and clearness of ex e pressior.
 @ At the close of the banquet Presi . dent A. s. Barnes presented Coone . osborn with a wooden gavel as a toke = of the esteem in which he was held b
 the Connecticut Editors association a Colonel Osborn accepted the gift wit I appropriate remarks.
 The business meeting of the assoca . tion was held in the afternoon. Tn S report of George c. Woodruff, who i Y a member of the subcommittee of tn National Eiitors committee, which ap peared before the congressional com
 mittees about the matters in whic f the editors of the country are inter
 ested. These are the proposed amend
 ment to the interstate commerce la'
 by which the railroads will be allow
 ed to give passes to newspaper men i
 return for advertisements, and the pro |