Arizona republican., 1907-10-24
PHOENIX ARIZ. OCT. 24, 1907.
"wAGs" AND THE HEADLINE.

"Wags" the undiscerning Evening Outcast which has adopted the national administration finds something wrong with a telegraph headline in The Re publican yesterday morning, to wit. Though Banks Totter, the President Unmoved," a caption for the dispatch relating to the presidents speech at Nashville the day before. ''Wags' " vision obscured by its intense zeal for the adopted administration sees in this headline something derogatory to its administration. Now If "Wags" were more of a newspaper and less of a lickspittle it would have seen nothing of the sort A headline should always set forth as clearly as may be with such limitations as are imposed upon it, the salient or more striking features of the subjoined matter. That is precisely what the headline so ob jectionable to "Wags" accomplished.
 That speech of the president was awaited with some inter- est or curiosity, much more than his speeches as he went down the Mississippi. Since the president went into the canebrake two weeks before country. Banks have tottered and some of them have fallen. In some quarters the condition of affairs which had come about had been attributed to the presidents attitude toward the corporations.
 There was a natural interest or curiosity as We have said to learn whether the president recognized the situation in New York and to hear what if anything he was going to do about it. This curiosity was appeased. The president recognized the existence of a state of commercial depression" as has been evidenced by tottering banks as described in The Republicans s head line. The president did not believe that my policies" were the cause Of the depression but he added If they nave DteH II VIII Hol dllti III the slightest my determination, that for the remaining sixteen months of my term these policies shall be per severed in unswervingly."
 These were the two essential points of his address his recognition of a state of commercial depression" and his own statement that he was 'un- moved" by it to the extent that he would alter his policy in the slight est to allay the trouble.
 There was nothing else important in his speech and in the circumstances there could be nothing important. No body cared to hear reiteration of his views on "civic righteousness" of which the country has had a surfeit, not of civic righteousness but of talk about it. So in a headline of six words, the worried business man was given the gist of the Nashville speech.
 But "Wags" declares that the pres ident is not unmoved since his secre- tary went to New York as he has done before recently, and arranged to pour in millions there for the support of the tottering banks. That "Wags" believes is d certain sign of the presidents | sOlicitude for the financial well being of the country. We will submit. that in the circumstances there was noth- ! ing else to be done, and We will further i submit that that is not the best way to prevent banks from tottering. That { kind of a remedy can not be applied i long at time for the depression would | exhaust the last dollar in the public ! crease in heaviness.
 We do not know to what extent the | persistence of the president in his pol | icies has affected the finances of the | country Or whether those policies have | been of any effect on them. The world | of finance believes however that they | have had a disastrous effect. moral | perhaps. rather than material. If the financial world believes that, it is the | same so far as loss of confidence is ! concerned as if it were so.
 In this view of the case it would | seem well for the president to attempt II a restoration Of confidence by modify Il ing my policies somewhat since they T have accomplished nothing for civic 4 righteousness worth speaking of. That | would be better than to pour the | United States treasury into Wall street. and at the same time leaving the | cause of the depression in active and malignant operation.
 But reverting to "Wags" and the Il headline We observe that "Wags" so late as last night in glaring, staring