The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-05-07
TAINTED MINIS BUREAUS.

with its usual thoroughness Collier
Weekl@ has been engaged in conduct
ing an expose" Of the various public
its bureaus conducted for the n
~facture Of public opinion against pend
ing reforms affecting railroad and
other corporate interests Il has shown
conclusively and b. documentary EVIL
dence which cannot b. questioned that
during the pendency of the railroad
rate bill. the railroads not only main
tanned expensive bureaus for the
dissemination of material. but
! also complete card indexes OF
newspapers and editors. On which
were noted facts a. to the policy
# the papers, their influence
the personal Weaknesses Of the
editors. etc When one Of the inspired
articles found its way into print, i
Was promptls turned ii" u the en-
work Was being done. Now. while the
activity on the railroad question has
naturally lessened in volume. there are
i number 81 these agencies engaged
both in Canada and the United states
is spreading misleading information
concerning municipal ownership.
The facts brought out By the Collier
articles furnish interesting details Of a
well known state Of affairs. News i
sent BY special correspondents" from
Washington. very often well written
and suited to the particular territory
for which 1t is designed by the inclu-
sion Of information or gossip about
local representatives in Congress. Such
articles are offered free Of all charge
and the sting is We'll coated. AS q
result many papers publish the articles
in fun, through negligence, not suspect
ing for a IN that they are being
at a nominal rate. Again the news
IS telegraphed and not i~nfrequently
commercial bodies are organized for
the express purposc Of creating opin-
ion, their resolutions being spread
far ana near and ~graVely pat forth as
significant indications Of public opin-
ion. IL the campaign against "muni-
cipal ownership" it is very common
for the results Of the principle in the
- M - ~ ~ 5oi TX III lltIiI III d
conclusive proof Of failure. when in
fact the reverse is the case. In the
case Of GLASGOW, which is an example
Of the benefits TO be derived through
municipal ownership OF public utilities,
the tainted news vendors do not hes
itate to declare that the evils Of con-
gested population, typical Of every
great city, including New York, are the
direct result Of the ownership of the
car lines by the municipality!
In a previous issue, Golfers devoted
much space to the operations Of one
Mr.. William Wolf Smith. Washing
ton Correspondent whose list of
newspapers included a number of re-
spectacle journals that are now hast
cning to deny having printed his stuff.
Among the latter the News and ObSer-
yer. which was included, desires place.
/ Not q line Of Smiths news has
found its way into the columns Of this
paper, whose Washington service is at
tended to by its oWn correspondent.
| Smiths frequent communications duly
| came to the editors desk along with
a volume Of other matter of the same
order Ut with the same regularity
went to the waste basket. We have
also had much experience with the
other artists of his description in the
way Of clearing the deck of their con-
tributiols. The general run Of the
stuff is uninteresting and in the ma
jority of cases its intendment is clear:
but, apar from these considerations,
the vident pains and expense that are
corOllary to its gift IS enough to arouse
a suspicion that somebody is desiring
to get for nothing what is not for sale
at the highest advertising rates-the
influence of this paper with its readerS
What is significant, however, is the
fact that in spite Of fair success in OBJ
tanning publication the campaign, not
ably in the case of railroad regulation.
failed utterly to influence opinion.
Rather it had the opposite effect,
showing that, even When q newspaper
lends itself OF is imposed IN, its read
crS are not necessarily blinded. Nor
do we believe that many North Car
Dina publications have been hood
winked. It is true that in some in
stances, where there was no question
Of being duped but a desire to help.
we have watched with amusement the
appearance Of grave editorial matter
in one or two papers while the circular
letters Of same copy" continued 10
fill our mails, but these We're the ex-
ccptions and not the rule, and there
is certainly no evidence that the edito-
rial writer's referred to made any treat-
er impression by importing their hun
der than if they had Numbered with
less ability and more honesty from
their own sanctumS.
Will REBUILD.