Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-07-30
MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
qnzaEE9ssEheszs,
THE NEWSPAPERS INFLUENCE.

THE NEWSPAPERS INFLUENCE.
The Dunseith Herald sees in the
evolution of politics that is now
taking place, great opportunities for
the fearless, independent, conserva-
tive newspaper. 1t says:
There are people who say that
the influence of the newspaper is
waning, and that it is not now as it
was in the olden days, when there
were giants who welded editorial
pens that swayed the people as the
consummate orator sways his audi
ence.
Yet in the time to come, the
influence of the newspaper must be-
come greater than it ever was be-
fore, and that means that the re-
sponsibi1ities Of the newspaper edi-
tor will increase. in proportion.
With the growth of real democ
racy the public Will have to depend
more and more upon the newspaper
as medium Of Intelligence and in
formation. The substitution of di-
rect nomination systems for the old
Manipulated convention system OF
Nomination, throws a great burden of
responsibility upon the newspapers,
which must keep the public supplied
wifi h. a aa5.rofo ond ,aJ;,hI. $685..
5iQn regarding the candidates. The
extension OF the principle of.sdirsct
legislation will bring even greater
responsibilities upon the newspaper.
Tn the past, conventions dominated
BY bosses picked all the candidates;
and legislaturen, dominated by the
bosses and often by selfish interests,
enacted all the legislation, When
the people nominate all the candi-
dates, as well as.select Them rand
when the people, through the initia-
tive and referendum, enact much Of
the legislation, as. they do now In
Oregon and Oklahoma, the duties Of
the newspapers will be largely In
creased, and it is needfuI. that news
papers shall cultivate, in prepare
ton for these changes, a greater
sense Of their responsibility to the
people. J.
rs The chief reason why it has SEEM
ed that newspapers have lost. riauch
Of their influence has been that in
many communities certain newspa-
gers have become known as ssors
gans .s,e-,.Pe Perhaps, they were organs
az some specially privileged corpor-
ataon,' perhaps they were merely
partisan organs which means that
they reflected the views Of the bos-
ses that controlled the party; but
IN IN, either event their .utterances
We're discounted by the people and
their most frenzied appeals were dis
regarded or laughed at. e
The people have been quick to
detect the motives back OF the ut
teTances OF such newspapers, and
when one of them is exposed It's in
huences is nulifed. Further, and
still more important, such newspa-
pers do not pay. They can be main
tanned only by expensive subsidies,
for the people will not support them.
While many interests have persisted
for a long time IN supporting news
pepers to reflect their views. soon
or or later It has been discovered
that the expense Ii wasted, for the
people refuse to be mislead by such
transparent devices. -zs..5
THE Independent newspaper,
which Ii purely newspaper, and
iii no sense an organ still wields
an influence, the extent Of which ID
determined by It's fairness. In Its
news columns it tells the news,
without bias or MISREPRESENTATION
In its editorial columns It gives 1t.
Views, which are aimed to serve thu
best interests OF the many; It's OBJ
ject Is the greatest good to TIL
greatest number e
II Is such newspapers az these
not in the organ OF special interest
or Of party machines, that the PEG
& pie will trust In the day Of the nel
democracy when the people will rul
instead Of the interests and th
party bosses. =
The international Exposition, q
the off-year fair at Grand Forks !