Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-07-07

IlOn OF MS pOSltlOn, ana yet II seems
to be impossible to prevent misrepre-
sentation. A newspaper man calls
upon you, often as you are getting on
the train or getting off, and asks q
question. If you refuse to answer the
question your refusal will be miscon-
strued and yet when you answer it
you take your chance upon misQuo-
tation, and If you are misquoted the
unfriendly papers are sure to seize
upon the misQuotation and build edi-
torials upon 1t, gladly assuming that
you are correctly quoted. The fol-
lowing is case in point Mr.. Bryan
went to Baltimore in response to an
I invitation of local committee to de-
liver his lecture, THE Prince of
Peace" during the session of the
Methodist conference-th entire pro-
ceeds going to the local committee
which had in charge the defraying Of
the expenses of the conference. He
announced to reporters that as he was
not there upon a political mission he
would not discuss politics. One of the
reporters asked him: 'Will your ad-
vocacy Of government and state owner
ship of railroads be prominent in the
campaign" Mr.. Bryan replied: THAT
i Is not present issue and do not In
tend that it shall be made an issue.
The people who are pressing it are
I, trying to sidetrack the real issue,
which is the effective regulation OF
/, railroads" The reporter, instead Of
j reporting what Mr. Bryan stated, pub
ltshed the following: This is not
pressing issue, and do not intend.
that it shall be leading issue, be-
cause the people who will press 1t are
trying to sidetrack the real issue,
which is the regulation of railroad
rates" and he described Mr.. Bryan as
saying it with emphasis and deter
mination." A comparison of the two
statements will disclose the fact that
the word pressing" was substituted
for the word present" This may
have been a typographical error or
the reporter may have written the
word carelessly. 1t will be noticed
also that the word leading" was in
serted before the word ISSUE" The
two words pressing" and leading"
change the entire meaning of the sen.
tence. Mr.. Bryan stated that it would
not be present issue; that is, not an
issue to be considered at this time.
and that he did not intend that 1t
should be made an issue by those who
were using it to escape from the real
issue. Then the word rates" was
added, and this limits the railroad
question to the subject Of rates, where
as the term used by Mr.. Bryan, "ef-
fective regulation of railroads" covers
other things besides rates. It will be
seen, therefore, that the reporter by
using three words that Mr.. Bryan did
not use gave the opposition press a
chance to misrepresent Mr.. Bryan
attitude. II Mr.. Bryan had actually
said that the railroad question was not
a pressing issue, it would have been
equivalent to saying that it was an
issue but not as important as some
other, but to say that 1t was not q
present issue was equivalent to saying
that it is not an issue at all at the pres
ent time. II Mr.. Bryan had said that
it would not be leading issue II
would have meant that 1t would have
been minor issue, but he said that
, it would not be an issue at all, which
is an entirely different proposition.
There is no way to prevent these
} Misrepresentation this is only
an NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. a refusal to
answer questions. The newspapers
are doing great work and the rep.
, resentatives are, as a rule, conscien.
tious and anxious to report correctly,
but 1t is not always possible to have
an interview taken down in longhand
and the memory is not infallible. With
the very best of motives newspaper
, man may unintentienally add a word
or phrase, and the phrase omitted or
| added may change the entire sense OF
, the sentence or may give unfriendly
, critics chance to draw wrong con.
illusions from the interview.
Mr.. Bryan has stated time and time
again that the question OF government
, ownership Of railroads is not an issue
and will not be an issue in the cam
: paign. The question of regulation is
! an issue, and those who are opposed to
j regulation, recognizing the weakness
of their position, are constantly striy.
ing to deceive the voters and to turn
, attention away from the subject under
consideration to some other subject
Sometimes interviews are doctored
in the newspaper office after they
have been sent in. Mr.. Bryan has had
newspaper men complain to him that
i interviews sent in by them had been
edited in the Office so as to conform to
: the editorial policy of the paper OF
, course, no defense can be made OF
, such journalism and yet there are
! daily papers which stoop to such meth
: DDS In their selfish subseryiency to the
exploiting interests.
: It is tribute to the intelligence az
| lwell as to the fidelity of the masses
J that the numerous misrepresentation
of the subsidized press are having less
and less influence with the voters II
takes time for the crooked methods Of
a bad paper to become known, but
, when they become known, the papers
influence decreases UNTIL in time, its
, support becomes reflection upon {
: candidate and its opposition a compli
3 ment.
81 .=--- --------- .:-...:-;--
al Big Collection.
3 Gunner-The Uitra-Van Tassels
5 moved to-day There were seven vans
i for the furniture and six extra vans.