New-York tribune., 1908-04-24
JEROME ATTACKSPRESS
IT ST. GEORGE DINNER.
Newspapers Must Not Rule Democ-
racy, He Says.

| cples of democratic government
Nearly all those present were surprised "heh
| President ]. f. G. Higgins introduced MI Je-
! rome who would. he said, respond TO the toast
| "Our City" Mr.. Jerome was not seated at the
guests table and the toast list. prepared by
the president General Bingham was named to
respond to Our City.
Mr. Jerome was warmly cheered He began
nv nrais;np, the British Ambassador. Mr.. Bryce.
No other man earth, he said, could nave
written his second volume of the American
Commonwealth" While Americans generally
praised Mr.. Bryce, few of them. he said had
ever read this second volume. The District At
torney continued:
Nothing can be done If you men will not take
more interest in public life. You take this
great State of New York and turn 1t oyer to-
Corners and "Pacly" McCabe, and then you sit
down l say God bless the Irish and am glad
YOU haven't conquered them. Still l don't want
10 see the state run by those four Irishmen.
Nothing has ever been got that was worth the
having except through love and sacrifice. Your
general optimism would save the state. II
means nothing to you If noblesse oblige means
more than it does now,
| tell you. a Democratic government won't
work as long as you have government by the
newspapers. No other form of government de
vfsed bv the mind of man requires much
care from its citizens (meanng Democratic gov
ernmen0 You cannot make things right by
statutes can only make them WORK by men
but the who tells you that Is TOOL ana a
liar -,.,, :,
based on universal suffrage but II is now based
on public opinion. What makes IL so Is that you
men of education have not done your duty You
read the headlines in the newspapers and II
makes impression upon YOU You read thef'l
again-the same headlines-for a few weeks and
then YOU have n decided opinion without single
fact to substantiate It.
I tell you, a democratic government Won
work as long as have government by the
great financial institution killed himself lie
mada what at0ncment he could and then great
Journal spread before the public his private life
He had two lovely daughters growing up. Illu
If concern the public in any way 10 read Ihe
hIazoned before the world? Did il make 1t
more possible for us TO work out our own IN
stitutOns? 49,,
II was done for what? It was for cash. And
yet we read it and take in every detail that was
spread before
crime committed suicide here Not paper in
Philadelphia chronicled It great and enter
,risfug newspa per of New York owned by a
great and entprprsing citizen sent special
edition to Philadelphia with the fearful story
blazing forth to wreck that home. 49,
Another instance prominent man IN TINS
CITY was shot dead in department store. Not
a paper in the city said where it was done. II
I want a paper controlled where do l go?
Mr. Jerome here mentioned the name of
number Of large department stores Of the city
The leading publications Of this city are die
y
in this city that its editorial page pleaded
for virtue year ago printed 80 per cent oil IN.
papers investigated ice. one of its men went
up to Maine and looked around and then he re
turned and went TO the president OF the company
and be said to him: i nave got az option option Oh d
little ice, don't you want 70 buy it? That was
in 1905 when ice scarce and they might
have been glad 70 get it
Ar any rate they put d price on that ice that
netted the young man five thousand dollars
These papers lead US by the glamour Of their
name Of a public officer trying 10 do MS sworn
dutv-and they do it for personal reasons
And have been accused of attacking the ju-
dicary-awfully impOlitic. | know | went 10
lunch recently with gentleman who asked me.
speaking Of my criticism of the judges, II any
Judge had asked for bill OF particulars
And I replied that none had told him that no
neWspa per had asked for bill OF particulars,
but lust let them ask for 1t and I promise you
they will get it if they Will publish it.
l recently sat next TO great critic at a mus!-
cal performance. | am not much Of musician.
but I sing. This critic told me that his
cause OF the advertising end OF the paper. ASK
any publisher and he will tell you that the liter
ary criticism of books is determined by the space
of his advertising. And this is what is sup
posed to be public opinion. while II isn't. but il
does lead on 70 what we think Is public
oDiniOu 1t creeps into our minds unconscious
IL and we find that we have settled beliefs with
no settled reasons to support them. We accept
The facts as true, and only when we happen 70
inquire do find out how wrong they are.
In the old days the papers spoke with author
ity, in the days Of the elder Bennett and Greeley
spoke 1t spoke with the authority of "a party
To day it speaks with authority 10 It.
What do the libel laws OF to-day amount 70:
/ called a thief. in so many words Thief
For fOrty-nine years. man and boy, have lived
here and my people before me for many gen
erations and for two years l have been trying to
get that up in a suit, but the libel laws are moth
ing
bany l found that hardly d man had given any
consideration much to that bill, but they said
they voted they did for fear of the news
he was q q
bHl-they We're afraid Of the papers. rms pass
ing of legislation under the whip is wrong.
Maybe the judgment OF newspaper man is
better than anybody else's and II that Is true
the remedy is to send the editor 10 the -Legis
lature. When you have elected q man who is
trying to do his duty you want his Judgment
you that you cannot call account.
didn't expect to get on this TRADE. No man
believes I'm criticism more than l. man in
public office who doesn't like il should not take
office. but what are fast coming to is gov
ernment by the newspapers You and feel
that public opinion rules the country and the
government But 2 man IS not doing his duty
toward the public and his full duty unless he is
doing his share toward creating an honest pub
lie opinion. We must get back TO what our In
stitutions expect Of us-"a government Of the
people. for the people and by the peonle"
It was noticed tina; General Bingham when.
early I'm the evening. he noticed the District At
torney sitting near him. bowed courteousy and
profoundly, and Mr.. jerome. equally courteous
and dignifed bowed In return,
The occasion was the celebration Of st.
Georges Day and the organizations 122d an
nual dinner There were four hundred present.
The other speakers of the evening we're Esme
Howard. OF the British Embassy in Washington.
who responded to His Majesty's Representa-
tive: General Bingham. on our Vistors'
Frederick W Whiridge who replied to The
Day We Celebrate" and Major General Freder-
icl Dent Grant who spoke on The Army and