The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1908-08-07
HEARST AND HIS INDEPENDENCE
PARTY

an entre-act filler of the political
drama during the dog days, but be-
yond that it has neither value nor sig
nificance Certainly nobody takes it
seriously, not even the angel" who
is financing it.
The whole performance is in keep
ling with the Hearst methods, which
he first applied to journalism and sub
lsequently to politics. There we're
sensational tawdry and unreliable
newspapers before Hearst entered the
field. but it remained for him. pro-
ceeding on the theory that most
things are attainable by the man
who has the means and the will to
buy them. deliberately to set about.
by lavish expenditure Of millions. tn
! establishment of newspapers so much
more sensational tawdry and unrelia-
bic than all others that by. force Of
their daring vices they should become
/ the eXemDlars Of the new school Of
Journalism" Playing out this the
IOry with The nerve OF the gambler
/ who plays 10 the limit and who has
( the means to play even beyond the
/ limit if that be lifted. Hearst proved
/ in a spectacular manner the power
| of bold advertising. even in a bad
cause. He won. He succeeded in
founding the modern school Of "yeI-
low journalism" than which there is
no more vicious Development OF our
times
But he was not satisfied with this
achievement. Stimulated by his sue
/ cess in applying his peculiar meth
obs to journalism. and ccntemptuous.
20 doubt. 2s rsa2 Of any irtell-
sence must be. Of the public upon
which he has been able thus to play.
he conceived the idea that, with his
millions still to draw on and this pub
lie still 10 play on. he might profta-
bly, pitch his circus tents in the field
of politics as he had in that OF jour
naiism. Such a proceeding, even if
ineHactUa. il securing for him politi-
al o1fce or honors. would. he beliey-
ed be worth the money ii would cost
in advertising himself and his puaI:-
cations.
Thus Il was that the country. ac-
crstomed as it had become to the the
atrical performances Of Hearst as a
newspaper man, and no longer sur
Drised by anything he might do in the
prostitution Of the press. was plunged
into a universal guffaw by his sud-
den appearance as a fully pan0plied
candidate for the presidency. No
Cne-nOt even MIR. Hearst himself six
months beforehand ever thought of
him, or his like. in such 4 role. and
that he, q young fellow with no known !
qualifications for the Office and moth /,
ing to distinguish him from millions /
of other young fellows save the spec /
tacular way in which he had poured /
out money on vicious newspapers and !
other forms of vice, should formally |
announce his entry into The contest
for the presidency, with no other re- /
lance than that of mis- money to buy .
and build him an organization, was
something as new as it was prepos-
-erOus in American politics.
How he invested his money in this /
al Of
bought and built his organization
and how, always and everywhere It !
has been used solely for the exploi+a
ton of Hearst alone, is familiar re-
cent history. That it is today seek
ing. under the pretense of q new bar
-. to prOlOag some sort OF tangible
existence, is the latest. and altogether /,
chapter Of that history.
To support either of the political par
ties now in the field would not suit
his purposes: it would be to effaee
himself too much from the public
eye, to abandon the seed he has sowl
in his plans OF self-exploitation.
ANOtulAS luuICuatS DEIttl imam MS
present course that he has never been
sincere in his pretensions as a re-
former. No one understands better +
than he that his present course, H.. /,
5ofar as it may have any practical eff
feet. will aid the republican patty
which he processes to condemn aIors
With the democrats. In 1896 he thew ,.
his newspapers to the supper Of By }
IN because the desertiOn of Bryan By
he democratic press of The east
)rsned for Hearst just the emporium
Y he wanted to bring himself before -
he fOOtlights. 1t is different now, .
md Hearst's only hope of Keeping mp =,
lis game is to bolster up his sO-caIled
party, which Will recog-
lize no rival to him as long as he puts !,
Up for keeping it alive. That he is
lot honest in the advocacy of the ?