Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1908-02-06
eApIrALIs1Ic CONTROL oE THE PRESS.

to be servant of the people quite as much
as the man whom the people elect to
public office. If anything the newspaper
man ought to be more careful in the dis
charge of public duty than the office hold
er. for the newspaper man daily gives to
the people that information and counsel
upon which the people form their Judge
ment of men and measures. The man in
public office merely writes crystallized
public opinion into laws or executes those
laws after they have been enacted. But
the newspaper man is the worker at the
very source of that public opinion which
when organized, enacts or repeats all laws.
Everybody agrees that a public man ought
not to be financially interested in any
business affected by his public acts. Just
as juror should not have financial in
terest in any case which he. with his fell
low Juryman. must render verdict upon;
Just as judge should have no business
Interests in a cause which he hears aed
determines. For example, no senator or
representative ought to have an interest
directly or indirectly. in any railroad sys-
TEN carrying interstate commerce, because
in spite of himself. his judgement would
he influenced by his investment.
1t (the newspaper) is the daily mental
and moral food of the people. For the
newspaper tells the people those state
ments OF facts called news. breaches to
the people those daily sermons called edi-
toria]s from which the people derive their
civic faith. The public man who is pur-
chased is not dangerous; the newspaper
that ispurchased is like stream of poison
flowing unseen into the bottom of the well
from which the people draw the water that
they drink.
The American press is as yet largely
free. Impoverished by interests which desire
Tor business reasons to influence public
opinion so that certain laws may be defeated
or enacted; and unpurchased. too, by men
OF great wealth who wish to influence pub
lie opinion to aid their personal ambitions.
But the American press is not wholly free
from either of these malign influences.
For every man is busy with his own
affairs. He depends upon his newspaper
tor information. almost for instruction.
well written and moderate editorial has
tor the average mind something like the
authority of Scripture We forget that it
is written by human being who. however
able. is still human being. and that back
OF that human being, directing his pen as
he writes. is the power that owns the paper
and pays the salary and gives the orders.
There is no remedy. there can be no
remedy. in law for this fundamental evil.
which. if sufficiently wide. would destroy
republican form ofgovernmeut by controll-
ing the peoples intelligence. There is no
remedy there can be no remedy. in public
opinion if this evil becomes sufficiently
extended. for the control of public opinion
IS the very purpose of the evils. indeed.
the evil itself. And so, if the ownership
OF the public press by business interests or
by public men should increase SO widely
as to constitute general danger. the refuge
of the people and in the end of free in
situations must be found in that portion of
press in our great cities that remains free
and unpurchased, and in the great army
OF country newspapers and of newspapers
published in our smaller cities.
And SO it is to editors of that most pow.
erful force in American journalism-the
country newspapers. the newspapers ofour
small cities and to the great free journals
in our great cities-that the duty and the
opportunity of the hour come. 1t is for
these editors and newspapers who are now
and probably will always remain unin-
tluenced and unowned. to correct the evil
stealthily and necessarily done by journals
such as have described. 1t is for the I'M
purchased press to print that item of news
which. for their owners purposes. the bot
and owned journals suppress.
For somehow or other. the insincere
press is not able entirely to fool the people.
papers that come to that locality from
neighboring cities and which are free from
lie influences that own the local papers,
through the magazines and periodicals
through public speech on stump and plat
form and. most of all. through that mys
terious intelligence of the masses which
finally divines the truth, no matter how
thick the dust clouds that are raised to OBJ
scure Through all of these channels Of
the veracities the public after a while learn:
substantially the truth about men and
measures and everything else.
'Then again. the power of such a pur.
chased and prejudiced press carries III
itself the seeds of its own destruction. II
newspaper is owned by some wealthy
man who uses it for his own ambitious
purposes. it is only a matter of a few years
until he achieves what he wants or else is
defeated in his efforts, or finally. reaching
the end of life. dies and passes away In
any event the unjust power of his news
naper ceases to be when the owner himself
ceases to be. So, at the most the upright
eous influence Of such press is one thai
cannot endure very long.
LET the people, therefore. not despair
that the free press. which is the guardian