The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-26
From Printers, Ink.

people who knew MT Bennett declared that he would be heard from in the mat l ter.
 They were not mistaken Although the Herald makes million profit each year, and the Macy account, amounting to about s44,0O0 year, was a comparatively small loss. 1t was not the financial loss which stirred up MT. Bennett, but the principle of 1t.
 l Nathan Straus, as pretty nearly all the world knows, is greatly interested in pro- | viding pasteurized milk for babies in large 1 cities. He has been commercially public l spirited in this work, but as all physicians | know there is a considerable body of scientific opinion against the use of pas teurized milk. It is claimed that pasteur- ization kills off the more harmless bac- teria, and thereby gives the milk over en- tirely to the more dangerous bacteria which the moderate heating fails to kill
 The New York Herald. regardless of the fact that MT. Straus was able to in- duence considerable of the Herald's ad- vertising, had no qualms about voicng opinion about these scientific drawbacks to the pasteurization idea. It declined, further, to publish commendatory notices of MT Straus' work.
 MT. Straus ceased last fall to advertise in the Herald, and some time ago MT. Bennett, having meantime laid out a campaign of action, began to print daily articles, interviews or editorials on the subject They were calculated to let the public know what the most representative h1rG publishing or advertising thought of the method of using advertising patronage as an influence on editorial management
 Though MT. Bennett writes little for the Herald, 1t is understood that any editorial which is doubleleaded Is from his pen Two such doubleeaded editorials have appeared, and, needless to say, they hold up every Herald tradition of Bennett vigor and plain-speaking.
 Perhaps the neatest touch which these editorials of MT. Bennetts contained was the quoting of the old Aesop fable about the fox who lost his brush and called the other foxes together in an endeavor to get them all to cut off their brushes so that he wouldn't be so conspicuous. But as will be remembered, the other foxes told the brushless one bluntly that just because he had indiscreetly lost his own brush there was no reason why they should try to make brushes go out of fashion for foxes One of MT. Bennetts s editorials reads as follows
 Some of our readers may have noticed that for several months past the Herald advertisement columns have not con- tained the once familiar business an- nouncements of Messrs. R. H. Macy & Co. As this enterprising dry goods firm is not in the habit of hiding it's light un- der bushel they may have wondered what was the milk of the ccoanut.'
 That familiar expression is appropriate in the present instance. It is a milky question that decided MT. Nathan Straus, who rules the Macy firm, to withdraw his advertisement from the Herald Mr. Straus, for reasons best known to him. self, has come forward as a sort of Lohengrin of pasteurized milk. As the scientific world questions the value of the pasteurization process the Herald, as a duty to its readers and the general pub lie, could not support Mr. Straus' prof cot.
 'It also exercised its right to reject some items of so-called news about MT. Straus and his milk sent to the press by or for him. The Herald has high opin- ion of MT. Straus as an authority, but 1t doesn't think much of his nose for news.
 "If he thinks milk and water lectures made in Germany praising pasteurization -and incidentally MT. Straus-can be foisted upon the American people as news. he is wofully behind the times
 "In any case the Herald maintains that its advertisers are not and will not be consulted as to the contents of its news columns. MT. Straus presumably thinks they ought to be. and so he has shown his disapproval of the Heralds independence by severing advertising relations with it.
 That, of course, is his funeral. If MT. Straus sees fit to cut off his firms nose to spite his own face, the operation con- cerns himself and the firm. It certainly doesn't concern the Herald. Nor does it improve pasteurized milk"
 The Herald has interviewed practically all of the large retail advertisers in New York, and the tone of their comments is of much interest to advertisers and publishers everywhere. The moral effect of these interviews has already been considerable in strengthening the position of newspaper publishers throughout the country in their struggle against adver- tisers who make attempts to influence editorial expression, either by direct de- mand or by sulking at unwllingness to puff the business or its owners. or their interests.
 Among the advertisers interviewed was Henry Siegel, one of the largest owners of department stores in the county. MT. Siegel did not consider 1t good business to use influence on editorial opinions.
 Samuel J. Bloomingdale, of Blooming dale Bros, New York. said: ''I want to state in the most emphatic terms that if thought for moment that this firm could influence the news columns of any paper I would withdraw the firms ads on the theory that 1t had lost its independence and become a mercenary weakling''
 Walter Gibb, of Frederick Loeser 6 Co.,. said: "If newspapers published influenced and biased news and other reports they would cease to interest the general pub lie and would consequently be useless as advertising mediums.
 Melville E. Stone, head of the Asso- ciated Press, says:
 "A newspaper which departs from the expression of it's honest conviction in it's editorial columns or which departs from strict accuracy in it's news columns ceases to be an influence precisely in the meas