Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1909-05-14
NEWSPAPER MEN MEET
interesting Convention Held at Spo-
kane by Newspaper Men of
Northwest

The convention of newspaper men
held at Spokane last Saturday was
one OF the largest attended, most in
teresting and generally best meet
lngs of the kind ever held in the In
land Empire. Spokane treated the
news gatherers royalty, giving them
hearty reception and entertaing
them in splendid style. Governor
Folk was made the first honorary
member of the association and de-
livered an interesting and highly in
structive address.
There was a banquet in the hall
OF the Doges in the evening. Edwin
L. Conan, president of the Exchange
National Bank and vice chairman of
the board of control of the 18th
National Irrigation congress, pre-
sided, having on his right President
Lorton and Joseph W. Folk. former
governor of Missouri, on his left. The
souvenirs were copies of the Inland
Empire Booster, published by the
Spokane Press Committee, headed by
N w. Durham, and bronze paper
weights, in the form of "quads" pre-
sented by the American Type Found
ers Company. 1t was decided to have
the next meeting at Walla Walla.
Among the speakers at the ban
quet were H. l.. Moody and Arthur
Hooker, representing the National
irrigation congress-; President Lor-
ton, William Goodyear. The Common
er, ColfaX, Wash; c. A. Foresman,
The Teller, Lewiston, Idaho; T. A.
Love, Pioneer, Phoenix, B. c.; Orno
Strong, The New West Trade, Spo-
kane; Rufus A. Wilson, The Herald.
Maiden, Wash; and former Governor
Folk of Missouri, who complimented
the association on it's broad spirit.
He was elected the first honorary
mem Der of the association.
Mr.. Folk, who was the guest of
honor, spoke of his conception of the
functions of the press and it's part
in the upbuilding of civic righteous
ness, saying among other things that
in his public career he found no wea-
pom so mighty as the newspapers
that told the truth, and by the same
token, there is none so harmless as
the untruthful publication, adding:
Publicity is the greatest power on
earth to check wrongdoing. You
may fill the penitentiaries with
wrongdoers and unless the public is
informed and aroused there will be
no difference in the conduct of the
public affairs; but let the people be-
come awakened to the real conditions
and the wrong will be righted. In
this you are quasi-public officials,
and, in addition, you have a duty as
teachers of the public in fact you are
keepers of the public conscience.
Wherever patriotism is as active
as rottenness, there you will have
good government. You, as newspap-
er men, have great opportunity to
encourage public patriotism. By
this | do not mean the patri otism of
war, of rolling drums and of military
splendor, but the patriotism of every
day life, of peace. A man who lives
for his country has as much patriot
ism as he who dies for it, and it is
this you should encourage.
This republic is founded on de-
tails. We are made and governed
by the things we cherish and the
greatness of the nation does not con-
sist of mere acreage or in the
strength of military armament, but
in the purity of its ideals and the in
tensity of their devotion to those de-
tails.
This is a great country but is does
not consist of fertile fields or wealth
of minerals and forests, but in men
and women of high ideals. After all
the question of good government
is simply one of aggressive citizen.
shin -