The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-04-26
THE "lnDEPEnDEnTr PAPERS.
Kansas City Journal.

Kansas City Journal
The most transparent pretense in
the calendar Of pharisaism Is the claim
OF superiority which so-called indie
pendent newspapers assert over those
that stand for party principles. This
lofty assumption of superior goodness
is not only truly pharisaical: it is pat
emily and absurdly false in fact. News
papers, like individuals. must have
character to be respected, and charac-
ter necessarily implies fixed princ:-
Pies. political and otherwise, and the
courage OF such convictions. In n
free country where political parties are
essential to representative form Of
government citizen without party
principle is man without patriotic
interest In the welfare OF his country.
Every citizen who possesses any
force of character Is bound to form
political opinions and align himself
accordingly with one party or another.
Fortunately. mugwumps. or political
eunuchs-men without decided polite
al convictions OF any sort-are rare liz
this country. Blind partisanship in
any case ID to be deprecated. and self
respecting citizens. as we'll as newspa-
pers. will not hesitate to rebuke their
party where It IL manifestly wrong;
but in the main they are satisfied to
submit their judgment in political mat
ters to the will Of the majority, be-
cause majority rule Is the keystone o.
the arch OF free republican institu-
tions.
Furthermore. men OF courage and In
telligence as rule. are proud to avow
the political faith that is In them and
to do whatever they reasonably can do
to promote their party's welfare and
success. Most honest newspapers do
the same thing, for newspapers are
very human after all. Newspaper
owners and editors have their political
convictions like other men who are
worth their salt. and in advocating
them they are simply performing d
plain duty to society. Party newspa-
pers have q double obligation to be
honest and sincere. the one Of self-ra-
spect and the other arising from the
duty to keep faith with their subscrib-
ers, who have paid for the paper on the
strength OF its political character be-
cause 1t harmonizes with their own. 1t
Is easy to tell where newspaper with
political principles will stand In any
case.
On the contrary. the so-called indie
pendent newspaper Is like weather.
vane, turning with the tides of popu-
lar opinion. or else 1t is a mercenary
free lance, always at the service Of the
best paymaster Whether it panders
to the prejudices and passions of the
mob. or caters to the purient tastes of
sensation seekers. with a view to swell
ing Its subscription list. or accepts a
retainer from corporation for the ad-
vocacy OF some privilege or interest
its motives are alike purely venal and
selfish. In any event 1t Is never in
dependent In the honest sense of the
word. Always bitterly partisan in po-
litical campaigns. 1t is not only utterly
unreliable and Inconsistent. but its ed
itorial opinions and even Its news col
umns are colored according to the In
fluences that for the time being gov
ern its counting room.
The average so-called independent
newspaper Is positive menace to So
ciety. not only by reason OF its free
booting and Matchmaking propensities.
but because. having no fixed princi-
ples Of It's own II is constantly employ
in trying to pull down and destro...
>~e who have. Its power for evil
IL all the more dangerous for the rea-
son that its selfish and constituencies
SCREENINGS are invariably masked un-
der pretended solicitude for the vel
fare Of the public.
Signs Of Prosperity.