The San Francisco call., 1910-01-29
ADVICE GIVEN
TO PUBLISHERS
BY PRESIDENT
Taft Tells Editors That They
Should Be More Careful in
Their Criticisms
Public Officials Soon Become
Indifferent TO an Indiscrim=
mate Hammering

mate Hammering
WASHINGTON. Jan. 2s.-President
Taft told the periodical publishers of
The United States tonight that if they
overloaded their criticisms of men in
administrative authority with unpsriia
mentary expressions and intimations as
10 Lack Of honorable motives nobody il
Eoing 10 pay any attention to them.
Although he made no direct aIlusion
70 muckra king il was plainly evi-
Gent az what he was directing his
sttack
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT
The president addressing the Period
acal Publishers Association of America
as their guest at dinner. did not give
tins advice TO the editors assem- bled
from all parts of the nation until ne
had prefaced his remarks with good
= ~klmored treatment of his relative po-
sltion 10 the m0i6ers Of public opinion.
He said in part:
This is rather z formidable gath
erlng 10 address. Gentlemen who
act as tates as 10 what is or is not
current literature would under any
clrcumsta noes. he fOTmidab ble TO ad-
dress. and under conditions prevail
lug in Washington and in legisla-
tive halls il requires brave man.
standing in my position. 10 face
them
EVIDENCE MUST BE WEIGHED
As to controversies. let me say
that al eVidence-question of
fact-must be weighed broadly 10
reach an ultimate conclusion. i
IS the case with every trust, as
mDcn as we condemn them for their
lnlQuities The evidence must be
weighed II does no good TO de
nounce person on the witness
stand II he testifies against you.
You controllers of public opinion
and controllers as the rulers Of the q
country may hammer man into
Indifference is to what YOU say. but
AT that he viii come nearer TO do
ing right than If he tried 10 fight
But, seriously speaking, I would
like 10 say tsat when you criticise
poor cevlI exercising difficult
respOnsibfliry. first give him the
same benefit enjoyed by every Grim
iuai that Of reasona BILE doubt
ADVICE To EDITORS
Don't use unparIiamentary ex-
presslons II you can help it, for If
YOU Go. and III you overload your
criticisms with superlatives and
inumatiOns as 10 his lack OF hon
Orable motives. in the end YOU viii
weaken all YOUR criticism and no
BODY ls going 10 pay any attention
Iu respect TO this matter Of the
pos aoe. ID is for judicial investiga-
u0n. and conclusion should be
taht no GouDL InaI YOU VIII ma
In TIE committees of con- gress that
careful Judgment is needed. don't
agree with some OF the committee
Wno started out by shouting
sratter md rObber." but nobody
should be led astrav lust because
some gentieman's heat carried him
away from the bounds Of judgment. 4
SENATOR DOLLINER SPEAKS
senator Dolliver. in addressing the
publishers, went directly to the post
hge question and aroused an uproar of
appreciation when ne said:
II venture TO predict before the post
age is raised on the literature which
is being read by millions Of Americans
there VIII be rather an elaborate eX-
animation into the expense and admin
istration OF postal affairs
The American republic can't stand
forever with this sort Of thing ringing
in the peoples ears-these anarchistic
statements" angrily declared Repre-
sentative Smith of California today.
addressing Herbert Myrick, representa-
tive OF the Agricultural Press league.
Myrick was a witness before the
house committee on postoffices and post
roads at its hearing on the proposed
Increased rates on postal rates on sec
ond class mail matter. Representative
Smith was referring 10 an editorial
which Myrick acknowledged came from
EDITOR MAKES REPORT
Il protest that the farmers of this
country are not anarchists and I protest
that I am not a traitor" hotly retorted
Nyrick, who shortly before had been
further alluded 10 as being responsible
for trsitorous utterances.
Nyrick was the principal witness be-
fore the committee. After Smith had
made severe reflections upon Myrick's
views the latter said he was a farmer
himself and owned a farm in Smiths
district in California.
Representative Murdock Of Kansas
called attention to the fact that the
government was paying $4,000 a year
for carrying the mails across an old
bridge at St Louis, No, when il might
be carried for much smaller sum across
2 new bridge receiving only a part Of
the business.
II think this is what you mean by
Sour charges OF graft. isn't it?" he
said. addressing Myrick.
That's it exactly" said Myrick.