The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-12-30
CHANGED AND YET CONSISTENT

We are indebted to The Optimist,
to Brownie the MISERABLE as us
chief writer, for the announcement
last week that the policy OF this pa
per has changed in regard to barring
LIQUOR advertisements from It's col
umns. It would have been presump-
tnous on our part to make any an
nouncement about it until we had
evidence that somebody was interest
ed in the change of policy, and now
that Brownie calls attention to 1t we
offer the information that during the
mast few months, and especially in
the last campaign, we found grave
reasons for receding from the policy
heretofore followed since the county
was voted dry" and at the last
meeting of the Press Club in Novem-
Der a number of representatives of
the press who had been instrumental
in having the Press Club give it's in
fiuence to the temperance cause, dis
cussed the duty of the newspaper in
accepting or rejecting the sale of its
space to liquor dealers in wet" ter
ritory who wish to do a mail order
business, and the result of these in
formal conferences on the subject was
that those participating decided to
no longer refuse to accept such ad-
vertising. m
This paper was consistent before
when it refused such business, and
1t is consistent now in accepting it.
The policy of the paper has changed,
and Its action in all things has been
and viii be consistent. We barred
she LIQUOR advertising for long
time because TIE management want
ed to. We are accepting whatever
is offered now because the manage
ment wants to accept 1t. Our individ-
hal opposition to the liquor business
remains unchanged.
Some of the Reasons
During the past several months the
mail order liquor houses of Salt Lake
and Ogden have flooded the county
with circular letters in which they
placed before the individuals of al
most every home the particular mat
ter they asked space for in the news
papers. The money they spent for
postage stamps to carry on this pub
LEFTY campaign might just as we'll
have been spent with Idaho newspa-
pers as to be sent to Washington, d. !
G., for stamps The newspapers in at !
tempting to keep them out and to
relieve the homes from the tempta-
ton to buy liquors, have simply lost |
some business and witnessed the de-
livery of the advertising matter in
another form.
Another matter affecting the de-
cision is that when newspaperman
gives editorial expression for or
against anything, he has done his
duty by his patrons in telling them
his convictions, but it is not encum-
bent upon him to compel them to
follow his advice nor to sacrifice his
own business TO shield them from
temptation. 1t is up to them to so
form their own characters that they
can select what they want and reject
korher.: r =
As to Patent Medicines
is paper has made substantial
- to keep out patent medicine
(ments, but the same prin-
lies to it as to the liquor
Sing. Then,too, there is no.
dy around the average newspaper
6fice smart enough to answer the
correspondence that comes from day
to day to decide what offers to re-
ject and what to accept in following
out this policy. We have been in
for several weeks with
4, firm that wants space in The Re- s
publican to advertise remedy. which
TO us is disgusting and appears to be
only; means of wringing money out
u people by soaring them sick. We
cannot conscientiously accept the
matter. but their money is good and
they can get before the public in
other ways than through The Repub-
fcan, and If they finally comply with
very requirement we make of them
,llr readers will probably see their
care articles in this paper. Uncle
am carries their circulars for, them,
be railroad carries the goods, and If
be people buy the goods, what we
5jlsider a pernicipus graft will be S
Fried on. But, aF,r all, We don't G
bow. II might be good thing and
hundred times asbeneficial as We h
link IT Is. ~ Iii
we have concluded II 8leave that to b
kreader to Judge n,