The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1911-03-24
perfectly willing that North Dakota
farmers should be sacrificed for the
general good-of our good Canadian
neighbor farmers.
oFF-HAND JUDGMENTS.

OFF-HAND JUDGMENTS.
From the fact that newspaper man
is by his business publisher of the
news and therefore in sense bound to
mix into about everything going, yet
this does not constitute him judge and
jury of every matter of public nature
which turns up.
Too many newspaper men however
conceive the chief business of the news
paper to be "a molder of public
opinion" In consequence they think
1T necessary to take sides and give
opinions on every imaginable subject
which appears in the news columns.
Particularly is this true with any
thing to which it is possible to give q
political turn. Indeed it is hardly
possible for anything of public or
semi-publlc nature to happen or be
proposed, but what the ingenious pencil
.pusher can discern some political
'colored gentlemen seereted beneath the
woodpile.
A few weeks ago Senator Lorimer of
Illinois was acquitted by the U. s.
senate after most vigorous prosecution
by some of the ablest men IN the coun.
try. But thousands of urban and sub
urban newspaper men shouted "white.
wash"
just now Mr.. BalIinger resigned from
the cabinet and his resignation was
accepted by President Taft with letter
of recommendation giving Mr.. B. the
highest character both as man and an
official. But either the President is
entirely mistaken or else there are
about ten thousand newspaper men
eligible to the Annanias club.
In our own state a judge was lately
impeached by the house of representa-
'tlves but you couldn't find enough
editors in the state to make legal jury
of twelve men to try the case, because
nearly every one of them have formed
and expressed an opinion"
just at present there are some soldiers
in camp along the border between this
country and Mexico. The President,
the secretary of war and other high
officials have declared publicly that
this demonstration" has no significance
as war movement. But all the same q
large number OF. papers and some other
people have discovered that we are
going to war with Mexico anu that the
war is to be prosecuted solely that Mr.
Taft shall be re elected as president.
These are samples. What we object
to is that the newspaper men in almost
every one of these cases have made up
their opinions otf-hand, or in some cases
deliberately, without knowing, seeing or
hearing but little or none of the
evidence.
The courts that heard the Lorimer
case could not find any evidence that
connected him with bribery or corrup-
tion; President Taft, a. trained lawyer,
~AA~ Juo6o VI 'uony years oAp0ElouCo
says he has examined all the evidence
and declares Ballinger all right; in the
case in this state that will come before
the senate on the 2sth of March, so far,
the evidence published is only on one
side and even that has yet to stand the
test of cross-examination, hence no one
lis yet qualifisd to give positive opinion;
while the assertion that President Taft
would deliberately precipitate war to
further his avn private ambitions-is
an assertion on it's face.
This does not mean that editors have
no right to crlticise or to ask to be
shown, but it does mean that a mans
character and reputation are precious
things and should not be lightly injured
or dlsregarded.
"With charity for all and malice for
none"