Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-01-26
The Democratic Press and the Oppor

/ tunity.
Major J. C. Hemphill of the Rich
mond CVa) Dispatch was one Of
the speakers at the Jackson day meet
/ ing at Baltimore the other day, and is
the only editor who spoke at that nota-
/ bic assembly.
Responding to the toast, THE Dem
ocratic Press" Major Hemphill outlined
his views of what the democratic
/ newspapers should do to insure con-
/ tinuance Of party success. He declared
there were now nearly $4,000 news
papers in the United States, and that
as they Increased in numbers the per-
/ centage of illiteracy per thousand of
the population decreased correspond
ingly. This great celebration would
utterly fail in it's purpose but for the
press of the country" ne said. Here
there are assembled thousand men,
feasting on this democratic food in
| pure Jacksonian simplicity, speaking
their thoughts and planning for their
states and here their work would
fail but for the millions of people out
side these walls who will learn
through the newspapers OF what is
said here and what is done at this
Gathering of earnest-minded men in
tent at heart only upon saying the
things and doing the things which will
give 70 this nation new birth of free
dom and assurance to all men every
where in the words of AbTaha n Lin
coin that government of the people,
nv Ho h.
perish from. this earth. "
Major Hemphill declared that the
dem, cratic press, before it could lead
wisely must know better what il
believes and why it believes" He
regretted that in many quarters the
press was charged with generally hav-
ing an eye to the main chance and
with insincerity. Even Andrew Jack
son, he said, had his suspicious as to
the integrity OF the newspapers OF
his day.
over against this ungenerous re-
Election upon the integrity of the press
by he great South Carolinian whose
virtues we eXton," he continued
should be placed the better estimase
Of Thomas jefferson That # he had TO
choose between government by news
papers or government without news
papers he would choose government by
newspapers.
1t is too much to hope that there
will be general acceptance OF the lief
fersonian idea; but ii is no. too much
to expect that self-respecting ne spa
pers shall insists that they, as well as
the politicians, have the right of pri-
vate judgment, and that, knowing
wha' democracy means they shall not
be led into the wilderness OF Ellitic-
al experimentation just to see how
this, that or the other fashion fits
The hobble skirt has had it's day, and
it is the duty of the deomoratic press
to help get the party back into the
middle Of the road"
The democratic press, the speaker
cautioned, should see to it that il
exercised judgment without bitter
ness or subserviency independence
and fairness were the corn ersJJue5 O.
the temple of democratic safety. lie
added
The press should have the cou--
age" he concluded, to say TO this,
that or the other lawgiyer in the
spirit of St. Paul: who made thee a
ruler and a judge over us With this
conception of the true responsibility
of the press to itself ana to the party
for which it speaks every day and
week the year around, in off-years as
well as in on-years, when there are no
Offices in sight and no conventions to
be held as well as in the heat Of ;Ue
and warnings of the democratic news
papers will surely contribute to sue
cess of the party and TO the complete
restoration of this government to the
people.