The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-06-08
BY Gordon Nye.
(New York CALI

(New York CalD
Editors who recrte lessons to
please the big interests write fire.
quent dull, dreary editorials on a
Newspapers Duty.
They loudly proclaim that to print
the news without fear or favor is
not merely privilege, or Il right,
but duty; that this does not end
with printing the news, but that
the news must be explained editor
tally to the people.
We pick up respectable news
paper-the New York Times, for
eXample-and glance at the news
and the editorials. How long does
it take us to learn that the editors
or that respectable newspaper re-
cite lessons to please the Capitalist
class?
To support the present system, to
puttresS the money-bag aristocracy
OF America, to echo Wall Street, to
NIL the news columns with pifflc, to
utterly disregard the suffering and
the misery of the exploited millions
VINO are robbed by, the Capitalist
class-that is the mission of the
Times.
But the Times is no execution.
ure all the large daily newspapers
published in the nation Editors
have no independence Newspapers
have none. Editors are hired men
only, and newspapers are controlled
ny corporations. who use them to
further their own selfish interests
Editors write to order. News
papers publish or suppress by order.
Who cares whether Lady Decies
is presented to the King or not?
What concern does the working
man have about whether Lord No
Account makes aspeech or not?
What does the Ordinary reader care
about news story explaining the
different positions assumed by John
Hays Hammond when he sprawls be-
fore His Royal Highness. the King
of England?
Yet all this sort of news is feat
ured four to seven columns across
the page.
A servant was found dead. She
was working for fat employer,
with furs and china and foolish SOC
ial calls. who had no time to think
of the sad monotonous life of the
household working woman, but
whom she criticized freely. The
girl became discouraged and killed
herself. That is a small item. and
seven lines in the news columns
told it,
But canine show of ovcrfed So
ciety dogs. or barbaric wedding of
two useless society degenerates is
considered real news. and is worth
five columns on the first page.
Now what is the object of pub
fishing all this sort of stuff?
There can be no other reason but
to make the people forget their own
reason.
lust as the church aweS and en-
frances its humble worshippers by
bringing them together in a stately
and costly building. where with dig
nlficd ceremony it strives to make
them forget their earthly hell by
promising them a future paradise:
so THE NEWSPAPERS TRY TO
MAKE THE WORKERS FORGET
THE WRONGS THEY ARE SUF-
FERING AT THE HANDS OF THE
RULING CLASS BY PRINTING
FAIRY TALES ABOUT AN IN
SANE SOCIAL SYSTEM. WHO Sc
MISSION is TO INSPIRE THE EX-
PLOTTED WITH THE IDEA THAT
THE ONLY THING IN THIS
WORLD WORTH WHILE is THE
CIRCUS PERFORMANCE y F
OUR USELESS SOCIETY DEGEN-
ATES. -
The nation needs at this partic-
ular time editors of the Garrison
type. Men who will feel the in
justice of our slave system. just as
Garrison felt the injustice of chattel
slavery. and men who will be moved
to fierce denunciation of the system
and its product.
We need rmen-orators, editors
reporters. artists and statesmen
forceful. uncompromisinE. violent.