The Mena weekly star., 1911-02-23

dent Of the Standard Oil Company
alleged to have been stolen from the
corporations files and read by Will
lam Randolph Hearst during ths
Presidential campaign of 1908, sug-
gested that control Of the principal
news agencies of the country be &C.
quired so as to shut off the dissent
nation Of intelligence inilnical r.
those whose revenues are largely
contingent upon the unimpaired con.
idence Of the American people.
Wall Street already controls the Pa.
per Trust. and this week strength
ened its grip upon national publish
ers by getting a predominating in
fluence in the largest periodical dis
tributing agency in the United States,
through which 100000, 900 copies of
various publications are annually
placed with 10000 different news
dealers. between Atlantic and Pacific
seaboards. The stragetic advantage
to the money trust of this last con-
quest may be inferred from the ar
bitrary refusal Of this agency to de-
liver to its customers $4,000 copies
Of one Of the popular magazines,
which contains III its February issue
in attack on Standard Oil. Unable
TO get their publication in circulation,
the publishers have the undelivered
copies, which represent practically
an entire loss to them, now tied up
in storehouse in New York.
Pursuant to the elaborate "educa.
tional" campaign upon which it has
embarked 1.-THE interests" within the
last six weeks have bought outright
several Of the most widely circulated
Of the popular magazines. In place
Of the philippe on the abuse of cor.
poration privilege. we are in the flu
ture to have subtly written endorse.
ments Of those practices of Wal
Street which have proved the mos,
vulnerable objects of attack by it:
critics and have helped to discrediI
it the country over. A feature OF
each publication it controls will be Z
financial department" AS part Of
the carefully outlined plans of the
trust many of the magazines which
are sponsored by The Street" have
already inaugurated this department
in which investors are authoritivel,
advised to place their money in en-
terprises that are approved medium,
for exploitation in Wall Street ane
warned against investments that dc
not lend themselves to its necessities
In its cherished ambition to sup
press honest criticism of its short
comings and act as censor of what j:
printed. Wall Street must ultimately
fail. However firmly it may faster
its grip on the sources of information
to which the public look for enlight
eminent and the untrammeled ex.
preston of opinion. it will never sue,
ceed in blinifolding the discriminat.
ing reader, with its sophistries and
soft soaped metaphor. For every
champion Of popular opinion it sue.
ceeds in substituting there will come
forward a new one to voice the sen.
timent of those who regard injustice
in whatever guise it may masquer.
ade, as meriting public condemna.
ton. There will be forum for dis.
cussion of popular grievances as long
as the world lasts. Wall Street
might as well try to check the ocean
tides or attempt to arrest the revo-
luton of the solar bodies as try to
harness the opinion of a free people
and make it suppliant to its needs.
Pro Bono Publico will have his say
until Gabriel blows his horn and the
last of us is called home to roost. =
-. 49,. II