Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-09-28

agree. We have in mind an editor.
who instructs his reporters and news
men To ignore. handle lightly or
/ subordinate" all developments in la
| Dor troubles that threaten tying I'D
Of industries within his advertising
area. Even in the very face of Il Sc
/ rious STRIKE brought about through no
faHit of employers or employees of To-
cal industries, this newspaper head
would not advise his thousands OF
work people readers to practice econ
| omy and lie prepared fer the worst
That would iniue local trade and. Of
course, advertising. He prefers to mis-
lead the average reader to the last. re-
gdrdless OF the possible hardships such
course might work among the poorer
classas Of his readers
Docs it pay to lie - is pertinent and
justified, as asked ~ the maya zinc
editors quoted below. We believe that
| it does not. We believe il best To lei
| things take their natural course. even
/ If ii reduces advertising patronage.
We may rs Well lose it gradually AS in
It bunch. and with il the respect Of
Readers Who have been deeeivd.
We like to make good news stick
out, but we regret the tendency Of
boomers To water the good times stock.
Let us deal with conditions honestly
and escape such disappeintments as
referred TO below;
DOES IT PAY TO EIEe
The news that the leading railroad svS-
TENS of the country had decided to dis
charge great numbers of their employees
must have come like cold douche upon
most observers.
Questioned as to the reasons for 4
RoaeS that would mean 50 much distress
ana hardship To So many persons, the
managements of these railroads gave an
Identical answer. They said that for
months business had been SO bad as 10
compel retfenehmeHt and strict economy
very few of us outside of the railroad
athces had known that business was bad
Not word to that effect had we read i'll
our daily newspapers ON the contrary,
day after day, our eyes had fallen with
siadness upon the most celebrating re-
ports about business conditions Enthu-
ings of advancing prosperity and album
aant crops. If here and there we met an
individual pessimfst, we had daily coll
umns of optimism with which to over
whelm him.
And now, of a sudden the railroads.
sometimes called the business pulse of
the country, announce that business is SO
bad and the outlook SO gloomy. they must
reduce their STATS by 900 men
We do not know how this can be true
out assuming that il is, one question al
once occurs To the average mind
Why has the daily press dealt in this
respect so unfairly to us?
Either If is an accurate mirror of the
times or il is worthless Ii what the rail-
road managers say is true the press has
been lar worse than an accurate fefiec-
tor, il has wifuly and designedly de-
eeived us concerning a matter of the ut
most Importance to the daily life of the
people.
We understand we'll enough that to
print the bald facts about business con-
ditlons when these are unfaHorable is re-
sarded as poor policy. likely to diseeur-
age advertising and therefore injurious
papers are printed
But that is the very point about which
We are raising the doubt. Is it poor
policy?
Ii the newspapers may methodically and
deceive rs day in and day out
upon one matter, they may similarly de-
eeiVe US about any matter or about all
matters; and there remains nothing for
the 1udieious reader but to view with dis
trust everything he reads in the press
But the confidence of the public is the
most valua BILE asset of any periodical
and how can any policy be good that
tends to destroy that asset