Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-05-04

Thomas Jefferson was wont
to say that he would rather have
newspapers without government
than "A government without news-
papers The explanation OF this is
simple. Publicity is protection. If
man is Informed that a neghbor is
| trying to steal from him. for example.
he does not need 20 call government
official to protect him, for the one who
told him of his danger has made that
| unnecessary. If community is in
perpetrated or are in progress, the
community can take care of itself
without any government aid. Public
opinion will do the rest.
That is why a fearless and con-
sclcntious newspaper can do as much
for community or a State often as
can be accomplished by the full ma-
chinery Of government That is why
the immortal Jefferson would taxe
| newspapers in preference 20 govern
ment, If he were to choose between
| the two
Governor Hughes showed that pub
| LEFTY Is more powerful than even the
government of a great State, for what
he could not accomplish and what the
| Legislature could not he made to -
of itself was brought about through
the mere use of publicity.
This point is well brought out oy
the New York World. one of the great
est champions of publicity on the
| globe in forceful editorial dealing
with intimidation and its remedy as
| follows
The besetting sin of this people Is
intimidation. 1t is found in almost
! every walk of life. Big business in
timidates government. organized cap
ital and organized labor intmidate
each other. Tax-favored industries
intimidate Congress. as the steel trust
ard the other day al birmingham
Trade unions intimidate employers
handlers intimidate the poor and KID
nappers find profit in the intimidation
OF parents Whoever is responsible
for the long list Of dynamite outrages
against industry In various parts NJ
the country had intimidation as mo-
tive.
| Extensive as these conspirsc ies ap-
pear to be. they nevertheless involve
only a small proportion Of the popula-
ton. No one supposes that all or.
ganized labor Is concerned in such
crimes; but even II 1t were its mem
bership Of perhaps $500, O00 would
look small indeed when compared with
the more than 100000 working men
land women of the United states.
There are 10000. 900 farmers and farm
laborers. More than 1250,OOO are en-
gagged in the professions, Taking
even the trades at large, less than
one half of those who follow them are
organized.
The same comparison holds good
with respect to wealth. Directly and
remotely ]. p Morgan's group con
trolls s1O.OO0,OO0,000 of property. bu,
the national wealth is estimated AT
1 Sl25, ,OUU,OUU. Inc steel trust,
which just now ~ attempting to
brighten the peoples represent atrves
is a $1,000 900, 900 corporation; Stand
ard OIL, which has paid six or seven
times as much in dividends, is CAPT
tailed at s1OO,Ooo,0oo; the beef trust
proper has $4,000. 900 OF stock. repre-
senting possibly $500 700 600 and the
capital of all the national banks is
less than Oo,OOoooO.
PLAINLY enough, if the people OF this
country are inundated they have
only themselves to blame. 1t is true
that capital Is organized and that
labor is organized, but only In part
and II is never to be forgotten that
all of our 90O00,000, with wealth
larger than that OF any other nation
ana better distributed are themselves
organized in a political union that is
invincihle.
There Is one cure for intimidation
by whomsoever practised, and that is
publicity, Some courage may be re-
quired at times to enforce this rule
against those who are inclined to