Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1912-02-28
WHAT LAF0LLETTE SAID

WHAT lAFULLETTE SAID
Full Text of utterances Which Ger
tain Newspapers Claim Ellmln-
| ates Him From Contest.
Senator LaFollette generally
speaks his mind fire ly. In the cam
paign inaugurated to eliminate him
from the race for president, the big
newspapers have seized upon an ut
terance he made at banquet when
he discussed the newspapers and
periodicals Of the country. Few Of
these papers have had the fairness
to publish these utterances in full.
They would then not suit their pur-
poses so we'll. Here is what the un-
compromising senator said:
II have sketched the growth and
power Of the great interests that to-
day control our property and our
governments. I have shown how
subtle and elusive, yet relentless they
are. Rising up against them is the
confused voice Of the people. Their
heart is true but their eyes do not
yet see all the intricate sources of
power. Who shall show them? There
are only two agencies that in any
way can reach the whole people.
These are the press and the platform.
But the platform in no way compares
with the press in it's power of con-
tlnuous repeated instruction.
Zone would think that in democ-
racy like ours, seeking for instruc-
ton, able to read and understand,
the press would be their eager and
willing .instructors-such as was the
press of Horace Greeley, Henry Ray
mond, Charles A. Dana, Joseph Med
i'll and Horace Rublee.
'But what do we find has occurred
in the last few years since the money
power has gained control of our in
dustry and government? It controls
the newspaper press. The people
know this. Their confidence is weak
ened and destroyed. No longer are
the editorial columns of newspapers
a potent force in educating public
opinion. The newspapers, of course.
are still patronized for news. But
even as to news, the public is fast
coming to understand that wherever
news items bear in any way upon the
control of government by business,
the news is colored; so confidence in
the newspaper as newspaper is be-
ing undermined.
"Cultured and able men are still
to be found upon the editorial stats
OF all great dailies, but the public un-
derstands them to be hired men who
no longer express honest judgments
and sincere conviction, who write
what they are told to write, and
whose judgments are salaried.
ITO the subserviency of the press
to special interests in no small degree
is due the power and influence and
prosperity of the weekly and month
~ magazines. A decade ago, young
men trained in journalism came to
see this control of the newspapers of
the country. They saw this unoc-
cupied field. And they went out and
built up great periodicals and maya
zines. They were free.
"Their pagese were open to publ
cists and scholars andiberty and JUS
tice and equal rights found free
press beyond the reach of the cor
rupt influence of consolidated bust
ness and machine politics. We en-
tered upon new era.
"Their pages were open to publ
cists and scholars and liberty and JUS
strobe like a young giant into the
arena Of public service. Filled with
this spirit, quickened with human in
terest, it assaulted social and political
evils in high places and low. 1t
found the power of the public service
corporation and the evil influences of
money in the municipal government
of every large city. It found fran
chises worth millions of dollars Sc
cured by bribery; police in partner
ship with thieves and crooks and
prostitutes. It found juries fixed
and established business plying its
trade between itigants and the back
door Of blinking justice.
ut found Philadelphia giving away
franchises, not supposedly or esti-
mated to be worth $2,500,00O but for
which she had been openly offered
and refused $2,500,000. Milwaukee
they found giving away street car
franchises worth $8,000,0OO against
the protests of her indignant citizens.
| IT. fOun1 Chioooo rohbo1 - A.-