Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-01-11
THESE DAYS m AMERICAN JOURNALISM.
HERE may be such things some
where in this world as free gov
lRy Charlie Edward RusseI.)

where in this world as free gov
eminent aond free institutions
without free press, but / do not
know how one can conceive Of them.
Certainly, SO far in human experience,
the right Of free expression Of opinion
has been the absolute and indispensi-
BILE foundation of all other rights.
When free opinion has been threaten
ed the whole structure Of human lib
erty, reared 80 slowly and with SO
much sacrifice, has been shaken with
It.
From this, ! think there will be no
dissent by any person Of whatsoever
faith that has read any history or con-
sidered human affairs.
Whether free institutions are now
held by the American people to be Of
vital Importance to them is another
question. Some persons of a cynical
order Of mind answer it promptly in
the negative. # they are wrong. then
the most stupendous fact now before
the country is that in the main we no
longer have anything that can be cali
ed free press. Sometimes this asser-
ton is made by those that only believe
1t. happen to know it because have
sat on the inside Of the machine and
seen the strings at work that pull.
knowing perfectly well whittier those
strings led.
The daily newspapers Of the United
States may be divided into these
classes:
!. Those that are owned outright by
the public service corporations Of the
cities wherein they are published.
In one place the leading newspaper
is owned by the street railroad COM
pany; in another by the electric light
company; in third by the gas com
pany. These ownerships are carefully
concealed by the use Of dummies. or
still more effectually through the de-
vice Of pretended loans. The public
next to never knows anything about
it.; reading the news over the break
fast table the average man never sus-
poets that it is news prepared in the
interest Of the street railroad COM
pany for instance. The editor is a man
well known in the community, man
Of standing and character. Who shall
perceive that he is a mere dummy and
figure-head for franchise grabbers?
Few persons outside of the business
have any conception ofathe extent Of
this kind of secret ownership. Yet It
Is q fact that in every considerable
large city in the United States the
public service corporations either own
outright or absolutely control at least
one newspapers. Sometimes they have
their ograsp upon more than one. but
one they always have; purchased per
haps when the original franchise was
obtained by bribery from a corrupt city
council. perhaps purchased since as
schemes and conditions indicated the
necessity for a local organ. But once
bought they have In almost every case
been retained. Hundreds Of newspa-
pers are so owned; il the public could
havea list Of them it would be pro-
vided with sensation much greater
than any newspaper is likely to fur.
nish this year or the next
When you consider that the owner
ship Of all these public utilities, trac-
ton, gas and electric light, all about
the country, drifts steadily into the
hands of one small group Of financiers,
and that this group sits in New York
and dictates both street railway and
newspaper policies two thousand
miles away, You begin to grasp some
thing of the abnormal and colossal
power placed in Ahose few hands.
And yet only small part Of It; be-
cause this is only the faintest begin
ming Of their story.
2. Newspapers that are swayed and
controlled through the business In
vestments and connections Of their
0wners.
This is a very subtle but powerful
influence that we never suspect. The
late Mr.. Pulitzer who owned the N. Y.
World began life as an extreme and
probably sincere radical. When he was
q reporter in st. Louis it was his fay-
orite doctrine (which he preached
with singular yehemence and tirelessa
energy), that no man could possibly
accumulate by honest means great
fortune; that necessarily the makers
Of millions were thieves, and he ad-
voeated . system By which no man
should be allowed to possess more
than $25. 900 Of wealth. For some years
in his newspaper he championed the
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