Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-07-31

tiser ask me to do anything even IN |
his personal interests, unless perhaps
to print a wedding notice, or the men
ton of some social affair and in this
| rather think the editors treated him
more shabbily than if it had been some
one else. Good editors are not inter
fered with on great newspapers. IL
they were. there would be neither good
editors nor great newspapers.
THE third question asked: How is
news service affected by the non-jour-
nalistic interests of the capitalist own
er. This is one Of the shibboleths that
come piping regularly out of Wiscon-
sin. In my wide range of newspaper
acquaintance, l do not know any capl-
talfst owners. nor do know any sue
cessful newspapers that are not owned
by themselves. 1t Is not possible for
newspaper to be successful, run in
a private interest. The newspaper is
a public concern, and when it ceases
to serve the public, it ceases to be
successful newspaper. A good many
men have tried to start newspapers or
have bought newspapers with the idea
that they could in some way manipu-
late them TO private interest. The re-
suit has always been disastrous.
The very capitalists 1 have known
who went into the newspaper to help
out a poor editor lost their money.
and were sorry they ever played with
the game II ought to be clear to the
average mind that a newspaper is the
one thing in the world that is run
in the open. 1t prints what 1t has to
say where everybody has access to
II, on the open page. The newspaper
costs very little money. and the poor
est man or woman finds it within his
or her reach There Is no excuse a,
all for anybody being deceived by what
appears on the printed pages. More
over. in no business or profession is
there such rivalry as in that of making
newspapers, and if the editor or CAPT
talist proprietor should try to mask
something, he would soon find It tori
away and laid naked to the world.
/ HIS w lSIOhelH dDOuI
ownership interests me mildly because
| would like to know what it is based
upon. Where are the capitalists? Where
are their interests? Who are the edi
tors whose minds are perverted? VIVA,
reporters are compelled to write
against their will? 1t would be in
teresting TO have list made for fur
Their analysis. The popularity of tn,
newspaper lies in the fact that it NOR
than any other is an unshaped article
mean that II must conform to tn
news. 1t cannot remake it or remode
it, II can and does make mistake
but that is the limit of its possibilities
The manufacturer can turn ont a
article Of peculiar pattern while tn
newspaper can only print what it find
and can only convey the result t
its waiting public. The editorial opir
ion it seeks to build must grow wit
fact and reason and not by mere as
sertion. In short it is an advertiser
medium in presenting news, issues an
trade. The newspaper can have n
other purpose and be a newspaper an
= II il is not a newspaper, II will die.
Speakers before the conferenc
. turned their attention yesterday {
the question: rs the newspaper real
ing public getting all the truth it
: entitled to-" Problems of escapin
! outside influence and avoiding a di
tortion of truth were presented. Me
vile f. Stone, general manager of tn
I Associated Press, was one of tn
= speakers last night. He said in part
r Every one familiar with our wor
3 knows that it is utterly impossible fC
! any one in the service, from the gel
( eral manager to the least importai
e agent at the most remote point,
f send out an untruthful dispatch an
e escape detection. You may write
{ biased or inaccurate statement for
e newspaper and get away with it, b.
: you cannot do it with the argus-eye