The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1913-05-23
SETTLE RESPONDS
FOR COMMISSIONER
PECK ON PROGRAM
EDITORS LISTEN WITH INTER
TO WHAT THE STATE Off.
cIAL HAD TO SAY.
SUBJECT One OF IMPORTANCE
"The Relation of the Press to the De-
velopment of Tennessee" Was the
Theme Most Ably and interesting
ly Discussed.

ly Discussed.
Commissioner of Agricultuer +.
Peck could not be here so did the
next best thing possible, sent his
chief clerk and statistician, T. G. Set
tie. who read the communication OF
Commissioner Peck re the members
of the association, the subject OF
which was Relation of the Press to
the Development of Tennessee. Mr..
Peck has himself been a country edl-
tor for a number of years and speaks
not without the information, and for
that reason what he had to say was
of special interest. His communica'
ton was as follows:
Mr.. Chairman and Members of the
Association:
For sixteen years | published a
county weekly newspaper and In that
time | learned many things about
running a newspaper, its possibilities
and it's limitations. ] learned how
much was expected of it and the
scant appreciation shown for the
work done.
The newspapers in every communl-
ty do more gratuitous work than any
individual or organization in the COM
munity. The newspaper man IL a
natural booster, it is his natural in
clination and you may go into any
community and investigate the loca-
lions of new industries and you will
find the newspaper was the real fac
tor in inducing the location of the in
dustry. Newspaper people are so
much interested in boosting every
body else's business and the COM
munity in general that they neglect
to boost their own business as much
las it should be boosted. AS an evi
|dence of that fact | have been attend
ling the meetings Of the Tennessee
Press Association for Number of
years and very small per cen. of
the papers have been represented and
there has been lack of interest and
enthusiasm and cooperation on the
part of those who did attend. Cen
tlemen, you have vocation you can
afford to be proud of. You can afford
to boost your own work. can tell
you as | did the farmers of the state
that others will respect you and your
vocation in proportion to the respect
that you show for your work.
You are the moulders of public
opinion. You make and unmake poll
ticians and governmental policies II
you would concentrate more on max
ing the people appreciate your worth
to them you would be abel to place
more to your bank accounts than
some of you do. | know that much
of your work is like casting bread
upon the waters, 1t will return to
you in many days, but the trouble
with many Of you is in the fact that
you do not have your net spread
ready to gather it in when it returns
I hope at this meeting to see new life
put into the association, and it made
the acvtive force in making newspa-
per work in Tennessee attractive
from the financial point of view. /
hope to see more cohesion and more
of action as the result of this
meeting.
| am not expected to discuss this
phase of the question but ! am ex-
pected to say something about the
Relation Of the Press to the Devel-
opment of Tennessee and | want to
say that the publicity given by the
press of Tennessee to our resources
Of COAL of timber and of iron and
other minerals has attracted the at
Lention of capital to Tennessee and
as a result we have thousands of
miles of railroads penetrating all por-
lions of the state. We have manu- !
of almost every character |
Cities have sprung up and our indus
rial development in the past few
years has been phenomenal and the
even that levened the whole was the
active exploiting of the resources of
he state by the newspapers.
The industrial classes have much
'ause to appreciate the newspapers
md their splendid work.
But right here brethren of the
raft, | want to talk shop a little.
You know that | am interested in the
development OF the agricultural re-
sources of the state. You know that
our land in Tennessee was
ertile. You know how it has been
ettled up and how system of farm
ng has ben practiced that has robbed
he soil of its fertility You can see
IN every hand pliiYfpd hillsides land