The Detroit times., 1913-12-10

TO sell Florida lands by the gallon
to his subscribers? Does II pay. for
a profit, TO advise your neighbor to
DOPE his sick child to death? Does II
pay to take the money OF wage-earn'
ers for stock jobbing bubbles? Does
IL pay to arouse false hopes In the
hearts OF the poor. the discouraged,
tho sick?
There Is quite an army OF "Choco-
late Soldier publishers In America
sort OF stufiedshirt brigade--with
a great front but weak backbone
shooting bonbons instead of real cart
ridges. Ready to reform any body and
anything except themselves and their
publications. Lovely editorials; rot
TN advertising. They are cheating
themselves at solitaire. They would
clean up city on a page with filthy,
criminal announcements. They In
vite the world-men, women. and
children-to have a drink. at the end
81 a sermon on temperance. They
jolly the preacher and wink at the
devil. They mix In pile-cures with
art features; tips on the races with
preachments on gambling. They de-
velop your bust and bust your develop
ment all on the same page. Chemise
fiction follows q patriotic exposure OF
congressional misdeods In magazines
that endeavor to harpoon the whole
household from pa to the hired girl.
Filthy, dangerous. fraudulent medi
cal and nearmedical advertising
should be driven out Of every publica
ton In America. II Is a positive In
jury to clean. legitimate advertising
II taints the decent. and makes II less
productive. A newspaper may have
million-dollar building, a million-dol
lar equipment. a million-dollar man
behind it--but you readers are the
newspaper publishers stock In trade
Your good will IL worth more than al
his equipment, all his building-ter
times over You read and respond tc
the advertisements-the source OF his
revenue II he won't make his news
paper clean. IL he won't cut out the
frauds-you do It for him.
You will find that the great major
ity of publishers will cooperate with
you when they know what you want
when they know you mean business
when there's q light Of fight In your
eve.
The reason so many newspapers
are not better than they are Is thai
publishers are left to grope In the
dark. They think you don't care be
cause YOU don't assert yourself. De
cause you don't hold out guiding
hand: because you don't help to make
your newspaper what you want 1t te
be.
\ Don't sit on a fence. We must take
a decided stand on questions OF pub
lie morality and public decency. te
exert our greatest influence. We al
know that the forces which tend tC
demoralize society, to make virtue
laughing-stock and vice delight, are
( very strong. very active, very upiQuit
Gus. But no man, whether he be
publisher or a preacher. or an al
.vertising man. ever accomphsnes
much. standing alone. The success
full man must have co-operation-red
blooded co-operation-that spurs him
ON to greater deeds. He must rally
10 his support the people who believe
in the principles for which he con
tends.
Watch your newspapers! Boost
them when they are right. Condemn
| them when they are wrong. Get bet
! ter newspapers.
The world Is demanding better
things-and 1t Is getting them. Bot
ter newspapers, better cities, DETER
TRANSPORTATION. better merchants, bet
ter homes, better politics. though poll
tics is In no danger OF dying OF I'm
provements. Isn't 1t something won
derfuI to behold, the Tiger protecting
the lamb. Murphy shocked at Suizel
In tho haunts OF the money-changers'
| But men like Wilson, LaFoiiette
Bryan, Cummins and others as wor
| thy to be named, have brought In
new standard OF public service. They
have renounced patronage, private In
6uence and the secret caucus. and
nave taken their cause before the
ueoplo The machine has been dam
ared. The caucus II dying. We have
the public primary and the public dc
hate. Non.part'san legislatures are
on the way. Compare the regimes o.
Grant and Wilson. Compare the mint
| beds. to. When Gen. Grant was In
Iausurated, his relatives swarmed tf
washington to select their omces
GOV. Wilson invited 80 relatives to &C
to washington to the inaugural. Hi
drst announcement after he wa'
sworn In was that not blood rela
ton of his would get an once. be
ieye that Wr. w. B. Wilson whose
name suggested relationship, had te
shin up his family tree to colonial
ltimes and prove q complete alibi be
fore he got into the cabinet. So poll
ties does Improve. Publicity Will I'm
prove II more.
These are days OF luxury. Com
| pared with homee OF our youth. we
live IN palaces. We live much longei
in q short space Of time. We skip
across the country with an automobile
L En- q be-