The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-09-02
VALUE OF GOOD NEWSPAPERS
IN DEVELOPING A STATE
Leaven Of Remarkable Force IN Thi. HOMOGENEOUS S.
Constitutional Arnendunents
THE OLD STORY OF COOPERATION AND OTHER
SUBJECTS DEPICTED
(By BION HI. BUTTER1

In figuring the assets Of the State
ono OF the things that must be count
ed in North Carolina is a certain leav-
IN Of remarkable force that is exerted
in the daily and weekly papers. Some
years ago when an Ohio man asked
what seemed to be the chief resource
Of North Carolina 1 wrote MIN that
the chief resource Of any State is the
people, and that one Of the principal
factors Of this resousce is the man
who thinks ane who prints his
thoughts in the papers.
As newspaper man Of many years
experience all over the United
states the press of North Carolina
appeals to me as a force that is prob
ably more powerful instrument
than the press is in almost any other
state.
To begin with, North Carolina has
no big cities. 1t is State in which
rural customs still dominate, and
people are acquainted with each
other. North Carolina has not yet
outYrOwn personal journalism. PeO-
pie know the editor. Over in Char
lotte man coming into the Observer
office when Mr.. Caldwell lived knew
10 Caldwell as a man as we'll as as an
editor Of clean cut, intellirent pa
per. In Raleigh, the reader Of The
News and Observer happens into town
from Elizabeth City, or Lexington. Of
Kitty Hawk, and he drops in to talk
minute with Josepnus Daniels, or
did before he went to Washington.
The farmer coming down from the
back counties hunts of Clarence Poe
OF Alex Field, or Basley. Same way
in the country. The Anson county
man 10 personal friend and nelShbOr
0f Bivens. who injects his courage and
his personality into his paper
But 1t Is needless to multiply
names. These men stand for ad-
vanced ideas Cowan, down at Will
mingtOn, makes a clean cut for the
right OF the people to have the say
on the amendments, and he does it
with all the skill Of Wagner in a
close game OF baseball. 1t is no over
ornate oratory, but a concise point
The bare skeletons of plain fact that
The News and Observer exhibits in
he freight rate matter are gems OF
logical things the State Jorunal is
pounding out show us that the print
ing press is long way from being
wholly commercialized 1t is q graf
flying fact to me that when l faU iT
with my old newspaper associates Of
the North l can say we have in Oul
State of North Carolina a newspaper
proud Of. for it seems to me to rep
resent as good a grade of intelligen
thought and as courageous and ag
sressive advancement as the paper
of any place that I know of in th'
world.
This thing has been called to m!
attention by the attitude of the NOrtl
Carolina publications on a few prom
inent subjects just now in the public
eye. These are the constitutions
amendments, the freight rates. AM
possibly as big as the others, the co
operative plans that Clarence Poe
urging
There is a subject that is going, t
he heard from more pertinently be
fore il is done. 1t is backed by
good sponsor. When a young maj
coming into friendly favor all owe
Inc state announces that he will no
listen To the call of the people TO b
| Governor because he has anOthc
work on hands that he thinks is o
| more Importance. you may be sur
tne other work will have earnest an
eneVtive attention. Poe is not merel
young man who has struck a lin
"t luck. lie is thinker. student.
worker and a humanitarian. His sin
t.Fr work has gained the cOntidenc
~ the people and the prospects ar
thal they will be with him in the eN
tension of his ambitions for the bet
torment OF conditions in this state q
wen as in all other states, for no man
range of influence stops at his ow
door
AZ the present time one of his chic
projects is to establish Co-operatio
honS the farmers, and the extent
hlch this movement is being ground
would surprise some of the peopl