Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-09-12

The views of newspaper are the
views Of its editor and the editor gener-
ally gets views by just knocking around
the town and seeing things just about
as they are. One community row Is
capable of having dozen inside sto-
ries"-each of them the only original
and accurate version, according to gen.
tlemen who happen to be doing the
talking-and the editor hears them ALL
And what the editor don't hear, the re-
porters do, and they tell the editor.
Now these are the opportunities the ed
itor has to know what he is talking
about. II he is fairly minded, intelli-
gent-and, be 1t said, most editors
are fairly so, even in the early stages
of editing-he improves these opportu-
mites and when he says thing. unless
you can explain his expression by some
ulterior motive, just put 1t down that
there is an honest opinion. Honest
opinion can, Of course, be wrong opin-
ion. The reader is the judge Of edito-
rial opinion and he don't have to agree
with 1t. The only thing that makes O
newspapers expression of opinion worth
q continental is that papers opportuni-
| ties for knowing what 1t Is talking about
The papers opportunity is greater than
that of the average individual to know
men and things. Newspapers don't at
tempt to dictate. They attempt to tell
the truth as nearly as possible and
trust to the reader to be able to tell the
truth, at least when he hears it.-Spar-
tanburg Herald.
That is a great big subject that the
Herald is trying to handle, and 1t han
dies the subject about as we'll as any
body else can handle it; but we venture
that after the editor had written all
that he had to say at this time he was
at about the same conclusion that we
arrive at when trying to throw light on
the same roposition-"never touch
ed It," AS the Herald says, the view Of
an editor is the view Of an individual,
and that is about all, except that other
things being equal the view an editor
will express on a given subject Is Of
more value than the view of the aver
age individual. In the first place, the
editor is presumed to make it his busi-
ness to know what he is talking about
and having more opportunity to know
than the average individual, coupled
with a knowledge of greater RESPONSE
bility, he Is apt to be more careful.
Two cronies can get together and dis
cuss most matters relative to the busi-
ness Of other people without reserve,
and a bunch Of people may gather
about dry goods box and do the same
thing; but when a man says his say on
the printed page he is pretty apt to
have a considerably higher apprecia-
ton of the responsibilities that may
arise hereafter. II there is nothing in
volved of more import than the public
estimate of the judgment and intelli-
gence of the writer, that alone is suf-
| ficient to make the writer careful-if he
has any judgment or intelligence. But
when it comes to newspaper dictation,
that is silly. There may be editors who
would like to dictate; but there are few
who can. II an editor through years
of hard work builds up a reputation for
soundness of judgment and accuracy Of
statement, there will necessarily be
many readers who will be inclined to
take his view Of things, at least until
they can investigate for themselves;
but no editor ever reaches the point
where he can palm off on his readers a
proposition that is absurd or unsound.
There may have been a time when a
few individuals were sole custodians of
about all the truth and wisdom there
was; but that time has long since pass
/ ed away.