The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1914-10-29
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vsae .Ns" ~ the Eighlh Ane.ADest
We desire at this time TO have q per-
sOnal chat with the readers Of the
Grit-AdvOcate. The eighth proposition
that must be voted upon under the
initiative and referendum on the Off
cial ballot this fall is known Ms the
newspaper public utility amendemnt
This amendment, II adopted, places all
newspapers under the control Of the
Public Utility Commission. That Com
mission under its provisions. can name
the circulation and advertising rates
of every newspaper in the state. We
ask the readers Of the Grit-Advocatc
to give this question your serious
consideration an dtO vote against the
proposition. We make the request par
tally from selfish reason and par
tally because we do, not believe the
newspaper situation In Colorado will
be advanced II three men inDe nver
can control the advertising and circu-
lation rates Of the 247 papers in the
State. The amendment was submitted
to the people on the 18th day of April,
1913. 1t was drafted and the petitions
for the signatures submitting 1t were
circulated entirely In the City Of Den-
yer. They were circulated following
the Denver Union Water Company's
fight for franchise, and the proposed
amendment is the result of the vicious
attacks made on the corporations of
Denver by the Denver newspapers and
the attempts of the corporations of
Denver to put the Denver newspapers
out of business. For years there has
been fight between the Denver cor
poratiOns and the Denver newspapers.
The papers outside of the city of Dem
yer have had nothing to do with this
fight. For the most part we believe
you, dear reader. will say that the
papers outside of the city of Denver
have honestly tried to make Colorado
more prosperous state, a more edu-
cational state and better state moral
ly. To be sure at times we have all
engaged in bitter political fights, but
none the more SO than has the grocer.
the meat market man, or the photo
grapher; ours being littlo wider
means of circulating our ideas. We
believe under careful consideration
Won will opreo uyttl, ~. <b,& A. NJ
lie Utility Commission in Denver has
no more right to say what the adver-
tising and circulation rates of the
Grit-Advocate should be than it would
have the right tosay what shall be paid
for pound of sugar. yard of calico,
lawyers opinion, or a minister's
sermon.
However, this is not the worst fea-
ture of the case. It would allow vic
1ous and cruel combinations between
the Commission and Certain Newspa-
pers. The members of the Public
Utility Commission are human, Ger
tainiy they will use the power at their
command to keep themselves in Office
and to keep their party in power. Ed
itors are human. and with such an a.
mendment in our constitution the peo-
pie would soon find that the indepen-
dence of the press was shaken in man.
y places. They will also find that the
Public Utility Commission, having the
right to dictate the sale price of
copy of paper or of line of adyer-
tising, would mean the deterioration
OF the quality of the standard of news
paperdom in Colorado and likewise
the deterioration of public service by
public officials.
This has been plain talk. We have
not tried to clothe the newspaper pro-
fessfon with anything else than being
simply human. On the other hand.
we do not want to have an amendment
adopted in oc- constitution that will
throw around it the opportunity to be
less than Independent. We're the Pub
lie Utility Commission to have the
right to dictate the selling price of
sugar. We are sure 1t would have a
demoralizing effect on the grocery
business of Colorado. We're it to have
the right to dictate the selling price
OF calico, we know it would have de-
moralizing effect on the dry goods bus
mess of Colorado; hence, dear reader.
We appeal to you to vote "No" on this
proposition. and we guarantee that orr
rates for advertising and circulation
IN the future will be just as satisfac-
tory and productive of just as good
results as they have in the past. No
man is there in this community who
has not always been able to adjust
any difference satisfactory with this
paper. then why should the Public
Utility Commission he called into COZ