The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-10-22
WHY is THE HERALD?
Dear Mir. Editor:

article over the signature OF ore -
IL Harlan, which article l beg leave
u answer through the medium OF
your columns lest. perehance. even
enc of the more desirable and respec-
table of the community may nave
heard of the article, through one oil
their friends, for the thought OF an!
one OF good taste picking up that Is
sue of that paper and innocently
reading such scurrilious epithets Is
cne. | am sure. most distasteful to
the mind of anyone like yourseiG,
anxious that the people of this coun-
ty should read nothing but good En-
glish, and matter that would nave
q tendency to elevate and improve
the mind whilst imparting informa-
ton of generally desirable KIND
and which would interest most OF
vour readers. In this you are right
and a paper which does not strive for
this object has no excuse for exist
ance.
1t has been laid down as dictum
that an editor who runs paper for
selfish and personal reasons without
due consideration for the wishes oi
the community, (whose interests are
supposed to be his) is not a fit per-
son to edit q paper or to hold pubic
otTice of any kind 1t is furthermore
a generally accepted theory than any
person who would make use of the
editorial chair for the paying of prl-
vate grudges, and in order to vent
his spleen upon plivate individuals
through the medium of his journal,
shall be deemed a person unfit to oc-
cupy the chair or even to be employ
ed in any capacity upon the stan OF
a respectable paper.
These are generally accepted
theories of all enlightened people in
all civilized countries OF the world.
To be sure it happens occasionally
that man or woman gets into the
semijournalistic profession in town
through back entrance. They are
seldom found in the employ OF de-
cent man, in fact they generally own
the papers in which their articles
appear, or which is equally as bad
they are in the employ OF some per-
son more unsCruu0us an them
selves who is uot Rii'ins 10 appear
on tNe surface and 'aka a9 respon-
sibiIy for what is pgin. d, and
rather thSa forgoa The ploasure OF
hittiAe some enemy i4 me back (and
feom ambush that r to gain
some political advantage which by
res ION of their per onaAty or lack
of brains they are unable to obtain
they pay some one else TO 90 their
thinking and their dirty worf for
them, and in return fof their work
and, which is more important theil
silence, the muckraker, as this class
of editor is called, is CALLED tha
owner of the paper, and as long as he
is prepared to do his dirLy duty tC
his miserable master he remains, to
all outward appearances, owner OF
the filthy rag, and pestilence to the
community in which he breeds his
discord.
Public opinion has always been op
posed to this class of paper and al
though some few people read the pa
per out of curiosity and few Others
in the hope of getting grounds fol
a damage suit, in the main their cir
culation is multiplied many times
over by gratuitous copies to people
they desire to obtain upon their SUD
scription list, whom they endeavor u
get by unctious flattery and SICK
ening imitation of their commercial
standing. forgetting in the mean
ness of their souls, that an tprlgh
man abhors unnecessary puhliclt.
as he does any other kind Of plague
Therefore the main source OF thel
income is derived from blackmall.
AS a rule this class of paper /
shortlived: sometimes it is stoppe'
bv the man who holds the position 0
postal inspector, then again it dies
lingering death through the DISCUS
Of the people who have unwisely SUP
ported it. 1t sometimes happen
that the law courts kill it with q sen
tence that cannot be paid.
Such a paper has been cured c
itg sickness by the removal Of th
cause. Witness the Daily Mall an
John Bull.
The first Of these papers was fine
100000 for statement which Wa
a part Of systematic attack on s
Charles Leaver. The paper change
its policy and it's editor, and now
is ranked as one Ct the greatest dali
papers in the world.
Horatio Bottomley, who had bee
for a great many years member
Parliament for Hackney and was III
owner of weekly called John Bull
was fined s250,O00, and all the cou1
costs in the case, for a mean an
scurrilous attack upon the memol
OF one Arthur Armstrong, his wido
bringing the action and getting tt
benefit of the verdict Of the jury.
In the case of the Daily Mall tt
the payment was made into the cou
within thirty minutes but in the ca'
of John Bull the money could NJ
be found in the ten days placed
its disposal, and the paper was mac
bankrupt and placed in a receiver
hands to be conducted for the ben
- Mr, ArpnctropO