Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-07-02
ANONYMOUS
CONTRIBUTIONS

the Reporter, IN an nOur OF trIDula--
ton, promised to publish no more
anonymous contributions, and We
feel curious to know why he made
this arbitrary rule.
A local paper is very closely iden-
titled with the welfare of a commu-
nifty It's columns should be open to
the public for expression of their
views on all public matters. because
the welfare Of a community demands
a full, free, and open discussion of
all public matters. The. great need of
his discussion in a democracy like
ours has led sociollogists to urge us
to make the public school house a
social center-a place of public meet
ing at which all public questions
might be discussed. Margaret Wilson,
daughter Of the president, is now
deyoting her time to the develop
ment of this plan for promoting the
public uplift, This scheme has not
yet been a success. and until it
doe-. succeed, the best substitute for
ii is the columns of the local pa
per, and this would contribute not
only to the welfare Of the commu--
nlty, but to the financial advantage
and success Of the local publisher.
Many persons hesitate to give their
views through the columns of their
local paper On matters of public in
terest, if they are required to sign
their names, because they are liable
| to be accused of trying to advertise
| themselves There are others who have
good ideas that they ought to be en-
couraged to express, but who are not
| professional writer's, and hesitate to
expose themselves to the small crit
les who might pick out grammatical
errors in their article, and for that
reason they prefer not to sign their
name to an article otherwise good.
Further, there is a tyrancial and
drctatorial element in nearly every
town that will not tolerate any views
that are unfaWorable to their own pri-
vate interests, and are always ready
to show their intolerance in personal
resentment, and if they find that the.
are not able to answer the argument
put forth in favor of any proposition,
they will reply by making personal
attack on the writer, usually atribut-
ing to him some mean motive. This,
of course, might be avoided if the
writer would use a nom de plume.
The name of the writer should be
omitted in all public discussions, be-
cause the truth of a proposition or
the strength of an argument should
not be judged by the personality of
the one who makes it. A proposition
or argument Should be made to stand
on it's own merits and tits only when
it is weak that it need to call in
the support of personal authority
Of course, it has to be admitted
that there are a large number of
persons in every community who are
not able or are too indolent to think
for themselves. Such persons are
never leaders. They belong to the
class known as followers, and they
exercise little or no influence on pub
lie sentiment. They cannot tell Wheth
er the preachers sermon is a poor
one or a good one, until they have
learned what somebody else thinks
about it. Such people require and de-
mand, of course, that the writer of
an article should sign his name, for
such weak-minded people are influ-
enced into belief or disapproval not
by reason, but by faith in the writ
er.
In all public discussions through
the columns of the local paper, the
editor should act like a presiding Of
ficer or moderator in a public meet
ing; he should never permit in the
discussion of local questions any
thing that is lacking in courtesy, or
that is in any way contrary to the
rules of parliamentary debate. 1t
makes no difference whether the ar
ticIe is signed by the author or is
anonymous This rule should be strict
ly observed by the publisher, and if
it is observed it will encourage many
people to express their views more
freely on public matters.
ANONYMOUS.