The Washington herald., 1914-06-25
PRESS Is What
PUBLIC MAKESIT
Vice President Says Readers
Determine Standard Of
Newspapers.
HE URGES PARTISANSHIP
Addressing Virginia Editors. Mr.. Mar
shall Scores Sensationalism-Ban-
quet in Alexandra Success.
he URGES PARTISANSHIP

Vice President Marshall last night, At
the annual dinner Of the Virginia Press
Association, in the EIks' Club Of Alex
andria, told the editors of the Old Do
minion that there is no free press. no
public opinion. and no free speech in
America.
Mr.. Marshall qualified his remarks. say
ing that to let them stand unmodified
would be q bad way TO write story that
will be read at the breakfast table today
by some 5000 people.
Compares II to Law.
The Newspaper business" said the
Vice President TO the editors and their
wives, lis like the law. in that It has
ceased as 4 profession and has become -
trade. The reason for. this is the same
in both cases." he said: both lawyer
and editor, In order to exist have been
forced to give the public what II wants
Instead Of giving the public what they
would like TO give 1t. It Is the man who
reads. and not the man who writes. that
is responsible for the circumstance that
there is neither free press, public opinion.
In this land.
There is no free speech" said the
Vice President. because a man cannot
say what he likes without paying the
price, and cannot publicly change his
opinion without paying the price" He
cited the Panama tolls debate in the
Senate where, he said, 20 per cent OF
the talk was about why President Will
son had changed his mind and not about
the merits Of the tolls question.
It's Up to Readers.
Mr.. Marshall said that IL the press
ever is to be free, II will be freed by its
readers.
As for the passing OF public opinion.
the Vice President said 1t doesn't exist
any more because most Of the people
are huddIed in the big manufacturing
centers, where they buy a certain paper
every day and come to accept its views
as their opinions. In the rural districts,
he admitted, public matters are still dis
cussed and settled at the cross-roads'
store: but there are not so many cross
roads stores as there used to be.
Mr.. Marshall opined that much OF the
crime committed in this country Is ''sng-
gestive crime''-crime which has been
suggested to weak-minded folk by SEN
sational crime stories in the newspapers.
He said he was for a partisan press.
He said he'd be disappointed IL a Re-
publican paper or a Progressive paper
said nice things about him: he looked
for such matter in a Democratic paper.
He made a plea for more moderation
in the handling Of news and wound up
by telling the editors that on their shoul-
ders should rest the idea of service to
the people. The people Of this land, he
said, still need a lot of primary educa-
ton regarding the principles OF repre-
sentative government.
Defends the Newspapers.
Charles B. Cooke. publisher of the
Richmond Journal and retiring presi-
dent of the association, was the toast
master and responded at some length
to Mr.. MarshalPs remarks. defending
the newspaper business and explain
ing why il is just what ii is. Ad-
dresses also were made by Mayor
Thomas A. Fisher. of Alexandria;
George o. Greene. of Clifton Forge.
the newly elected president of the as
ISOLATION. and Maj. r. W. Hunter. of
Vice President Marshall
was escorted to and from Alexandria
by II. c. c. Stiles, Robert NJ. Harper.
and George P. Killian. of the Washin-
ton Chamber of Commerce; Joseph
and Ross P. Andrews. Of