Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-11-19

as q rule II Is simpler, easier an
cheaper 10 tell the truth than TO liz
No publication departs from the trut
reason. These reasons ar
as old as human nature; they ar
and selfishnea'
land | shall confine my
self principally to newspapers) war
The truth for the same reason that In
warp the truth. But whe'
4 newspaper or an individual persist
In untruthfulness. II or he obtains
sncccss which Ii only Fictitious, an
invariably loses Influence.
Only an endowed newspaper can x
On lying. All endowed institutions ar
under suspicion. As a rule. the news
paper lives from hand TO mouth
which is the way everybody an
everything ought to live, II he or Il !
to be kept wholesome.
Inimical 10 Truth.
What are the conditions inimical q
ruth In a newspaper?
First, political partisanship. be
leve the political party system to b
believe that in pur
democracy partisanshlp is a mistake
No man can surrender himself to ;
party or sect without undergone
moral lesion. No man can hand hi
over to an organization
and remain ethicaIly sincere. II i
that has. spotted tn
great men of America. II defeate'
Taft, who was a mighty Iovable an'
fair sort Of man. It Is the one thin
hat threatens the career OF Wood
row Wilson. And 1t hasn't done ;
hing to Theodore Roosevelt
when a. newspaper Is the known
,rgan OF n. political party. every state
nent II makes is taken at 80 per cen
,ff.
can remember the time when al
most all newspapers were political or
rams. II was considered a disgrace
lot TO be. Most of the great newspa
,ers OF the United States today have
,otten out OF this wallow.
We use,l 10 think that loyalty TO par
y was fine. II was; II was about al
inc ms. loyalty TO Emperor william
pr the car. or the king of Englans
ire fine. There is something that ].
liner, and that Is loyalty Ia humanit,
ind to the truth. That never leads
ron TO murder each other by the mil.
ions
Fruit of Party System.
And we have discovered that the
principal fruit of the party system in
america Is the prostitution of city
by the bipartisan, polti-
al. grating machine such as exists In
,hicago. II is Tammany Hall in New
FORK, and men like Cannon, Aldrich,
'enrose and Quay.
A newspaper owes fits readers an
bsolutcly independent expression OF
pinion and freedom to criticize any
ublic man.
A newspaper Should not only be
mir itself but should educate its read
RS in fairness of mind.
1t should not be consistent 1t should
ot say n thing today because 1t said
yesterday II should not expect al
rays to beagreed with. II should tell
he truth.
Secondly. a newspaper owes to Its
eadcrs that II should not be the vehi-
lc OF its owners personal aninosities
nd ambitions The American people
re rather finicky. They do not want
+, Re dominated by anybody. When
yer an owner uses his newspaper to
ont his spite against this man or
remote The ambitions of that man,
g becomes at once justly suspected
lis influence is crippled.
A newspaper owes to its readers
nat II should be independent OF class
my class. 1t should be for all men
nd all women. II should be the ono
rena of absolute democracy. Ii
hould not be for the literary and the
Eyebrow 1t should not be for the
Iums. It should not be for the rich.
should not be for the poor. II should
@ Tor all men everywhere.
The Newspaper Message.
Every newspaper has a gospel laid
own for it to preach. The twentieth
cntury says to IL: go We into all
he world and preach my gospel to
very creature" In proportion as 1t is
aithful 20 this command, ii succeeds
4 the highest sense of the word sue
ess. That gospel is democracy.
The newspaper owes to it's readers
hat it be independent of its advertis-
RS. Under the existing economic
ystem. 1t is the advertisers who pub
sh the paper. They pay for it. l.
now of no newspaper that could ex-
It merely on its subscriptions.
We are, for instance, at this time
l a peculiar situation. The war has
made the subscription list go down,
ne advertising returns to 90 down,
that the more buyers newspaper
as. the less money it makes.
The intelligent advertiser should
ppreciate the fact that his display is
ubllshed in newspaper which tells
lie truth, whether 1t steps on his toes
r not. The moment an advertiser.
any class of a5verfisote aftn,,,xxts q. 4