Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-08
Tells the International Press
Congress Highest Stand
ards Are Found Here.
SOCIAL LAW MAKES FOR
HONEST REPRESENTATION
Moral Tone of Advertisements
Claimed to Be Loftier in United
States Than Elsewhere.

SAN FRANCISCO. July S.-Talcott
Williams. director of the school Of
Journalism on the Pulitzer Foundation
in Columbia University. addressed the
International Press Congress. Panama
Pacific exposition, here today. on The
Public and the Advertisement. He
spoke. in part, as follows:
The American advertisement in the
past half century has made an advance
greater than in all It's history before
through the pressure of public opinion,
the increased vigilance of the Ameri-
can newspaper and the higher stand
ards of the solicitor and advertiser.
Criticism of the weight and influence of
the advertisement in the American
newspaper today overlooks this adj
vance, and forgets the greater weight
and influence of the advertisement in
past poverty-stricken days of the news
paper when leading newspapers freely
accepted advertisements. which the
worst would not print today. and nor
ace Greeley publicly wrangled over
official advertising which carried with
it political subserviences
Moral Advance in Advertising.
THE moral advance of the advertise
ment began with the futile attempts
to exclude lottery notices three-quar-
tiers of a century ago, only successful
when our leading newspapers took up
the fight Through a steadily improv-
ing newspaper practice, public reform
and more stringent laws. exclusion or
censorship, once applied only to the
lottery, has widened to medical. f1nan-
cial. commercial, employment and I'M
moral advertising. The largest share
of this advance has come in this CEN
fury, and steadily spreads with every
year Any man who will compare
American advertisements with those OF
the English, French, German. ana oeher
European newspapers Will find that our
press and our public, not apart but To-
gether, have raised the moral standards
of our newspapers to level nowhere
else maintained Much demanded ana
racticed here has never even been at
tempted elsewhere.
Truth in the Advertisement.
Truth in the advertisement is more
and more enforced under social law
which in all Jurisprudence. age by age.
| imposes heavier penalties and wider
sanctions on all written agreements
which affect value. So forgery. once
| a narrow and specific crime. protecting
records affecting payments. The buy
er has an increasing protection at law.
The same social law will bring the
| newspaper, the advertiser and his
agent to a more exact account. This
| has been first required here in Amer
| lea because the American public has
| been the frst as its laws and its news
| papers show, to see that the advertise
| ment, which began as the tool OF trade.
has become the weapon OF democratic
| institutions.
THE voluntary recruiting of England
| has been won through the advertise
ment. The industrial reorganization of
English society for war has employed
here has become the one medium
| through which all causes can command
all publicity. News. opinion and adver-
Using make the newspaper. News
comes of events. 1t is created BY
news In every issue. it moves with
| the news as its text The editorial Is
representative of those who read the
! newspaper, led and expressed by those
| who conduct it, at once leading and
serving their public. No daily news
paper can or should be far ahead of its
| public or of the news.
Ground Open to All.
THE advertisement is the open
ground on which causes. trades, corpo-
| rations. charities and churches can
reach all the public at all times, and
educate it.
| Every year sees in this field larger
expenditure, wider appeal and Il more
general use of the advertisement to thl!
end. AS the state RENTS taxation OF
church and school, so the newspaper
should give free publicity to these ant
like objects, but only as the state re-
mits taxes where there is no CONNER
cial return. AS the state does not sup
port or aid the aggressive growth Of
causes and corporations should openly
fight their battles in the advertisement
| a freer, more efficient, more manly ano
more honest method than begging pub
licity, getting 1t by influence or main
| tanning a lobby.
OF Increasing Importance.
| advertising under this great change
is to become of increasing Importance
| Its writing has become calling. It's
business is yearly showing higher
standards, and never displayed more
| business honesty. The mora! censor
| ship of the advertisement will rise ano
| grow more rigorous. The use Of the ad'
vertisement to bring all causes ant
| pleas before the tribunal of the people
| will grow Churches. education, causes
| corporations nut turn TO this agency
or the public will turn from them. The
| newspaper must keep Its columns
worthy of this new task and remember
| that all free publicity which should
pay is an unjust tax on the publicity
| which pays. The advertiser must un-
derstand that every dubious advertise
| ment decreases the cash value OF every
| other advertisement.