Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-12-03
the NATIONAL CAPITAL
Events Of Interest from the
Seat Of Government.
BY ]. e. JONES,

Public.
II John Temple Graves, one of the
editors OF the Hearst newspapers:
Doctor Wiley, an editor of Good
housekeeping; Norman Hapgood, ed.
itor OF Harper's Weekly, and Will
irwin, the greatest of all war CORE.
spondents, are right in their views,
then there is something fundamen-
tally wrong in newspaperdom.
AT recent gathering at the Uni
versity club in Washington, attended
by the correspondent of The Wash
lngton Standard. Mr.. Hapgood de-
clared that the fact that people pur-
chase newspapers for less than they
cost was not SO bad in itself, but he
added that the way in which news
papers are supported is degrading.
This caused DR.. Wiley to remark that
the whole country is becoming a vast
eleemosynary institution and he
said, 1T was a vital question as to
how long the country might prosper
while men continued to pay one cent
copy for their newspapers while
rich advertisers contribute an addi-
tional two cents for each paper"
He pointed out that the same prin-
ciple was involved in the low prices
Of magazines and general periodicals,
and declared with some force that
1T is not the way to bring up a race
of people-not the way to put sand
in an individual; when one hundred
million people are presented their
reading matter in the way of news
papers and magazines through sys-
tenn which permits the advertisers to
foot the bills"
John Temple Graves declared that
II 1t were not for the advertisers who
pay the bills there would be no great
newspapers published in the form in
which publications are known today.
He decried the field mouse fear of the
man who advertises, which he opined
must exist in all publication Offices.
Then followed Will Irwin, who
within the past year has been en-
ployed part of the time by the Lon
don Daily Mail. He declared Amer
lean journalism to be the purest in
the world. He related how the Eng
lish people sneered 1t the great head
lines Of American newspapers. but his
worldwide experience convinced him
that the American newspaper was the
most fearless organ published. In
discussing the influence Of advertia-
ling upon the news column. he stated
that It was his observation that adj
vertising "goes best In papers which
people most believe In. He said It
was human psychology to discount
advertising in newspapers whose edt-
torial and news policy was question
able, and he cited a IN instance the
New York Evening Post with thirty
to forty thousand circulation. which
10 known to produce - great results
q many papers with two hundred and
three hundred thousand circulation.
| In the viewpoint Of Mr.. Irwin the
papers that have died out in recent
years. have almost invariably been
! publications that have been untrue -
their readers.
Mr.. Hapgood declared that the
country newspapers were one Of the
| greatest Influences in the nation. but
failed to add that they were the only
class that still sold 1t 5 cents pei
copy, the price which the quartet Of
national newspaper heroes quoted
above agreed should be charged FOL
every copy of . Newspaper In order
that it might be sold for what it wal
worth. thereby taking the paper ou'
of the "eleemosynary class" - char
acterised by Doctor Wiley.
Presidential Disturbances.
| Justice Hughes, Of the supreme
court, has ben very much exercised
over the fact that his name was piace'
ON the ballot in Nebraska. thereb.
making him a presidential candidate
against his wishes.
The Federal Mill Grinds Slow.
Somewhere we have read that tn
mills Of the gods grind slow but ex
] cedingly sure. which applied to mod
4 ern government might remind on
/ that the federal institution Is some
times discouragingly slow in gettin
| it's grinding done, and in some In
stances it is not exceeding sure" a
/ to what the result will actually be-. !
case in point is found by reference t
/ the annual report Of the secretary Q
commerce for the year 1913. wherei
he declares that ut is important ths
we should know the truth about tn
fixing OF retail prices 1t
| important that the truth be know
| lest Injustice be done, not so muc