Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-04-13
Newspaper Editorials.

Newspaper Editorials.
The Greenwood Journal, n Of the
most excellently edited newspapers
that come to our exchange table, has
of late been discussing the subject of
the proper conduct Of the editorial
page of a newspaper.
Our contemporary has touched upon
the strong and forceful, the honest
and sincere, the weak and inane, the
negative and c%olorless, and the vicious.
and it seems to think that above all
the editorial page Of the newspaper
should be vigorous, honest and fear
less.
We have been reading what our
contemporary has had to say, as we
always do, with a good deal Of inter-
est, and while it has done much to
compel thought, the highest and best
result Of any editorial, 1t does not APP
pear to us hat it began its reasoning
from he proper premises.
To begin with, Of course the subject
Is as boundless as the blue and to wan
der into a discussion Of it at random
would be like taking a go off in a Yep
pelin with the controlling throttle not
in good working fix; but still the sub
ject Is a legitimate n and has been
legitimately handled by our contem-
porary.
AS to what an editorial page should
be like, in our opinion depends entire
ly upon the object Of the publication
of the paper, and that is what 1t will
be like. There are papers and papers
with all kinds of objects. and some
with no object at all; but in each and
every case the editorial page, If there
is one, will clearly indicate what the
paper stands for and II there Is no
editorial page, it is safe to assume that
the paper stands for nothing.
Take up the great New York news
paper for instance, and 1t will be
found that each has its distinguishing
characteristics. The Herald is pre-
eminently a newspaper depending
mainly for it's patronage and prestige
on its ability to get there first with
the most news of interest to the most
people. It's editorial page though not
weak, is generally about as near color
less as a newspaper can well be. The
Sun excels both through its news and
editorial pages, stands strongly for
capitalism as against all other issues,
politically, socially and otherwise, n
is about as vigorous editorially as a
can we'll be. So strongly
is it on the side of capitalism that it
cannot see any possible good in any
suggestion leaning otherwise. The
Times is carefully edited as to both
news and opinion. 1t is devoted to
industrial. financial, scientific and ed
vocational uplift and is a great, clean
newspaper appealing to an intellect
ual constituency from the average up.
The World is probably the most gen.
timely democratic newspaper In the
United States. Its tone Is not quite
so high as that of the Times, but it's
honesty and integrity is no less. 1t
stands more especially for the great
middle classes, and would lift the
humber classes up rather than keep
them down, AS would the Sun. Edi-
torially it is quite powerful. The
American is a demagogic political
sheet with lots Of energy, but little
principle, and always practicing the
policy that any kind of means justif1es
the end. The Tribune is a high class
political paper, something after the
same general character as the Times.
except that it has always been consist
emily Republican just as the Times
has always been consistently Demo-
cratic.
But it is South Carolina newspapers
that our friend the Greenwood Jour-
nal, has in mind. and it Is Of condi-
tions in this state, no doubt, that it
would have us write.
Somehow we do not believe any edi-
tor is capable Of making Of his edito-
rial page just any old thing he may
want to make of it. There is such a
thing us partizan and biased editorial
pages, strong and weak pages, vicious
and mendacious pages; but none Of
these count for much except in pro-
portion to their truthfulness and hon-
eSty.
No editor can write with a great
deal of force except where he is writ
ing from his heart and writing what
he believes is the righteous truth. He
can do some temporary harm by de-
liberately writing what he knows to
be false, and ne will do less harm hon.
estly writing what he mistakenly be-
lieves to be the truth; but when he is
honestly telling the real truth he is
developing genuine power.
Editorial pages, as IL rule are not
as effective as they might be, and the
reason is not so much because the ed
itors are not honest as because they
are too much hampered to nave free
rein. Nowadays most newspapers
are owned and controlled by interests
that have definite and particular ends
to accomplish, and the editor must
subordinate all else to accomplish
those ends. He is frequently estOpped
from saying things he would say, or
compelled to say things he would not
say. Where the editor owns and con-
trolls the paper over which he %presides
he often holds back that which he
should publish because the publication
might contrary the interest of others
i'm whom he is interested.
There is probably no such a thing
as an ideal editorial page, an absolute