Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-06-29

70
time pay the bills. 1t is slow work, II
is hard work, and largely it is an al.
most thankless work.
Time and experience have shown
that the editor who works for the hire
of selfish, business, financial or politi-
cal interests, is invariably unequal to
the task Of making a success Of the
proposition. 1t is only the born news
paper man who will succeed, and he
succeeds because he feels within his
soul that he has a call. He counts moi
the cost, but works in season and out
of season. often putting the labor OF
| two days in one, and often denying
himself even ordinary physical COM
forts rather than jeopardize his mission
Among the fifteen units that go to
make up the Daily Press of South Car
olina there are several in the class
have been trying to describe. There
is one in Greenwood, one in Anderson
and one in Sumter. I am not familiar
with the dailies Of Orangeburg and
Florence, and do not care to speak OF
them with so much assurance. 1t Is
not my desire to hold out those that
have commended so highly as being
absolutely perfect, because I know
there is no such thing as perfection In
any Of us. But taken as a whole, ]
consider that these papers try to give
due regard to all the highest require
ments of true journalism, which re-
quirements as understand them are,
first quality, quantity, reliability, COM
prehensiveness of their news columns
and, second, generosity, liberality,
breadth, lucidity and soundness OF
their editorial pages.
It has been said on the stump and
elsewhere, that the daily press OF
South Carolina has lost its infiu-
ence"; but I do not agree as to the
correctness of that statement. In my
view Of the matter, the daily press of
has ever had; but it has never had as
much as it ought to have. The reason
is that a large section Of it has always
been too blindly partisan, too selfish
and too unfair. This section has never
been able to appreciate the functions
Of true journalism. Either that, or 1t
has persisted in wilful disregard Of
those functions While not to be
commended, on any ground, an unfair
partisan press, even though all Of 1t
be on one side, is better than no press
at all. It exercises direct influence
for good, though it be in a negative
manner. But an unfair, partisan press,
whether on one side or both sides, is
not to be compared with a fair
non-partisan press, for many reasons,
not the least among them being that
because Of the angry passions the un-
fair partisan press stirs up, people are
the slower to accept the truth, even
after they have been brought to see 1t.
The smaller local dailies to which I
have already referred in a general
way, are not to be discounted from the
standpoint Of influence, because Of the
necessarily circumscribed area Of their
respective circulations Mainly be-
cause Of the sterling quality Of their
journalism, and partly because weaker
newspapers are less able than the
stronger ones to pay the penalties OF
deliberate unfairness, their reports and
sayings are generally we'll considered
and we'll balanced. 1t is a rare thing
that any newspaper ever gives express
sion to the living truth in vain. There
Is always some agency to take 1t up
and carry it on. If the larger dailies
or the weeklies, through inadvertence,
or even prejudice, overlook their really
useful contributions to the public well
fare, those contributions will continue
on their way nevertheless If it is
through no swifter vehicle than word
of mouth. 1t is a fact that many of
the brightest, as we'll as the most sem
sible ideas of the day come from the
small dailies. and though these ideas
may be appropriated by the larger
dailies without credit and without
compunction, their good work goes
on all the same.
1 cannot accept the doctrine that
the daily press is without influence.
am free to say, however, that all of
its influence Is not always for good;
also that whenever the influence OF
the daily press is not for good, the
fault is with the daily press itself
There is no profession in which the
demands Of truth and Righteousness
are more pressing than in journalism
and in journalism, as in other profess
sions, there are individuals who do not
measure up. The true journalist is
not prohibited from using his office
for his own personal benefit; but the
true journalist will not do such q
| thing. The true journalist is not pro-
hibited from using the confidence his
| readers may have in him for the ben
Il Gilt VI pul llS uC JUL
nalist will not do such a thing. The
true journalist is not prohibited from
capitalizing his talents and abilities
into political preferment, but the true
journalist will not do such a thing
And never, under any circumstances
will he deliberately and Intentional
ly, for his own purposes, suppress
political or other news that any con.
siderable number Of his readers have
a right to read. The true journ-
alist feels that his sole mission III
life is to promote the public vel.
fare along broad, unselfish lines
and anything that he can accomplish
in that direction is ample compensa-
tion, far above personal, social or po-
litical influence, and far above the
honors or emoluments Of public office
And the journalist who pitches his
conduct along these lines will never
exert any influence except for good.
You agreed with me, my friends