Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-07-19

that they are paying exorbitant prices
and that the goods sold here are net
I'D to standard, are, indeed, pretty punk
material anyway.
That is the assumption Of the public
fault finder who sees all sorts Of grow.
ing evils and spreading cussedness, but
does not get deep enough to md the
cause or to suggest a remedy. If we
had not known of Mr.. Pagan we should
have suspected him Of being a lick
spittle for some railway organization,
attempting to secure selfish advantage
for that side in the present contro-
versy; or we might have expected him
to open up with neutral summary
of the case all in favor Of the unions.
1. is being done every day by men less
gifted than The Railway Signalman."
When Mr.. Pagan can show that he
has real goods to give or sell he can
find takers among editors. but they are
too busy to bother with every faker
actually is scheming to get something
for nothing. Mr.. Pagan seems to be
nourishing a grudge against the news
papers because he had to prove up.
make good, show that he was not max
ing charges that had no basis. was not
libeling an industry, when he began
talking about railroad accidents.
Mr.. Pagan says: My point from be-
ginning to end then is that the press
today is not publishing in sufficient
volume the Industrial and manufac-
turing news" For Mr.. Fagan's bene
fit we would suggest that there are
sufficient publications devoted wholly
to industrial and manufacturing news
to keep him reading all the time. If
our readers were interested in such
publications they would subscribe for
them. They are not; they demand the
sort of newspaper we are making for
them. We are making it that way be-
cause our subscribers ask for that kind
Of paper. We are largely controlling
the space by charging for it, so that
columns may be retained for the news
and for the advertising which keeps
our readers informed on where goods
may be found and who is giving the
best bargains Advertising is the soul
of competition.
Mr.. Fagans logic and philosophy
are good. The only fault with them is
that they are founded on false premise.
He doesn't know what he is talking
footing.
| And he seems to think he is abso
lutely right and just in assuming that
he is not trespassing on our rights
when he demands our product free on
which to advertise against US; on
which to tell our patrons that the fab
ric for which they pay is shoddy And
he resents it (and SO do some Of his
friends) because we defend our posi-
ton from our defamers after being
good sports" enough to grant the first
unrea sonable request.
Why does Mr.. Pagan think it is
perfectly all right" to defame an in
dustrial organization, through it's own
than the exercise of the suspicious
which he puts out as facts Simply
because it is newspaper: no other
industry would be expected to be fool
enough to assist in its own opposition.
We have not said, as Mr.. Pagan as
serts, that ''paidfor space is the
newspapers stock in trade" We said
that SPACE is the newspapers stock
in trade, and if it cannot sell its stock
it cannot live. We said. and we re-
peat, that if industrial or manufactur
ing concerns have something to sell,
let them pay for selling it. If one
seeks advantage over another, it is not
the newspa per's job to secure it for
them. The newspaper may not be able
to judge, in a controversy, which IS
right and which is wrong. netimes
it is necessary for the courts to de-
eide. The press should not presume to
give more than what it knows to be
facts. It's readers are entitled to the
facts, they will be deceived If more is
given.
Again We say. if railroads or broth
erhoods have something to say to the
public, to obtain the public sympathy
for their side, let them say it at their
own expense, and SIGN it. Then the
reader can get both sides, understand
who is responsible for it. and dra "
his own conclusions
Mr.. Fagan's grasp Of the publicity"
question and the modern newspaper &
function" is childlike. He should con-
fine himself to subjects Of which he
has practical knowledge, such as rail-
road accidents.
Ia - 49,, -