The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1916-04-13
Party NeWspapeTs

There has been a great deal Of dis
cussion in the newspapers Of late as to
just what constitutes a party newspaper.
The Hillsboro, Ohio, News Herald asks
the question What constitutes a party
newspaper" and then answers it salts
Iactoriiy with the statement that the
true test Of party newspaper is that it
always stands for the fundamental prin
ciples on which the party is founded.
This is perhaps as good a definition
as could be made. As the News Her
aid states, a great many people make
the test Of a newspaper along party
line which ever set Of candidates it is
supporting from President on down 10
township trustee. But this is not al.
ways reliable test. There are great
many so-called independent newSpa'
pers in the couutry which support one
party's candidates one year, and an
other party's candidates the next year.
1t is evident that newspaper Of this
sort can be neither Republican or
Democratic,
The real Republican or Democratic
newspaper is the one which can get
back to first principles and take its
stand on the foundation stone OF the
party. OF course there are a great
many issues and they are constantly
changing. The free silver issue, the
issue Of direct legislation by the init.
alive and referendum, and the green
back issue, for instance, were much
discussed and very popular in their day.
But they were not fundamental party
questions and they hourished and de-
clined like the other tads and iancies
Of the season.
Since the civil war disposed OF
state rights there has been but one
fundamental question dividing the Re-
publican and Democratic parties, and
that the question Of tariff. II a news
paper. or individual for that matter, is
in iavor Of protecting American indus
tries and American labor, he is a Re-
publican; il on the other hand, the
newspaper or the individual believes
that the interests Of the country are
best served by introducing the compe-
lition Of foreigners into the home
market without artificial restraint, he is
a Democrat.
Here is the real difference between
the two parties. There may be party
programs Of Preparedness, upholding
the national honor" intervention OF
watchiul waiting and so on, but these
are issues Of the day only and usually
do not follow strict divisions OF party
lines.
Yet in view Of the significant fact
that the fundamental political division
today is one Of tariff, there and tn JUS
ands Of we'll meaning individuals in the
United States, many Of whom ought 10
know better. who assert that the tariff
can be taken out Of politics" by the
appointment Of mon partisan" tariff
commission. A non-partisan tariff
commission could only succeed alter
the principle Of protection or the prin-
cple OF free trade has been absolutely
deslroyeG-and then it would be omni.
partisan and not non-partsan, based
on one principle or the other. So long
a5 there exists in this country, one
considerable faction OF people which
believes that home industries and
American labor should be protected,
and another considerable faction which
asserts that tariff which restrains free
competition is immoral and uuconsti-
tulional, the talk Of non partisanship in
the tariff is foolish A mon. partisan"
commission which applied the protec.
tive principle in making rates could
be overthrown al the next election,
and one which applied ihe principle Of
revenue tariff only undoubtedly would
be-and so there you are.
But to return 10 the subject Of par
tisan newspapers. For time there
flourished a belief in this country that
At .-..,:.... ...-.-..-.--- III.