Putnam patriot., 1917-07-27
From the Editors Desk

From the Editor 5 Desk
 aDons Il take your proud old family name into the police court If you want t0 keep II out of the paper. Rich moud Igalifl News.
 Our brother al tae News has appaf- ently had the same worn experience as has every newspaper man from Maine to hIs California home. it k such common experience Of news paper man that il sometimes costs him an effort, with ull Of his patience and good nature, to maintain a normal temper when approached by person or friend of person who has ap p,ared before His Honor. with the re. quest that the news story, in which he Is the leading character, be withheld from the readers of the paper
 The request Is sometimes demand sometimes bribe k offered; some times there are threats. The unpleas- Antness more often happens in the smaller cities and towns where mos Of Z the citizens have a personal ac qaaintanee with the newspaper man than in the metropolitan cities where in most eases the person is nothing but name 10 the city editor who, fl the reporter sees 1t to state Inc request, Is the tribunal of last resort,
 A newspaper takes the stand that Its readers pay for its product 10 read The news ana are entitled To have il. Il gives notice from time b time when such requests are made that 10 make them Is a waste Of time. This however has no effect as each tndiFid. nai thinks that In his case Il is dif- ferent and that, as possibly he knows the reporter or the editor, he eau work one or the other for his interests.
 Within a month $ subscriber of the PATRIOT cancelled his subscription be cause the PATRIOT printed story at his relatives trial and conviction of 4 crime i'll the Superior court. lie did mol come to the office but sent "a letter in which he said that owing 10 his subscription of Iongf standing and his personal acquaintance with the staff of the paper he was greatly surprised that we should print the story con corning this relative uf his We won der fl the gentlemen has read reports of other trials in our paper We won- dar how long he would subscribe for paper that did moi print court news. and yet the report ot every trial brings the name of someone's relative before the public.
 The reason given for requesting that name be kept out ot the paper Is generally the disgrace il will bring upon the person or his family. But in their eagefness tn escape such pnbiis city the fact that the disgrace Is not in The report et proceedings h the paper but in the commission ef the aet tis- self k lost sight of. Often police court judges are appealed 10 to keep man out of jail on account of the disgrace attached to being locked gP. EHts this ihe alsgFaeeial pafI ef the tfaasaea5a2 4 man may drunkeuiy stoFgtr about our streets May IIe down 10 sleep h some,puhhe place May get Into street ofawE N8y commit any sort of act under the criminal code without considering the disgrace. Once how ever let htm be appfehended and ap pear in court and immediately he has strong sense of shame fer either atm self or family and great horror of the disgrace 1t will be 10 go 10 jail or b have his Iname appear in The paper. Had he not been caught he would have given ,liltle thought 10 any dis. grace connected with the act com milted. The disgrace of the commis sion lis not considered hut The dis efnee of getting caught and punished and of having lthe public apptised of his act, and punishment, is what he re. quests 10 be shielded from. This he sincerely ,believes to be his right.
 IL Is doubtless tsome such reasoning as this that caused our brother across ihe continent 10 print the few short lines above which, irem a newshaper mans point Of view, contain whole sermon.