The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-10-15
(Mrs. M. Kinney

II there be none, never mlnd II.
The artificial evils of the Bing-
ham county press for the past fif-
teen years, as set forth in your
articles, Forty Reasons Why" are
evils that have sprung from want OF
thought and consideration of the
public need, and thought and con-
sideration must necessarily find a
remedy somewhere.
1t may be from a thinking public,
but frankly believe it can only
come from thinking editor. There
is q wretched habit which is far too
prevalent in this town, and particu-
larly am sorry to say among highly
educated persons, of regarding all
editors" with suspicion, giving them
an uncomplimentary epithet usually
with a sneer. Perhaps the Forty
Reasons Why, explains this-per-
haps not.
Newspaper work ought to be and
is an honorable occupation and the
public should seek to honor and ele-
vate it. The business has a large
scope of possibilities and is very
practical and necessary to the pub
lie at large. have heard of public
men who say they never read the
newspapers, but to most mortals that
kind of abstinence is very difficult.
The newspaper cannot be ignored.
Nowadays all the world is on tiptoe,
curious and wide awake. To salts
fly this, one glance at a. newspaper
brings the people in touch with the
pulsations of great events, and every
quality of humanity, and the ever
changing panorama of war, pestil-
ence and famine is exposed and
made clear. Newspapers are no
longer a luxury. When editors are
awake to their opportunities for do
ing good and the marvellous influ-
ence they have, they should feel
their responsibility more and earn
~estly seek promotion in civil trust,
respect and esteem by doing just
those things-be they great or small
that stand for the right always.
The world\is thinking as never be-
fore, the props of every profession
are giving away and today men are
being weighed and tested by their
real value.
The props Of the newspaper work
in Bingham county for the past fif-
teen years, as stated in Forty Rea-
sons Why, "<are, let us hope, only a
memory and the sooner we forget
them~the better. 1t is the editor
who always receives the blame for
such policies that have been carried
out, and in my judgment it is placed
where it belongs. The public is so
erring and scattered, so diversified
and heartless that no true editor
will be meat-rind means to their
winding and scheming ways. 1t is
the man behind the gun who takes
the aim. If the editors fail to do
their duty, the bulls-eye is never
hit. The conditions of the news
paper service can only be relieved by
the efforts or combined energies of
the various editors. They need not
fear failure, their service is too
much public need-vitally so-and
is for them, and them only to meet
this need and make it more urgent.
do not believe in violent changes
nor do l expect them. What a we'll
organized press could do for this
county looms too far in the distance
to be made clear, but it is what high
efficiency and service demands.
Editors will have to take another
grasp on the public interest and to
such an extent that it will hold.
The public must do it's part in
establishing satisfactory and re-
sponsible service by being less crit
lcal and arrogant. 1t is compare
lively easy for the public to criticise
the editors who are struggling to
please, but far better thing is to
plunge in and try to do something
and bring some definite thing to pass
which will be for the good of ALL
By being in sympathy with the times
and resting on the great principle of
the Golden Rule, the public can aid
in solving this weighty PROBLEM of
the press, and help in a large de-
gree to have the mistakes, the
failures and the ridicules of the
past forgotten. But in my opinion
the greatest part of the burden lies
with the editors, and when they do
not make a line between people who
are influential and those who are
not, when they do not fall into the
cant of treating public questions as
moral questions when they are not
so, when they are in sympathy with
their age and country, when they
acknowledge their mistakes and pay
honor to men only who deserve
it, when they possess courage and
fidelity, when they can maintain with
dignity and firmness their work as
public censor, and when they are
capable Of not perverting the powers
of the press to ambition and greed
and desire for gold, their life and
purpose will be constant movement
toward higher and nobler advance
ment and one of the greatest vic
tories of modern times will be