The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-08-02
BOUQUETS AND BRICK-BATS
(By the Editor


In newspaper parlance q bouquet
is a compliment and brick-bat is
kick. A newspaper that Is con-
Quoted in such way that 1t receives
only a few bouquets and brick-bats
is a paper that never amounts to
much. Anybody can operate paper
that way if'he can publish accounts
Of what happens and never have any
opinions of his own, or, having opin-
ions, always defer to the wishes of
others to escape their opposition.
1t is easy to get brick-bats, and
the paper that gets them in plenty
and never gets the bouquets, is prob
ably wrong. But whether the pub
fisher is right or wrong, he will in
variably get the brick-bats first and
the bouquets will come later il they
come at all. A man with kick never
hesitates about making himself
heard, but the man who is pleased
is apt to keep his thoughts to him
self till there is convenient op-
portunity or until he finds out
whether others agree with him be-
fore he says much. If that kind Of
man were publishing a newspaper
he would find out what other people
thought before he wrote on public
questions, and then he would merely
reflect public opinion, or the opinions
of those he conferred with. He
would receive few bouquets and few
brick-bats because he would always
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The publisher who has pronounced
opinions about public questions and
who is never satisfied until he gets
them out of his system into the press
is the man who gets the brick-bats
whether right or wrong In his Opin-
ions. If he has the clear vision and
keen insight based ON right prin-
ciples, If he passes judgment on
every problem according to principle
and not according to convenience,
or persons involved, or his own
selfish interests or those Of his par
ticular circle that he seeks to please,
he may always say what he thinks
and always have great numbers
against him at first glance, and yet
have most of them with him when
they have had time to get his broader
view. The bricK-bats will turn into
roses in such instances, and he must
be content to stand the censure and
wait for the public conscience to
catch up with his.
| have had considerable experience
with brick-bats, and I. have had
enough of roses to heal all the
wounds the brick-bats made. / could
not have said that three or four
years ago, and l can tell you some
thing that seems funny to me now,
but was no joke in years gone by.
have had good conservative men
tell me would never succeed in the
newspaper work until l got down
to business and operated a paper like
other local papers do. In recent
years hundreds of people have told
me they take my paper because it is
different.
In years gone by have had close
friends ask me to sell out or give
up the editorial work and get my
personality out of the paper so ii
would have chance to succeed.
/ have had my own employees,
some of them, say that if / would
stay away from the office and just
send in my writings, the business
would 60 along better.
l have had good printers tell me
that if thought printing house
could be kept looking spic-and-span
like a drawing-room, and still get
the work done and be successful
had another think coming.
I have had people come to me and
tell me that unless l separated my
self from the business and took the
position of silent partner with no
visible connection with it, the bust
ness would go to the dogs.
/ have had people pat me on the
back and tell me they liked my paper
because l always said exactly what
thought, and that seemed to get
the facts before I spoke. l have
had some of those same people quit
the paper and say they wouldn't
have it in the house. I have known
those same people to borrow every
issue of the paper till they got their
temper smoothed out, and then come
back laughing and declare they
wanted the paper again whether they
liked all I said or not. l have had
people say that they hated me cor
daily, but that they were taking my
paper to see what would say next.
There were many years when a
good many people claimed that had
very little to do with the paper, and
that was the errand boy for the
folks who controlled it. There were
many more years when it was said
that lawyer or two in Blackfoot
wrote all the editorials. There are
folks who say now, that whenever
there is good editorial in the Re-
publican, it was written by Mrs.
Trego.
used to have a competitor in
business, who was always wondering
why Trego got hold of all the good
help and he always got those who
were not SO good. His employees
were always in a humor to quit, and
mine stayed on for years.
have made the statement many
times that when I am canvassing the
country I get an average of eight
new subscribers day thru all kinds
Of weather and among all kinds of
people. have had competitors say
that this was not true; that they