The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-04-03
oLD H AND NEW

The retirement of Col. Henry Watterson from the position
Of editor emeritus of the Louisville Courier Journal sewers
entirely the flimsy thread that for several years has bound hin
to the field of daily journalism.
He is fortunate in that he is able to spend the remainder o
his days free from care, in comfort and in accordance with The
habits OF simplicity which men OF moderate circumstances art
accustomed to cultivate. Relieved OF the daily grind, he will b.
able to write as his mood suggests, and whatever he writes will
be of interest and in demand. No doubt some of the magazine.
will pay him as much for a series OF articles, written in th
course of a week, as his yearly salary amounted to in the past
That the country will continue to hear from him occasionally i
a matter of qualification, but as a newspaper editor he is NJ
more. But what a heritage OF wealth in tradition he leave
behind!
The newspapers of the present day are entirely differen
from what they were when he was in his prime In those day.
the news was written without color or bias. The news was
record of events that had %transpired, a story of things that were
happening, and altogether a clear and an accurate account, writ
ten for the information OF the reader and without effort t
influence him. The editorials contained the views OF the papers
They discussed issues, merits and dement's. Public opinion was
swayed back and forth by the great minds that welded the pen.
in the editorial sanctums of his early days,
It'll is scarcely necessary to compare the style of journalism
Of that day with the style Of the present day, News stories are
too often written in line with the policy Of the paper. The news
columns too often are filled with the venom that inspires class
and factional distrust and hatred. The editorials. instead Of
being constructive, are often denunciatory.
Under the direction OF men who gave thought to the issue,
OF the day, the newspapers in former years were factors If
nolding public opinion. The men who controlled the policies o.
papers found their greatest field in serving the public but the
opportunity was too inviting for the special interests to over
look. They began to get control OF a paper here and there. The
welfare of the public was lost sight of in the service of a master
The injury to the newspaper as an influential factor ha.
been %irreparable since the selfish interests began to reach thei
tentacles into what was formerly regarded as a sacred precinct
The result has been to remove the newspapers from the hgl
pedestal Of public esteem, and the consequent loss of influenc,
upon the public mind. 1t is not that all the press has beer
corrupted, but that the few horrible examples OF a subsidized
press have come to be cited as the rule. rather than as at
exception.
A little while ago the liquor interests spent money lavish,
upon the newspapers; the railroads prosecuted advertising cam
paigns for no especial purpose except to be known as pooc
spenders, and other propagandists bought papers outright
Those things, happily, are in the past-recent, we admit, but
With ~ nfpcpact pG rat,,rn FOE tbD .oA,a, IlA4 A. .I H. &c.
~eradicated at the root. But the newspaper with the corporate
affliaton and the corporate leaning is still with us, sometimes
influential, but valued for its worth to the public or condemned
for its subtle efforts to serve a selfish interest.
Eventually the pendulum will swing back. The influence o.
such men as Col, Watterson will not disappear with their pass
ing from the arena OF journalistic activity. The demand already
is beginning to be heard for a press with no entangling alliances
with no sordid interests to serve. Whenever the demand is
strong enough it will be needed, and the press will resume its
former eminence and its lost influence,
The public is not entirely blamcless for the deterioration n
the morals Of the daily press. To some extent the policy ha,
been sanctioned by an attitude of Indifference, But the newspape,
OF the future, to be successful or to continue to be successful
must be independent Of outside influence. It must stand fo
the things that are right and Just and equitable. and it's mission
must be to serve the people and establish itself as a sentinel t
guard their rights to the exclusion OF every unworthy ambition
Another reason tor the diminished respect the people have
for newspapers is the lack Of respect that newspapers have fol
each other. In the days when editors smashed their wa,
through opposing parties and iaycd each other with mastery
logic there was no place in their vocabulary or in their column,
for bllingsgate and vituperauon for each other,
Col Watterson has engaged in many newspaper contro
VERSES He has crossed swords, or lanceS, or pens, or whatever
the old-time editor used before typcwritcrs became the vogue
with some OF the strongest men in the nation. Always III,
adversanes met the issue sQuarely. ALWAYS they looked for tn,
weakness IN the armor OF the opponents logic. Those old-tim,
battles were contests OF wits and minds and OF mental resource
fulness.
Imagine Col Watterson engaging in an argument with
present-day editor OF the yellow variety. He would probably
be called the tool OF whatever element he happened to be il
agreement with; his newspaper would he designated as 9Th,
organ, and the thought and time he might devote to a discus
sion OF principles would be met with abuse.
Is 1t any wonder that he rccNoni7ce +L,. I.
arrived tor his retirement: Before the last OF the old schoo, ~
journalists shall have passed away the modern newspaper sho,l
TAKE an account OF the things that made the od(ashioned news
paper a power for good, and the things that have tcnlo1 -
undermine the confidence the public once had in the nrcs,
y a question that deserves to be considered from manrv ,,olo'
Hungary is not to be enyied. She has Bolsheyism IN +h
one hand and starvation on the other. II is time for tboso ~,
otner starving people to go to work and raise something f, o.,
lhere arc indications that the peace conference ns ,..1--