The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1919-02-14
Newspaper Owners FeelThere Should Be Frank
Understanding Between Government
and the Press.
Letters Tell Secretary of Injustice

Loan could have been floated at pos
sibly one-half per cent, less than it
was f1oated had properly organized
received some heavy blows
was brought to the attention of the
teasury department, but with no eff
feet. The fight for paid government
advertising received some heavy blows
even from publishers themselves, but
as time passed they began to see the
light. Despite everything, however
the country publishers buckeled on
their armor and went to their task
and to their sacrifce-soldiers of the
pen in every sense of the word.
Now the conflict is at an end. Tech
nically we are stiil in state Of war,
but the world knows that the fighting
has ended, that the battle for democ-
racy has been won. What is now to
be the attitude of the government to
the newspapers? Are country pub
fishers to rest satisfied and smile a
happy approval because some of.the
restrictions have been removed from
the conduct of their business? Are
they to accept this as a soothing pap
to wash smoothly down their throats
still further campaigns of free gov
ernment advertising?
How has the government regarded
other fields of business enterprise?
Has the government paid the men who
are in the government employ, or did
they work for nothing? Has the
government accepted without pay and
mighty good pay, any commodity OF
any kind or description from any firm
person or corporation anywhere in the
world. outside the commodity OF
newspaper advertising space? Have
.tks aru1y shoes been paid for, and
well paid for, have the army blankets
been paid for and well paid for, have
the ships and areoplanes and cannon
and guns and bayonets and other
things of this character been paid for
ard we'll paid for, has the oil indus
try been paid for its product. has
food been paid for, have the copper
magnates been paid for their copper
and the steel magnates for their steel,
has anything been made by free Ia
Dor, has the very paper on which the
ortiers have been written been paid
for, and well paid for? But who
paid for the news print paper on
which the publicity was printed, who
paid for the ink, for the presses and
other machinery to turn typewriting
into advertising?
Were newspaper publishers paid
for their time, were reporters paid,
were compositors paid, were circula-
ton men paid, were rent and over
head paid? Yes, but who paid them?
Did the government contribute one
single cent to the millions of dollar s
in advertising requested fo" the gov
ernment activities during the war?
Of all the industries and of all the
workmen whose product and whose
energies have been called to the ranks
of the home line trenches the news
paper industry and the newspaper
workers are the only ones forming
the Grand Army Of the Unpaid: Even
the actual expense involved In the
production of government publicity
was not paid for by the government.
Henry Ford Was Not Permitted to
Give Commodities Without Profit.
When.it was convenient to, the ar
eument we are advised that the news
paper is quasi-public institution.
Suppose this be granted. Are not
the railroads more than quasi-public
institutions?
When the railroads were taken
over by the government were they
taken without. compensation? The
telegraph and telephone lines are
more than quasi.public institutions.
When they were taken over by the
government, were they taken with
out compensation?
Again, when it is convenient to the
argument the quasi-public thought is
forgotten and we are told the produc-
ton of newspaper is a private en-
terprise. If this be SO, why should
the newspaper be the only private en-
terprise singled out to do work for the
government for nothing?
Has any. other private enterprise
even been asked to give its commod-
ity for nothing? When Henry Ford