The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-11-19
EDITORS ARE
ON A VACATION

very freely and truthfully on the
subject in the November number of
the Typographical Journal. Read it,:
One of the greatest, if not the
greatest need in the United States
is the conversion of newspaper edit
ors to the cause of the people.
What printer of 50 does not re
member the battles the editor of the
old home-t town paper fought for
principle In those days the editor
Of a newspaper took orders from
no one rather, he gave orders. 1t
was to him the community looked to
lead in thohght and opinion, and
those who lived under the old school
of journalism, whether he be a re-
publican or democrat, is proud to
admit that the grizzly old editor Of
the old hometown paper was the
whip of the community. His edi-
torials were the product of his own
brain and the principles he fought
for were created out of the prin-
ciples laid down by the trainers Of
the Constitution Of the United States.
He not only wrote his editorials but
he saw to it that the local pages
printed nothing contradictory to the
policy of the paper In those days
the city editor occupied his time in
getting ungarbled news matter
rather than pestering the makeup
about where to place four line
news item; in fact, the city editor
was a reporter rather than a panto-
mime 'straw boss" makeup.
But, alas, what a change thirty or
forty years has wrought. The news
paper editors of today will not stay
put any longer than a California
flea, and they are quite as elusive
Oh, yes, you can find them if you
look in the right place; so, also, you
can find the California flea if you
look in the right place. The Cali
fornia flea, after pestering the lite
out of you all day, and up to the
time of your retirement seeks
refuge in the seams Of your under
wear Look there when you dis
robe, and if you have a quick eye
and nimble fingers you will find
him. The similarity OF newspaper
editors of today and the California
flea is that they will poster you
with all kinds of principles until
they are in danger of capture. When
the time comes for disrobing theiI
principles, they seek the shelter of
the seams of big business. You will
find them there, and your mind
doesn't need the quickness and MIN
blencss to catch him that your eye
and hand does in corraling the fam
Gus acrobats of the Pacific Coast,
The modern editor, also, is somewhat
of an acrobat. He performs on
every rope the politicians stretch,
and he rides every doctrine the wind
of commercialism blows his way,
and pulls off a slight-of hand trick
when it comes to questions involv-
ing the people. The newspaper
editors know they are not giving
the people a square deal. They
know there is a battle on between
the people and big business. If they
do not, they are fools, and none of
us will accuse them of being that
But we can accuse them of leaving
the habitation of the poor and
dwelling in the high places Of the
rich and mighty. Why don't the
newspapers put the country back on
its foundation-the constitution? It's
your guess. They could do it if
they would.
The trouble with the United
States is that the Imp of Darkness
is grand marshal of the day. He
has led US from the broad principles
upon which the nation was founded
to the pigsty of commercialism and
class rights, and this Imp of Dark
ness is greed and selfishness. 1t is
quite trua we have flourished along
the way; that is, commercialism has
flourished. We have drunk deep of
the wine Of national and commercial
in fact, we have been
so bibulous that we have failed to
see the handwriting on the wall un-
til now. But it is time we began
to sober up, and get down to reali-
ties. In the words of Allyne Ire
land:
There is little justification for the
common boast that in the United
States liberty flourishes with an eX-
uberance elsewhere unknown. 1t is
not to be supposed that the intelG-
gent and informed people of the
country labor under any such mis-
taken idea; but the illusion is wide
spread, and it is only one of many
misconceptions as to the real char
acter of American life which have
been fostered by the misguided en-
thusiasm of the sentimentalists and
by the shrewd policy of the poll
ticians. Evidence accumu-
lates on every side of an approach
ing crisis not only in the political
and social life of the United States,
but in that of the world at large.
The most valuable service
which the American people can rem
der to humanity today is to come
down out of the clouds to adjust its
dogmas to the actual conditions of
life on this planet, and to accept in
regard to the operation of demo
cratic methods of government the
clear verdict of common sense in
stead of the windy assurances of
orators"
l do not believe in the doctrine of
the transmigration of the soul;
therefore, | can not believe that the
souls of the editors of the United
States have transmigrated to the
California flea. But | do believe
that the souls of newspaper men
have been taking a vacation some
where for the past ten or a dozen
years, and it is about time they
were coming back home to the peo-
Pile and their country The returns
may be a little slow, and not very
large in dollars and cents, but a
duty well done brings a satisfaction
that can only be found in the good
will of the people-not one class of
people, but of all the people. The
rood will of people is never sacri-
feed bY differences of oninion hon