The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1920-11-17
PAPERS AND PARTIES.

4 ing, deplored the passing of the partisan"
newspaper and the growth of an independent
press" Throughout the country, newspaper max
ers exercised their right to differ with Mr. Hard
ing on the matter and have pertinently express
ed their views on the subject. The Rocky Noun
tain News says:
eve think the Senator underestimate the
good that has come through the tendency on the
part of newspapers to respond less docllely to
partisan control and to speak more freely as
knowledge of facts and conscientious under
standing impel them.
'The partisan newspaper" said the senator,
Sin it's editorial expression, uttered the consider
ed views of large element of our citizenship,
while the independent paper is often the organ
solely of it's owner it is colorlessly neutral"
"But this is hardly fair statement of the case.
Many partisan newspaper uttered the views OF
party leadership or party bosses-views too often
fashioned wholly by consideration for the interests
of the dominant party group. These views were
dressed appealingly for the consumption of the
rank and file. Untoward facts suppressed
or distorted. Readers were not helped to form
intelligent opinions.
"The Independent paper is seldom colorless. A
coorless newspaper has hard fight for exis-
tence, whereas great and prosperous independent
largely through battling vigorously for policies
and ideas which they held irrespective of party.
Newspapers which do not feel they have a
brief to defend every act of political party,
to make black appear white and white black, are
the best friends of the parties to which they lend
support; but, than that, they the tru-
est friends of America and of the public veal
No newspaper has a greater duty than to help
itc RI MI
tions. To do this, it must be nonpartsan in its
presentation of the news and sufficiently nonpar-
tisan in it's Interpretation of the news to give
scope for the exercise of its own intelligence,
freely and conscentiously"
Another view of the matter is thus presented
by the Republican Ohio State Journal:
"Our candidate came out the other day for the
strictly partisan newspaper, because, he said, it
represents considerable volume of defined public
sentiment, not merely individuals opinions.
Now, one trouble with the old-fashioned party
organ, especially, should think, from the
didate's viewpoint, is that it has influence-it
makes no votes. 1t doubtless is pleasant for a
candidate to open his paper to the editorial page
morning after morning, knowing that he will
read that every thing his party stands for and
everything he himself does or says is inspired by
the oftiest and purest ideals of enlightened
craftsmanship, while all the positions of the 9th
party and all the outgivings of its candidate
are straight from the hobs of hell. That sort
of thing, of which, slow the processes of evo-
luton are, there is vastly less than there used to
be, doubt pleases the candidate, and it pleases
also the earnest partisans who believe it. But
they all would vote the ticket anyway. It's
weakness from the strictly practical standpoint
is that it alienates rather than wins the voters
who not hidebound in their party allegiance,
who may be won over to one candidate the 9TH
er by fair and honest arguments"