The Belding banner-news., 1921-10-19

The cement that keeps the people OF
these country communities together,
working and thinking along uniformly
sane and safe lines, that makes of
them that substantial solidity" on
which world civilization can rely for
a foundation. is the country press
the village. the small town and the
small city newspaper.
Country Paper Wholesome.
The country newspaper goes TO its
readers devoid Of that SensatiOnalism
that is so prominent in the metropoli
tan papers II carries to It's readers
the news items that represent the joys
and sorrows Of their friends and
neighbcrs. and keeps the hearts OF the
people OF the community heating i'm
unison. Ii goes 10 its readers with
that sane and kindly advice on local.
state. national and world problems
advice that is the result OF thought
and study beside the hcarthstones of
the nation. and not in the selfish marts
of trade or the hrightlights of city
frivolty II goes with the influence
OF a known and respected member of
the community-itS editor back OF its
every word. it's every opinion. Ii goes
10 a people. the people Of the country
communities and The farms. that are
more capable ~ thinking along sane,
unselfish and practical lines than are
those who are surrounded by the
selfish and many times evil influences
Of the large cities.
But the influence OF the country
newspaper goes far beyond the COM
munity in which il is printed. Ma
tional legislators In the halls Of con
gress realize that this influence is "A
power to he reckoned with. That
when the country press speaks in uni
son on any national subject il is but
voicing the sentiments Of that mighty
force the people Of the country com
munities. the people i'm whose hands.
says Mr.. Balfour. rests the destiny of
world civilization.
Fights for Entire Country.
The country press represents and
fights for those things that are Of
value 10 the country communities,
realizing that in doing SO II is fighting
for those things that are hest for the
nation aud for the world. II works
and fights TO upbuild the country com
munity. to prevent its falling prey
10 the selfish greed OF the cities. II
champions the business the social, the
educational, the agricultural. the In
duStrial interests of the country com
munity not from any selfish angle. but
from the broader viewpoint Of ma
tiOnal good.
Some three or four months ago
there was before Congress bill on
which the press of the country was
divided The magazines, the big ma
iional weeklies, the farm press and
the metropolitan daily papers were on
one side and the country newspapers
were on the other side. The passage
OF the bill would mean creating an op-
poriunity for a greater Capitalization
of the merchandising of the nation In
few large cities with consequent
injury TO the small cities and towns,
uHu 10 the people OF THESE cltles anu
towns and the farms surrounding
them. The country press fought for
the defeat Of the bill, and in the end
the members of the committee in
whose hands the fate of the bill rested
listened to the country press because
they realized that the welfare of these
country communities represented the
best interests OF the nation as
whole, and the bill was killed.
During our participation In the
World war the country press stood