The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-05-09
ARE NOW BLAMING
a NEWSPAPER

~ N IN w DI al Eh
In the last issue of this paper we
took occasion to say that members OF
the Republican county central com
mittee and members of the board or
commissioners are justifying the de-
Law in asking the assessor to resign,
because he had been neglecting his
duties for so long or that he mad
been violating and disregarding the
law for SO long in the conduct of his
office.
Some of them on reading our
article said, "Well, we read 1t in a
county newspaper that it ought to
have been aired during the campaign
or let 60 until the next campaign,
and they think because they read IT
in their paper that it must neces-
sarily be sound and, true.
If they have such reverence for
the statements in the newspaper, peo-
pie wonder why they paid so little
attention to the other statements
that the assessor was disregard1ng
vital parts of the law every day IN
the year and that such action was
wrecking the county finances and de-
preciating our county warrants.
an One is apt to think that they pay
attention to what they see in news
paper when it suits them to do so,
and when it does not suit them they
say, "Oh we'll, that is only news
paper talk"
Local Editor
DeceiVes .,
In short speech made to the two
city councils last Tuesday evening
regarding the work of the press 1t
was said that all editors are human,
and that it is very much better for
public if business is conducted in
such way as to leave all editorial
expression free from the temptation
which business considerations are
constantly throwing about 1t; that
news matter and editorial expression
can be colored in such way as to
misinform the public and to corrupt
the public mind, and in dividing the
city printing equally between the
newspapers it takes away the temp
tation and makes it easy for the pub
fishers to "shoot square" and say
exactly what they think ought to be
said Here is case exactly In point:
When the tax commission finished
its labors and read it's report to the
county central committee in the pres
ence of the county commissioners and
two members of the local press, there
was no chance for any misunder-
standing of the facts. One editor
present pressed the matter of public
ity upon their consideration and they
very reluctantly and at the last mo-
ment, consented to let the press have
copies of the report for publication.
Perhaps the reason they consented
was that one of the publishers pres
ent had in his possession all the
questions and answers the tax COM
mission had used and made their no.
tations upon while doing their work,
and if the committee made any eff
fort to suppress the report as 1t
seemed many of them wanted to do,
it would be just like him to publish
all the questions and answers in his
old newspaper and hang the original
documents up in his office windows
to show people they were genuine.
With this kind of prospect staring
them in the face, at the last moment
they ordered the report of the tax
commission released for publication
and copies passed to the publishers
present.
Coloring Tax
Report
Now to show how the coloring pro-
cess operates, one paper published In
its next issue, statement of its own
indicating what the report would say
if it were published, and misinter-
preted the report so that the con-
clusion of the reader would be that
the assessor was exonerated. Then
after that had had time to sink in,
they published the verbatim report,
but accompanied it with an editorial
saying that others were to blame
rather more than or as much as the
assessor; that the people had known
all along, exactly what the assessor
was doing and had reelected him by
an overwhelming majority which was
their expression of approval OF his
work. 1t made the statement that
the assessors doings were matters OF
common knowledge and that ut is
childish to say that people did not
know about it,"
Startling Dis
closures
If that newspaper knew about it,
and knew 1t so we'll that it believes 1t
would be childish of anyone to claim
not to have understood it during the
last campaign, that puts the news
paper referred to in a bad light or 1t
puts Malcom's political party In a
bad light. II they knew these things
and reelected him with knowledge
OF what this paper has revealed thru
the two dozen chapters published on