Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-06-06
ELKIN TALKS ON
COUNTRY EDITOR
Kentucky Press Association in
Session at Danville for An
nual Summer Meeting
i, tpy associated I,ress)

country editor has inherited the
mantle of the intellectual giants
of journalism Of the past and in
the aggregate he wields COM
!blned influence as great as that Of
1.-THE older personal Journalists, r.
L. Elkin, editor of the Lancaster
Record, and president of the
Kentucky Press Association, de-
clared in his annual address to the
midsummer meeting of the asso-
citation here today. He declared
that the editor knows the public
opinion of his community and cit
ed instances where this had been
proved.
Mr.. Elkin urged his hearers,
who edit country papers, to safe
guard the great inhcrital. &C that
had come down to them from
Greeley, Bowles, Wattcrson and
others Of the elder generation of
editors. "The power of the met
ropolitan press he said. SIS not
SO Srong as when dominated by
these. intellectual giants, save for
the fact that rapid strides in news
gathering, commercial journalism
and subscription policies have
brought more readers" !,
lie said in part: "Thc day oil
personal journalism is past. By
personal journalism, | mean the
control of a paper by a single
dominant personality as Greeley
controlled the New York Tri-
bunc; Bennett the Herald; Bow
les tie Springfield Republican.
and Watterson the Courier Jour
nal. These men we're the most
influential of their time in mould
ing public opinion
"The only survivors Of tins sys-
tenn arc the editors OF tho 'cOun-
try papers, with small cirCt alton
but coming closely TO eau read
er. they WELD a combined innu-
cncc as great rs that Of the oldc'
personal journalists.
I'VE have fallen heir TO great
heritage to be safeguarclcd Our |
is the duty to fulfill. not to dc
atroy. Editors have, or Shoul' !
have, d greater influence on tn |
character Of government tha'
can be exercised by lcgislativ,
bo'ics. however we'll organized
because the editor helps max
public opinion Of which the lcgis
Iator is only The exponent. All
editors Office should be rcgardc'
as public trast and his worI
should be for the common good
rather than TO allow his reader,
to be swaycd by momcntary pre-
iudicc or public interest.
Journalism is an art in which
a man must keep his mind fixed
upon his object, to learn to cir
cumvcnt the obstacles, never los
ing sight of the direction in
which he is moving The men
who, by putting questions clear
Iy to the community, by insisting
on discussions of things in all as
poets. can create that public opin-
ion by which alone conduct can
be controlled. |
Asking the question, docs the
Editor Know his Public :" Mr.
Elkin quoted Edward A. Morse.
who wrote in a recent issue of the
Editor and Publisher. the results
of three canva5ses of editors Of
the nation on vital subjects, and
in each of which the editors had
correctly interpreted public opin-
ion. 1--WE might say here, as die
Mr.. Morse, SAID Mr.. Elkin, that
when large number Of editors
express their Judgment OF public
opinion, it is safe to go slow in
that Judgment"
The newspaper should be a par
ty paper. continued Mr.. Elkin. AT
the same time, however, he
should see that the party whose
cause is cspouscd will put for !
ward candidates for public Office
because they are the best men to
administer those offices. 81 be-
lieve," he said, 1--WE can bring the
time nearer at hand, when on ex-
cusc will be accepted for the man
or the group behind him, who
keeps a better man out of office. |
Ii we can do this we shall double
and treble our usefulness as pub
lie servants and be distinctly al
part of the American people"
"We have i'll brief passed thru
three periods" he continued.
periods which are common TO an
enterprises. First period of
isolation when we each went our
way; second, period Of compe
tition each trying to get ahead OIL
the other; and of late and largely
due to the organization of the
Kentucky Press Association,