The Holly chieftain., 1922-01-19
THE PROGRESS AND
POWER OF THE PRESS

name OF every raiser of a fake re
port" and his paper was suppress
ed. The only opy Of this paper In
existence is In the London Museum
The second venture in the newspap
er field was more fortunate. 1t was
the Boston Newsletter, begun in
l704. 1t ran for seventy years, but
not without competition. The first
newspaper war began whe nits rival
The Gazette was started. But no
eut-throat methods were employed
nor slander circulated by either
However through a bright idea
which editors sometimes have The
News Letter became so popular
that the Gazette had to suspend
Campbell of the Newsletter, be.
gan to print his paper on three
sides q a sheet of writing paper,
| leaving the fourth side blank on
which the subscriber could write
letter and both newspaper and
letter could be sent out to a friend
IN the same postage This gives an
idea of the size of those early pap
ers and the interest they created.
During the Revolutionary days g
woman. Mrs. Margaret Draper, edit
I'D the paper. There We're modern
women In those days, too.
BY IT'S there were 81 newspapers
in the country, nearly all weeklies.
Perhaps there are 25 600 papers at
the present time, some of them
printing a half million copies every
lay, and getting out hugh editions
The power OF the press today is
mighty aud can scarcely be estimat-
sd There was a time In the history
of our country when the pulpit was
I the mightiest agent in reaching the
people and influencing public opin
Ion; this was in early colonial days;
In more modern. times. the lecture
| platform, in its various phases OF
activity. became the means of the
most efficient propaganda, especial
ly in political matters. But now
by all odds, the Press is the most
widely active and powerful factor
N the creation and .solidification OF
public opinion.
The men who have forged to the
front In these modern times in poll
tical preferment have not always
been, by any means, the greatest
| seniuses of their ctime-many o.
their contemporaries would far out
class them in reliability. but
thsy have been the most adaptable
and arcomo lating men. They are
aurh men as the newspaper can ex-
| ,ect patronage from andaare willing
to piay.up bofore the public. Few
modern statesmen are gcniuses
-eal statesmanshio is usually tcc
| indep .ndGnt and too sensitive tc
cater to the whirns and dictatior
OF bosses. Thus 1t transpires that
many Of our brainiest men do not
and can not come into political
prominence.
The editors political power, so
arbitrarily applied, is not at all due
20 any special ability on his part
but to his remarkable opportunity
to reach the public ear. He can
expose the frailties OF men under
his ban or exploit the virtues and
abilities of men who meet his ap
probation. The party press can
thus almost. dictate the men and
| measures that shall win. OF course
sometimes. an outstanding genius
like Bryan or Roosevelt, wins no
tice and perferment even when not
the picked favorites of their party
press.
Editors. usually, however, are fair
and impartial men, and it is only
when the press is subiugated 10
selfish interests that real damage
is done. How necessary, then that
the press be made free! 1t may
take another declaration of indie
pendence to accomplish this. A
subsidized press Is a real and grave
danger to democracy. Perhaps
the government. some day, will en-
dow q great newspaper, which will
echo the true sentiments of the
common people, not making issues
and men, but discovering them and
fostering their greatness.
No opinions are so eagerly sought
AZ those Of the great editors of the
land, for after all, it is, in large
measure. the voice Of the people.
J Candidates foy high office eagerly