The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-04-20
By CHARLES YALE HARRISON


Bucking billions of dollars is a
heartrending proposition. News
papers who are ever ready to take up
their editorial cudgels to beat down
art magazines" and other fake lib
eral causes turn green with fright at
a proposal to expose a billion dollar
plunderbund.
b When the present writer completed
his series of stories exposing the
fraud Of industrial" insurance and
it's attendant evils, he was naive
enough to think that all he had to do
was to take it to some nice, public
spirited editor, and 10 and behold the
trick would be done.
Advertisers Pay.
But that was in the days before he
realized that a fat advertising con-
tract is more potent than all the truth
in the world.
SO very naively he went to friend
of his who edits a liberal weekly and
asked for counsel and guidance. The
liberal editor read his weighty manu-
script and it was decided that the
facts warranted widespread pub
Lefty.
Here was an expose that involved
40 million people. Here was, edi-
torially speaking, popular appeal.
statement and table of statistics was
footnoted giving the official source
OF information. The liberal editor
was enthusiastic. Here was a big
story" In newspaper parlance a
piece Of news is referred to as a
story"
Try 1t On the World.
Finally, through a process Of
elimination it was decided that the
New York "World' would be suit
able medium for the "story."
The reasoning that led to this de-
cision was something like this: the
editorial staff of the World" is
composed of amiable, forward-look-
ing liberals. "The World" has always
Deen IN the vanguard in protecting
me peoples interests. Look at the
tnri-peonage campaign in Florida,
ioox at the anti-lynching campaign in
the south, look at the statement of
editorial policy which heads the edi-
loI1al page, written by none other
IMAM the Joseph Pulitzer himself. We
read:
THE WORLD, as established by
JOSEPH PULITZER May 10, 1888:
IAN institution that should always
fight for progress and reform,
never tolerate injustice or cOrrup-
ton, always fights demagogues of
all parties, never belong to any
party, always opposes privileged
classes and PUBLIC PLU N
DERERS, Capitals ours) never
lack sympathy with the poor, al
ways remain devoted to the public
welfare, never be satisfied with
merely printing news, always be
drastically independent, never be
AFRAID to attack wrong, whether by
predatory plutocracy or predatory
poverty
All Of which sounded very liberal
ana DrOAQ-inlLQeus
We read the Pulitzer manifesto
again and finally decided that the
world should be the paper to attack
the big Four" Surely the big
-Four" were PUBLIC PLUNDERERS,
surely the Wall Street gang who sat
on the top Of the defrauded heap
were privileged classes surely here
was an opportunity ito attack wrong
and to oppose injustice and corrup-
tion." Yes, the World was the paper
to handle the story,
Well introduced.
The editor Of the weekly liberal
journal knew the "boyr" over ut
The World" Knew them well.
Would he be so good as to give the
present writer a letter Of introduce
ton to one of the editors. With
pleasure. So he sat himself down at
his typewriter and wrote the follow
ing letter. 1t read:
Dear Bill don't know a thing
about insurance, but Charles Yale
Harrison has just come in with a
whale of story on industrial in
surance.' If his facts are right
and he seems to be we'll documented
1t ought to start another Arm
strong Investigation. / think it will
be worth your while to give him
some attention"
And He Signed II.
Eventually a series Of conferences
started with this net result. The
World decided that it would under
take to expose the big Four" A
story day for thirty days. Yes, the
price was quite satisfactory.
They Talk IL Over.
Several editorial councils were held.
Ways and means were no doubt dis
cussed and the writer was informed
that he would be notified as to tho
first day Of publication.
Several weeks went by and no