Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-15
INTEGRITY OF PRESS
!. UPHELD BY EDITOR
"Aue of Jazz" Has Left Mark
on Journalism Needing At
tention, BeIlamy Says.


| than from outside influences, Paul
| Bellamy of the Cleveland Plain Dealer
| told the American Society of News
paper Editors at the closing session
F., Of it's fifth annual meeting at the WI
| lard Hotel this morning. The age
| of Jazz" has borne a salacious brand
| of journalism that Is no less danger
/ GUS to the progress of the profession
than writs for contempt OF court, the
! speaker declared.
Until the tabloids came" Mr.. Bel
lamy said, I'VE had been looked upon
| as the bad boy of the block. With
| the advent of the tabloid, however,
our sin, once 30 scarlet, has become as
| white as snow. Salvation has been
| thrust upon us."
Tracing the rise and fall Of Amer
| lean spiritual life since the closing
days Of the war, when this Nation
stood forth as an example OF self
| sacrificing idealism, Mr.. Bellamy said
| that prosperity had acted as an
anesthetic which has put to sleep
our spiritual life. His address was
| in the form of a report from the So
ciety's committee on the integrity
Of the press.
Sees Greater Menace.
In this attitude, however, Mr..
Bellamy saw a greater menace to the
| integrity of the American press than
any that was ever presented from
outside influences. More and more,
he said, the American people and the
newspapers are becoming too indo'
lent. He sounded a warning. how
ever. that present prosperity will
not last forever, that dark days will
certainly come again and that 1t
would be the part of wisdom for the
editors of the Nation to make sure
that their weapons of defense should
not become dulled through disuse.
The greatest assault on the In
tegrity from without, Mr.. Bellamy
concluded, was presented by the in
creasing efforts Of courts to send edl'
tors to Jail for justifiable criticism.
Although the decisions of the court
must be respected. he said, no court
Is infallible. Mr.. Bethany suggested
that one remedy for this evil might
be found in a law which would pro-
hibit any judge from prosecuting a
contempt proceeding instituted by
himself.
The society will sit through without
recess this afternoon in order to con-
clude it's work early. This decision
was reached In order to give the dele
gates time to prepare for their dinner
at the Willard tonight, when they will
be addressed by Charles Evans
Hughes, former Secretary of State;
Nicholas Murray Butler. president of
Columbia University, and Roy How
ard. newspaper publisher.
Regrets Vogue of "Smut."
1--WE regret to find" he said. that
In the past year there was no boom
among the conservative. trustworthy
newspapers of the Nation. The pub
lie wants to be entertained, and If
the majority of newspapers are as
they are. it is because the public
wants them so.
I'm that direction, at least, we need
have no fear. In the discovery and
merchandising of smut, we may al
ways be sure that the public will
stick along with US. We may thank
God that we are not as bad as the
tabloid and let it go at that.
The importance sporting events have
assumed occupied much of the session
yesterday afternoon. There was q
marked tendency among the editors
present to play down" commercial
lied sports and give the headlines to
amateur events, in which the people
would soon begin to participate them
banners" on professional athletics
was deplored.
VIII Owen Jones of the Nebraska
State Journal was charged by the So
ciety a year ago to investigate the
sports department of journalism. Mr..
Jones led the discussion. He declared
that millions of dollars worth of ad-
vertising are given away every year
to purely business enterprises travel
ing in the guise of athletic events.
Malcolm w. Bingay of the Detroit
News termed conditions in sporting
fields rotten" He declared Tex Rick
ard cashed in on 50. 900, 900 gate for
the worst flop in history-the Demp-
sey.Tunney fight"-simply because
the newspapers created interest in the
contest. If the newspapers had stop
ped putting headlines on the fight
interest would have faded. he said.
Would Encourage Boys.
What we should do Mr.. Bingay
added. sis to carry sporting news that
would cause people to do something
themselves instead of sitting on
benches watching others. Let's
educate our boys to take their daily
dozen themselves, and applaud them
while they do it."
The opposite view was taken by
Charles Dennis of the Chicago Daily
News. Since the days of Homer. he
said, writer's have given space to re-
counting physical combats. Monte
Mum, who quit the Nebraska Legis-
lature to become a professional pugil-
list, agreed with this view. He OBJ
served, however. that the Roman
Empire fell because too many looked
on and too few played"
The best army in the world is what
the War Department Is trying to give
the country, Assistant Secretary Mac
Nider told the editors. Not the big
gest army. Don't mistake me-" he
explained.
Living Conditions DeplOred.
conditions, which appal any employer"
he declared. Col. MacNider urged
sons embodied in the national defense
best to forget war;" the news from
abroad, he said, is enough to show
war cannot be declared impossible.
Carl Magee, editor of the New
Mexico State Tribune, who has figured
in several court actions because of
editorials on New Mexico politics,
cautioned the editors in an address
last night to be certain that they
were not being frightened from free.
dom of speech through fear of being
held in contempt of court. He de-
clared that his fight in New Mexico
was the outgrowth of his controver.
sizes with a political machine, which he
cot 20 hui A L Son 81,