Evening star., 1951-04-01

statements both of the workers
and of the Peronista strikebreak-
ers. quite effectively.
Government controlled news
vendors then instituted boycott
against La Prensa. Their financial
demands were impossible to meet,
but as soon as La Prensa made
concessions these were fatty re-
ljected and q new demand was
added.
Finally it was necessary for Mr..
Peron to use direct force, and this
was done. Armed thugs closed the
printing plant January 26, and,
so far as can be determined,
neither these men nor the gun
men who shot down La Prensa
workers February 81 were men,
bers Of the government controlled
news vendors. Their function was
not selling newspapers. 1t was,
rather, the stopping of publica-
ton, by force and violence, of one
of the great newspapers of the
world. It may be said that La
Prensa belongs to an older tradi-
tion, but it is a noble tradition,
and if it now dies and is allowed
to die by the still free people of
the world their freedom will be
circumscribed by that much.
Writer for Time Jailed
It was Frank Shea, the Buenos
Aires correspondent of Time mag
azine, jailed for attempting to re-
port the shooting of La Prensa
workers, who told this writer that
lhe tried for six weeks to discover
''the other side" of the story. For
six weeks he tried-and says he
failed to find one circumstance of
I'1'affaire La Prensa" unfavorable
to the great newspaper or favor
liable to Peron.
La Prensa has always moved
with solid dignity. scrupulous
fairness. The canard that it rep
PRESENTED the "old oligarchy'' is
true only if it be interpreted to
mean that the morals Of La Prensa
are the morals of the finest peo-
pie of Argentina and not the
Igangster morals Of the Peronista.
La Prensa was founded in 1869
lby Jose C. Paz. of an old Buenos
Aires family of no great wealth.
Jose Paz's first interest was at
that time in the wounded victims
Iof a recent war with Paraguay.
and he had experimental for a
time with a periodical devoted to
their rehabilitation. One Of his
first projects, after founding La
lPrensa, was a campaign against
yellow fever. Out of this kind of
Interest in public welfare came the
remarkable series of La Prepsa
activities unique in the newspaper
world.
Cared for $4,000 Persons
Until La Prensa was closed by
lMr. Peron it was caring for more
than $4,000 persons annually in
an out-patient health clinic, CIV
ling agricultural advice to some
IA 800 farmers, giving legal advice
Ito some $500 people. serving 30,-
loco readers every year in It's
library, educating some 200 music
students, giving chemical analysis
lof any product brought to its
Laboratories. 1t also held an out
standing series of public lectures.
i All these services were free and
were given in the La Prensa Build
ling. now closed and plastered with
IPeronista posters. They were given
alike to subscribers and non
subscribers, advertisers and non
advertisers. La Prensa's independ-
Ience of advertiser influence is
notorious. 1t rigidly refused TO
solicit advertising at all and ac-
Icepted only those ads brought 10
its counter.
Once a reporter. to be good
fellow, picked up an advertisement
for friend and brought it to the
Office. He was forced to return 1t
Ito his friend, who then came In
person and stood in line at the
counter. On another occasion one
Iof La Prensa's comic trip artists
sold a cartoon in his well-known
style for use in a coffee advertise
Iment. Despite the great popularity
of the comic strip, it was imme-
ldiately dropped by La Prensa-
and taken up by a competing
newspaper.
Reputation of Integrity
The reputation of La Prensa is
based on its integrity. its inde-
lpendence and its honesty, in Its
representation of the news and in
Its editorials. 1t is said that for
years it published more foreign
news than any newspaper in the
world. Its editorials were not
singing diatribes, but measured,
philosophical statements. Its Sun
day editions were devoted in large
measure to printing good litera-
ture and there is more honor for a
new writer to be published in La
Prensa than to have book ap-
pear.
Suicides were not published as
such, because it was believed such
accounts might encourage other
suicides. In La PrenSa, therefore,
people died under unfortunate
circumstances"
Purely social events were chron-
icled very briefly, but only people
of real standing were mentioned,
not the new rich, no matter how
rich, if they were merely success
full gangsters.
Eva Peron's name never ap-
peared in the society columns of
La Prensa. When she attended a.
party that was newsworthy it was
covered in the news columns. Some
people say that it is Eva Peron's
resentment of La Prensa that led
to the closing of that newspaper.
This is an over -simplification, and
in a measure part of the Peron-
;cfa +ootr;n,1o. Tuo 10 hlapood S0l