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Newspaper Page Text
Djgm'jrr'ryr ' r- - work there, and the wants of finan cial backers are anticipated. It won't even be necessary for the editor to issue orders to his subordinates. If the subordinates know or believe that Billings, Shedd, Rosenwald and Mayer are back of the paper, they will have that in mind when news comes up that might affect the paper's friends and backers. There is a sympathy and psychol ogy running all through a newspaper office, so that influence is wielded without issuing orders. Newspapers are usually very timid about offending prominent men es pecially if the prominent men are in position to use powerful influence with advertisers. Sometimes sham battles will be made against big men in politics, that fool the public, but do no real harm to the man attacked. I have beenVatching with interest the way the newspapers have been handling the candidacy of Roger Sullivan, for the Democratic nomin ation for U. S. senator; and they have been handling Roger with gloves. I think most of the publishers, with the possible exception of Andy Lawrence, are even friendly to Sullivan, and would like to see him win out. I am told that both Keeley and Lawson are on very cordial terms with Sullivan, and I am not blaming them for not fighting him. I think I would have more respect for thehi if they were to be entirely frank and openly support him and give the rea sons why. But I think they are afraid of the effect" on public opinion, because of Roger's reputation, in the past as a boss. They are now advertising him as a biscuit' manufacturer, and I as sume he is, in one way or another even if it is. only in having the dough. There was probably a time when they didfc't think Sullivan was quite respectable because he rwas a Demo cratic political boss? and having helped build up that reputation for him, in the heat of partisan fights, they are afraid to try to undo what they have done. I don't care anything about that boss stuff myself. I have known enough bosses to know that they are generally more human than the Big Business men behind them the men who makes claims to greater respec tability. But the newspapers, to serve pur poses of their own, have hollered boss so long that they don't know how to unholler it, even though they now consider as respectable the man who wasn't considered respectable in years gone by. As far as the respec tability of politicians go, I think Sul livan is as respectable as any of the newspaper publishers in Chicago and I include myself. I don'-t know whether I am respectable or not, and it doesn't bother me. I don't think anybody has a clear notion of the meaning of respecta bility. If I were judging Roger Sullivan, it would be on just what part of the people I thought he would represent in the senate. If I thought he would' represent Big Business, and stand for the things in government that Mark Hanna stood for, I wouldn't be for him for senator, although I might like him personally. If I thought he would represent the interests of the toilling millions, L would be for him, whether I liked or disliked him personally. And I wouldn't care a darn what church or party he belonged to. ' If I thqught he stood for the things that-1 think Keeley, Lawson and their associates think they stand for, I would be dead against him. The reason for that is that I don't think any of the publishers of big newspapers in Chicago represent, or attempt to.representr the great mass of the people of Chicago or of Illinois. They represent certain interests In the ruling class and it is mighty difficult for any rich man to be out' of sympathy with the ruling class. I should say that the biggest objection.