Newspaper Page Text
J ? TRUTH.
TRUTtt
Issued Weekly by
Truth Publishing Company.
Western Newspaper Union Ilulldlne, 241
South West Tomplo Street,
Salt Lake City
John W. Hughes, Editor andManagor
M Entered June 19, 1903, at Salt Lake City, Utah
It- at second-class matter under not of Concress
j of March 3. 1879-
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Ik ent address.
Address all communications to TRUTH PUB
! LISUlNGr COMPANY. Salt Lake City, Utah.
jl ,
J Moyor Thompson will have a great
,i opportunity In the next' two years to
. j! show of what stuff ho Is made. If h
i'' seizes the opportunity, gives Salt Lake
k a good, sound business administration,
I treats all citizens, Gentile and Mor-
I, rhon alike, and shapes things so that
W Salt Lake will prosper and bo built
III up, he will endear himself to all the
,t , people and may be place himself in
fl 4& lino for a much higher ofllco than
1 mayor of Salt Lake.
j We hope a majority of the city coun-
. ell will bo in complete harmony with
,' the mayor. The administration If it
I does well will then got tho full credit
1 ' for It; if it does badly it will have to
! bear tho entire blame.
It The Democrats claim a great vie-
I tory. They got Fornstrom.
. ' One thing all tho people of Sail
Lako can rejoice at is that H. J. Din-
1 1 ninny will not leave us. Now If Judge
l McDowall will return and forgive tho
I hierarchy It will be another ray of
, I sunshine What a pity tho judgo went
f away so soon. If ho had waited till
after tho election ho might not have
& gono at all.
m," Hitherto Truth has been regarded as
P a true prophet. In four successive
jp elections it foretold what tho result
x ' of tho elections would bo and In each
. and every Instance the prediction was
fulfilled. This year Truth pretlictea
j ' erroneously, and consequently lost
!j its hitherto unbroken record as a true
prophet. Truth, however, will say
y that its prophecy In regard to tho re-
' cent election was correct up to 11
I o'clock a. m. of tho day boforo tho bal.
I lotlng, at which time an nrticlo was
"jj written which appeared In tho Deserot
j j News three or four hours later which
I
JL
(HP' vmmmtmmmmmmmHmmmmmmmmimmmmmmmmm
knocked tho stufflng out of Truth as
a prophet.
Wo lost tho election. Wo wem
beaten, but wo are just as good losers
as wo aro generous winners. Let us
lay asldo all bitterness engendered by
tho liorco contest. Wo aro all Amer
ican citizens and will all work to
gether for Greater Salt Lake.
KJ
"SEE EUROPE IF YOU WILL, BUT
SEE AMERICA FIRST."
A conscrvativo cstlmato, mado by
reliable authorities, places the amount
of money expended in foreign coun
tries during tho season of 11)04-5 by
American sightseers at ?15U,000,0Uv.
This great sum was paid in large
part by men and women in search of
hoalth, pleasure or recreation, who,
though nativo to tho United States,
wore in comparative ignoranco of tho
scenic, climatic and industrial advan
tages of that portion of our country
lying west of tho Mississippi river.
It will, wo think, bo readily admit
ted that any material part of the
amount named above, if spent in
western communities, would not only
make for their great financial better
ment and upbuilding, but would most
desirably extend and Increase the
general knowledgo oi wuat tnls im
portant section of tho nation has to
offer to tho seekers for health, amuse
ment, recreation or Investment, who
now crowd foreign capitals and pleas
uro resorts.
Wo understand, or course, that the
old world will always draw to itself
many thousands ot our people because
of Its historical and religious Interest,
its scientific, artistic and musical ad
vantages, and wo admit that this is
proper and desirable; but wo do be
llovo that America, and particularly
tho western portion thereof is entit
led from all the standpoints or Interest
to more attention from a certain class
of Americans than It has heretofore
received.
As conditions now exist many of
our peoplo aro heard raving over the
beauty of the Trossachs, tho glory of
tho Hhinc, tho mngnlilconco of the
Alps, who havo novcr seen and have
but small conception of tho grandeur
of tho Iloclcy mountains or tho splen
dor of tho Columbia river.
In an effort to rectify tho conditions
of which comnlaint la hero mnrin tlin
Commercial club, of Salt Lako City,
has undertaken tho work of awaken
ing interest in this subject among tho
business men of tho western part ot
tho United States and of tho Repub
lic of Mexico.
Arrangements are now being per
fected for a conference of tho gov
ernors of tho states and territories af
fected, together with representatives
of tho chief commercial organizations
of tho west and of tho railroads oper
ating In tho Interested section, at
which tlmo tho Commercial club will
present for consideration a detailed
definite and comprehensivo plan of
procedure. This conference has been
called for January 18th, 190C.
u
AS TO TRUTH OVER THE WIRE.
Tho Journalist's neighbor, tho Now
York Sun, was Impressed last Wednes
day by tho artielo in last week's paper
regarding American journalism and its
latter day tendency to sacrifico truth
on tho altar of sensation.
Tho Sun, which Is among tho most
decent of American nowspapers, was,
wo believe, tho first to classify the
Hearst and Pullltzer brand of journal
ism as "yellow," and it has always
been noted for Its humor and sanity.
Consequently, it should bo among tho
first to recognize tho Incalculable harm
which is being done daily to individu
als, business incrcsts and to journal
Ism itself by tho tendency of a large
number of papers to distort truth and,
in some cases, to deliberately Ho for
tho purposo of pandering to tho irre
sponsible mob.
Tho Journalist not only "professes"
as tho Sun puts it to bo the organ of
tho newspaper profession, but lor over
twenty years It has been constructed
by -newspaper men for nowspaper men,
and It is in tho interest of decent and
honest journalism that It has so vigor
ously in recent Issues fought against
that senseless lying on tho part of
some nowspapers which has mado the
Now York Legislature's investigation
of tho life insurance companies an
event to bo remembered with shame
by Journnlists who lovo their profes
sion and aro jealous of Its honor.
It Is a fact patent to anybody who
has followed the testimony of tho in
vestigation that tho out-of-town sub
scriber to the Associated Press, for
Instance, cannot get anything but
biased and unreliable reports of thi
proceedings by wire.
A dispatch relating t'o tho subject a
fow days ago announced that a sensa
tion was created at a point in tho pro
ceedings by tho admission of a witness
that his company made a practice of
"commuting renewal premiums," and
those familiar with Insurance who read
the startling news havo been wonder
ing over since what' tho deuco was
meant.
Franklin Webster, editor of tho In
surance Press, was among those who
wondered, and he wrote tho great and
good Melville E. Stono a query. Mr.
Stone replied that "Vice-President Buf
ler" so testified. All of which is a
protty good sample of tho reliability
of Associated Press news, for oven
that shining mark in journalism, Mr.
Stone, did not take tho trouble to find
out that there is no "Vice-President
Butler," Probably ho meant Vice
President Buckner of tho New York
Life, although wo do not remember
that tho latter said anything about
"commuting renewal premiums," and
certainly there wns no sensation.
Here's another from the same source
of news on which a great number of
tho policy-holders and taxpayers must
rely:
"Only tho repeated threats of Sena
tor Armstrong, chairman of tho com
mittee, t'o clear tho room prevented
violent demonstrations of disapproba
tion of tho witness, Richard A. Mc
Curdy, president of Tho Mutual Life
Insurance Company."
All of which anybody who was there
except tho more or less brilliant scrub
who penciled that dispatch knows is
well, unqualifiedly untrue.
Is It any wonder, then, that those
who suffer from such perversions of
truth should bo settled In the convic
tion that reform is needed In nows
paper work?
Mr. Hughes asks a series of ques
tions on tho technicalities of insurance
which aro answered quietly, frankly,
and with an obvious desire to tell tho
exact truth and no more. Shortly af
ter local oars aro assailed with another
red and yellow "wuxtry," sotting forth
a statement of events which never oc
curred and striving maliciously to blast
tho reputation of some honest man
whoso only fault has been that ho is
connected with a great financial insti
tution nnd that lie Knows something
about It.
However, tho general public, locally,
has come to put a full measure of salt
in the yellow press stories, but when
a great Institution like tho Associated
Press becomes tainted witli tho same
tint, it Is' tlmo that tho respectable
newspaper man gives a llttlo serious
thought to tho trend of modern jour
nalism. Wo havo not tho slightest doubt as
- 'mi i
-
to the good Intention of tho average
newspaper man. Ho honestly strives
to deal squarely with his readers, giv
ing them tho best that is in him In tho
way of brain and effort.
His opinions aro inevitably colored
by his environments, geographical lo
cation and friendships. Ho must nec
essarily depend upon his contemporaJ
rises in other places for his informa
tion regarding current history.
Of late there has arisen a feeling
of distrust toward tho possessors of
groat fortunes which is finding relief
in political action more or less potent.
StorU Of corruption In politics and In
trade, of Injintico, oppression, greed
and crime in tho attainment of wealth
and power havo filled tho papers and
magazines with sickening reiteration,
and It Is no more than human nature
for tho uninformed minority of the
peoplq to begin to distrust all great
accumulations of funds.
Perhaps it is becauso of tho fact
that Insurance companies of all classsjjf;
es are made, of tho contributions of tho '
thrifty poor comparatively speaking
that they are so helpless under un- .'
Just assault. For, after all, the small
business man has no representative, i
and he is tho man who makes tho in- J
surnnco company of any class. Wise i
laws havo been mado by various state
legislatures for his protection and tho
insurance pcHcy of today, of tho com
pany organized under these laws", is as
safe as a government bond. But tho
corrupt legislator does not stop there.
Ho see3 great accumulations of funas,
and his lingers Itch for a crab at tho
pile. And tho newspaper man more
or less Innocently is led to support the
corrupt politician through a lack of
comprehension of what insurance is,
what an insurance premium is, or how
such premiums aro distributed.
Many honest, square nowspaper men
r.ro today attacking tho Institution ot
life insurance, who, If they had somo
knowledgo of tho real motives of the
men who instituted the present trou
ble, of tho nasty politics involved, of
tho conscienceless demagogery em
ployedof tho hopeless chaos of baf
fled greed, disappointed personal ambi
tions, legislative wire-pulling and reck
less craving for notoriety they would
pause and consider whether or not
they were being mado tho cat's-paw
of a "system" far more baleful and
dangerous to tho self-respect and san
ity of American citizenship than any
organization for tho absorbing of moro
material wealth could bo.
point at this attack on Hfo Insurance.
Brother Editor. Study tho subject ot
Hfo Insurance itself nnd consider what
a Hfo Insurance contract really prom
ises, and how thoso promises aro ful
filled. Read Its history and regard its
growth. Follow tho life stories of tho
men who aro at tho head of tho great
companies and ask yourself whether
men who havo accomplished what thoy
have, whoso efforts havo been so ef
fective In tho growth of Hfo Insurance,
can bo tho liars and thieves thoy havo
been called by tho men who aro now R:
attacking them. Consider tho foes thoy
havo had to face in guarding tho funds
of the policy-holders.
There is n" concrete example In Ohio
today. Out thero President John M.
Pattison of tho Union Central Life of
Cincinnati, is running on tho Demo
cratic ticket for Governor. No sooner
is Mr. Pattlson's canvass well under
way than suit is commenced against
tho Union Central, under somo obscure
reading of tho law, for back taxes to
tho amount of about ?2,500,000. It is
openly charged that tho Republican ad'
ministration of Ohio instituted these
proceedings in a fight against Mr. Pat
tison. If tho suit is won, who suffers (
Mr. Pattison or tho policy-holders of
tho Union Central? And yet' thero is
ample evidence that partisan editors
of Ohio nro chuckling over tho clover
political swat at tho Democratic can
didate for Governor.
Do you see tho application? Tho
Journalist.
