The nonpartisan leader. [volume], January 06, 1919, Image 6

About The nonpartisan leader. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1915-1921

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
JOHNoccasionHYLAN
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Official Hagazine of the National Nonpartisan League—Eve^r Week
Entered as second-class matter September 8, 1915, at the pojitoffice at St. Paul,
'Minnesota, under the Act of March 8, 1879.
OLIVER 8. MORRIS, Editor A. B. GILBERT, Associate Editor
B.
V. F0S8, Art Editor
Advertising rates on application. Subscription, one year, in advance, S2.50 six
months, $1.50. Please do not make checks?' drafts nor money orders payable to indi
viduals. Address all letters and make all remittances to The Nonpartisan Leader*
Box 675* St Paul, Minn.
MEMBER XF AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS
__ THE S. C. BECKWITH SPECIAL AGENCY, Advertising Representatives, New
York, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Kansas City.
Quack, fraudulent and irresponsible firms are not knowingly advertised, and we will
take it as a favor if any readers will advise us promptly should they have occasion to
doubt or question the reliability of any firm which patronises our advertising columns.
ON NEWSPAPERS
F. HYLAN, mayor of New York, had the courage recently
to tell the newspapers of the country what he thought of them.
The was the meeting in Mr. Hylari's city of the Nar
tional Association of City Editors, and an invitation of that
body to the mayor for a speech. For a public man whose political
future is dependent to a large extent on the good will of the news
papers it took considerable "nerve" to be brutally outspoken. But
the mayor's courage is no more interesting than his actual words,
which in part were as follows:
The daily readers have assumed that the papers they read are
independent, unbiased,'truthful and fair in theft articles and/edi
torials. However, their confidence has been shaken by misrepre
sentation, biased and untruthful news and editorials which have been
and are at intervals appearing in the press. They Jbelieve that the
policy of the paper is controlled and influenced -by certain inter-
PULLING THE STRINGS.
Eorfoft
ests arid are more interested in the special privilege-seeker than in
the people. In many instances this is true, brought about, no doubt,
by the financial condition of a particular paper, whose owners are
unable to secure sufficj^nt 'revenue from their paper to make a profit,
and who are compelleitp rely upon the subsidy furnished in one form
or another by certain mterests who are profiteering upon the people.
This makes the paper a pliant tool of the interests and is used to
mislead the people.
The management of the paper, with this policy in mind, sends
out the news gathereii on a mission with instructions. The facts
gathered are distorted and the articles colored in accordance with in
structions and in accordance with the prejudices of the individual news
gatherer, thereby getting away from the purpose of disseminating
fair and unbiased news. The editorial writer likewise colors his edi
torial to suit the interests of the paper and his employer. The people
in a small community discover the gossip monger and the tale bearer,
and such a person is discredited and has no standing in the community.
The people have discovered, particularly in New York, that prac
tically all of the large newspapers are controlled by the special
privilege seeking interests, and have as little regard and little respect
for the truthfulness and fairness of such paper as they have for the
gossip monger and trouble maker in a small community. This shaken
confidence and the belief that the press is controlled to a great extent:
by those who are profiteering in the necessities of life, is causing
great and most serious unrest among the people.
The policy of every paper in the country should be to present
the facts as they find them, and not to attempt to bias and prejudice
the minds of the people with untruthful and unfair editorials and
news articles.
In order for the press to regain the confidence 'of the people, they
must first of all adopt a policy which will make their papers.honest,
fearless and independent in the presentation of tnews. I sincerely hope
that the great men who are connected with the papers of the United
States will appreciate the necessity of regaining the confidence of the
people, and use their influence against the profiteering interests that
are controlling the necessities of life and exploiting the people.
Mr. Hylan was speaking to a gfoup of men as well informed
on the issues and events of the day as any in the world—to a body
of workers with keen perceptions and wide vision. The mayor's
message fell on ears that already knett its truth. No one knows
better how a crooked press works than the city editor, and if the
city editors of America and the other men who ipake the -news-
PUBLISHES.
—L
REACTIONARY.
PAGE Vctgy
papers could RUN THEM ALSO, Mayor Hylan's advice would not
be needed. But newspaper workers—even the big ones with im
portant positions and big salaries—under present conditions are
mere hirelings who must obey a publisher who remains in the back
ground and is too often a tool or a stool of special privilege and
special interests#
Regardless of their personal beliefs and prejudices* newspaper
men as a whole believe in a fair press, one that would not misrepre
sent evert a bitter opponent. But the safety of special privilege
and big corrupt interests demands that opponents be misrepre
sented and lied about, and it is not within the power of city editors
KEPT PRESS
PUBLISHER
at present to make a fair press. Newspaper men have at various
times suggested a newspaper men's organization with a code of
ethics* which would prohibit members from selling their abilities 1
to publishers except on a basis of fair dealing with the public. But
who would start such an organization The first newspaper worker
who did would be blacklisted by every publisher in the country, and
would have to get into some other business.
ARGUMENTS AGAINST LEAGUET OF NATIONS
IHE proposition for a league of nations to enforce peace is
now receiving opposition from extreme radicals as well as
from extreme reactionaries. We have already answered
the extreme reactionaries and it would be foolish to ignofe the
position of the ultra-radicals or to deny the force of their argu
ments. They see in a league of nations an international "capitalist"
organization, representing the ruling classes of the various coun
tries, dominated by the big commercial interests.
For instance, .the Liberator (formerly the Masses, suppressed
during the war) points out that a league of riations is just as log
ical an international "capitalist" development as the American
trusts are a logical national "capitalist" development.- The Liber
ator says that American capitalists, destroying one smother by
competition, devised a plan of "capitalist co-operation" whose per
fect flower was industrial monopoly—the trusts. It says that now
capitalists 6f various countries see the need of composing? their
international disjputes and substituting international co-operation
and monopoly for destructive international competition and rivalry.
To clinch their argument these radicals assert that a league
of nations at this time would not be in control of the peoples of
the various countries, but would become an instrument to fasten
capitalistic exploitation .more firmly on the various peoples and
to crush out revolt against economic conditions which might break
out in the territory of any member of the league.
Even conceding all these arguments of the extreme radicals,
which the Leader by no means does, we believe a league of nations
is necessary. The league of nations which the Leader has advo
cated is one that would accomplish disarmament and abolition of
universal military service in all countries. This would go a long
IT'S FOR
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IT'S A CAP
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ways toward preventing war, and whether accomplished by the
capitalistic interests of the world or not, in our opinion it is right
and necessary.
It is true that there is danger of a league of nations that will
attempt to throttle revolt against political abuses and economic
evils in all countries, much as the "Holy Alliane6" did last century.
For this reason the league of nations the Leader is advocating is
one that would recognize the principle of self-determination of na
tions, as insisted upon by Wilson. The rulers of the world may be
bold enough to form a league without incorporating, that principle,
but isn't it worth while for liberals and radicals to back the move
for a league and fight for sdf-determination of peoples as a fun
damental .principle of its constitution?
We desire to point out alsd to these radicals who are opposiflf
a league of nations that, unless all reason and logic and common!
sense are thrown by the board, the. league will number among its!
members the governments of those nations now in radical control!
—Russia, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, etc£§|Oertainiy|
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radical