The Commoner.
SEPTEMBER 17, 1909
conservative, and harking back to the old cry -that
property must bo protected, and that tho
only cure for tho ovils is individual honesty and
rostraint. Thero is a great outcry always against
wealth and corruption in tho abstract, or a
thousand miles away, but when it is brought
down to tho concrete, at its own door, tho
average newspaper suddenly draws in its horns
and is found apologizing, with more or less
speciousness for tho institutions and for tho
system and for tho individuals that rob tho
community. It Is no wonder, therefore, that
tho public has lost faith in the editorial. It is
cause for gratification that tho public is now
awakening to tho fact that it can not any longer
believe in tho news.
Tho course of tho newspaper towards tho
reformer is an interesting ono. If a reformor
arises anywhere, if people tako to him, tho
press follows for a time but only for a time.
Take the case of Folk, in Missouri; Pingroo
in Detroit; Golden Rule Jones in Toledo; Tom
L. Johnson in Cleveland; Henry George in New
York. For a while so long as they are now
to the public the great daily press will ex
ploit such men, but as soon as it bocomes evident
that the reformer is sincere that ho really
means to make war upon privilege, that ho
proposes to carry out his promises to the people
what do we find? Invariably, that the big
ger press turns upon him unanimously, and if
his position is economically sound and logical
in character, and can not be successfully as
sailed in rational argument, recourse is had at
once to the weapons of abuse and ridicule.
There is not a man in tho United States today
who has tried honestly to change the funda
mental conditions that make for poverty, dis
ease, vice and crime in our cities, In our courts
and in our legislatures, who at the very tim
when his effort seemed most likely to succeed,
has not been suddenly turned upon and rent by
the great newspaper publications. If this oc
curred but once in a while, we might regard
such matters as mere coincidences, but in view
of the fact that it occurs all the timo thero
must be a cause for it, and in searching for
the cause wo must look for the motive, and by
tho process of exclusion and elimination wo
come finally to tho last motive, which is self
interest, and we find, from what wo know of
the people who own and control great newspa
pers, that everyone of them is identified through
sympathy, through investments, through rev
enue, through association with the great corpor
ations, who milk tho community by means of the
powers which they have filched from the body
politic.
The independence of tho press is a fake. In
every city tho papers may appear to fight ono
another on the surface but in every case they
have a business combination to shut out tho
new comer. The established daily papers in
any city are as much a trust as any steel trust,
or the Standard Oil while the Associated Press
is another national trust and it is exceptionally
rare that anyone can break in upon the combina
tion and break it; and if one does, it must bo
solely through the possession of financial sup
port gret enough to fight to a' finish the es
tablished newspaper wealth of the community,
controlling and owning carriers, newsboys and
newsdealers absolutely. Of course, when a new
paper so backed succeeds in establishing itself,
it is not to be expected that the paper will tako
up the cause of the people against the interest
of the men of great wealth, who have put their
money into the great journalistic enterprise.
The newspapers of any city will always be found
a unit when there comes up any matter in'
which the public service interests and the in
terests of the advertisers are a unit.
At the height of the recent or perhaps wo
should say the present panic, the daily news
papers were as dumb as oysters before tho law
lessness, the brazen effrontery and the sublime
nerve of the consolidated banks in refusing to
give the depositors their own money, and in
issuing promises to pay which had no more va
lidity than the rankest counterfeit. In St. Louis,
when one newspaper presumed to utter a feeble
chirp on the subject, in one edition, the office
was jammed and rammed with great advertisers
ordered there by the banks to protest against
further criticism of the lawless action of the
bankers.
Naturally I will be asked, "What is the rem
edy for all this?" I don't know that I havo
formulated one. I will say that I don't believe
in the cry for more law on this or any other
subject. We have too much law already.
I am inclined to believe that the time is
about here when we shall have to return to
the use of the pamphlet; If we are to have any
such things as froo uttoranco of horotical opin
ion, and heretical opinion in this country is nl
ways and ovorywhoro nothing but tho idea that
this government has departed from its original
principles In that it has built up through
privilege an oligarchy of wealth, and in doing
so tins necessarily done somo outrageous violence
to tho principlo of equal rights for all. Thoro
can be no privileges if thoro bo not an ex
propriation of tho rights of others, to tho holder
of tho privilogo. Every privllogo is built upon
an arrogation of tho rights of somo individual,
or of tho community at largo. With tho great
nowspapers closed to tho man with now ideas,
thoro is no place for him to turn, except to tho
pamphlot. Tho liberties of England, of Franco,
and of Germany, so far as they havo liberties
and indeod, in somo respect they havo more
liborty than wo havo ourselves woro gained
through tho dissemination of ideas by tho
pamphleteer; but for tho pamphleteer, Tom
Paino, for example, thoro would havo been no
American revolution, and no liberty for our
selves. With tho great daily nowspapers abso
lutely controlled by tho men and interests
whose solo desire is tho perpetuation of tho
present status, with tho great organs of public
opinion openly fighting or secretly betraying the
popular movements for a return of this nation
to tho principles of democracy, it would seem
to bo a matter of but a short tlmo when it
will bo impossible for any man or sot of men,
devoted to a principlo antagonistic to tho wishes
of our moro and more consolidated aristocracy
to securo publicity for their Ideas. Tho daily
newspaper is gradually drifting into such a state
of intellectual ossification undor tho influenco
of tho restrictions put upon it by tho wealthy
interests of tho community in which it is pub
lished, that the irruption into one of their offices
of a man with an idea is almost enough to
create a panic and call for tho police. There
is no longer an attempt made to speak honestly
for the people.
Every great subject Is considered first In its
relation to the existing private interests and last
ly in rolation to its bearing upon tho public
welfare. Tho Sunday supplements and the comic
section aTe unloaded upon a helpless people, ap
parently with no other purpose than to de
bauch their minds and to prevent them from
doing any serious thinking.
But tho case is not hopeless. Something can
bo done. My opinion is that tho country editor
can help and help greatly. Let him study tho
daily paper in tho light of such instances of
a revelativo character as I havo described hero,
and of many others which he can find out for
himself by a little inquiry, and then, lot him
cease to follow tho lead of tho papers of tho
cities on public issues. Lot him think for him
self and write his own opinions in a way to
make his readers think. Tho sort of big cor
rupt journal to which I havo called attention,
flourishes because the people do not think. It
distorts and prevents its news in order to lead
the occasional thinking reader to wrong con
clusions, for a man is certain to reach a wrong
conclusion if his reasoning is based upon falso
promises for thinking.
North Pole Literature
The claims made by Dr. Frederick A. Cook
and Robert E. Peary concerning the north pole
discovery han created a furoro in tho scientific
world, and not only in the scientific world but
even among common mortals. Tho claims of
tho two men are being discussed and individuals
everywhere ara taking sides in tho controversy.
' The impression seems to obtain, among disin
terested men, that the world Is face to face with
perhaps the most remarkable coincidence in
scientific history and that Cook and Peary each
accomplished just about what each claims for
himself. Peary, in making progress along tho
cost of Labrador, sent dispatches denying that
Dr. Cook made any discovery. Tho following
is a sample of these dispatches:
Indian Harbor, Labrador (by wireless), via
Cape Ray, N. F., Sept. 7. To Melville E. Stone,
Associated Press, New York: I have nailed tho
stars and stripes to tho north pole. This is au
thoritative and correct. Cook's story should
not be taken too seriously. The two Eskimos
who accompanied him say ho went no distance
north and not out of sight of land. Other
members of the tribe cororborato their story.
me (Signed) PEARY.
From Copenhagen Dr. Cook made a very mild
and dignified reply saying:
l"I have been to the north pole. As I said
last night when I hoard of Commandor Pcary'a
success, if ho says ho has boon to tho polo, I bo
llovo him. I am willing to placo facts, figures
and workod out observations boforo a Joint trib
unal of tho nciontlflc bodies of tho world. In
due course I shall bo prepared to mako public
an announcement that will effectually dlspol any
doubt, If there can bo such, of tho fact that I
havo reached tho polo. Dut knowing that I
am right and that right must prevail, I will -Bubmlt
at tho proper tlmo my full story to tho
court of last resort tho pooplo of tho world.
I will not ontor into any controversy over tho
subject with Commander Peary furthor then to .
say that I havo not takon his Eskimos. My
reply is that Eskimos aro nomads. Thoy aro
owned by nobody and aro not tho privato prop
erty of oither Commandor Peary or mysolf. Tho
Eskimos ongaged by mo woro paid ton times
what thoy agreed to accompany mo for. As to
tho story that Commandor Poary says I took
provisions storod by him, my roply is that Peary
took my provisions, obtaining them from tho
custodian on tho plea that I had been so long .
absont that ho was going to organize rollof sta
tions for mo In case I should bo alive. For thia
I havo documentary proof."
On September 11 Dr. Cook sot sail for Now
York City. During his stay In Copenhagen Dr.
Cook was entertained by tho king and scientists
generally made much of him.
Chicago dispatches say that J. Plorpont Mor
gan has offered to flnanco Dr. Cook's proposed .
expedition to tho Arctic region to provo his state
ment that he discovered tho north polo. It is
further said that Dr. Cook has doclined tho
offer saying that ho would provldo tho monoy
from his own pocket.
Washington dispatchos say that tho coast and
geodetic survoy will undertako to arbitrate tho
Peary-Cook controversy providing Dr. Cook
asks it.
Tho University at Copenhagen has conferred'
upon Dr. Cook the degrco of Doctor of Science.
Paris newspapers say that Peary's recital of
his trip to the north pole provides a vindica
tion for Dr. Cook.
In dlBpatch received from Peary ho an
nounces that J. C. ,Bemont o Ithaca, . N. ,.,,,
a member of tho Peary expedition, waa drowned
April 10 forty-fivo miles north of Capo
Columbia, i
Ir. Cook and Admiral MclvlUo - ''fl-
To tho Editor of tho World: Among tho
doubts cast on tho epoch-making achievement
of Dr. Cook lot us consider that expressed by
Admiral Melville. The admiral says ho traveled
thirty miles south in ono day "only to find that
northward drift of the ice wo were on had re
duced the distance wo had actually covered to
two miles." Now suppose Dr. Cook going north
was fortunate enough to be on such a drift won't
Admiral Melville admit that the discoverer of
tho north pole went at great speed to the goal?
OWEN J. KINDELON.
New York, September 3.
Pclican-Polur Bear Ticket, 1012
To tho Editor of tho World: Here is an In
vincible ticket for tho great year of 1912: For
president, Theodovo Roosevelt of New York and
Africa'. For vice president, Frederick Albert
Cook of Now York and the North Pole. Cam'
paign slogan, "Tho Earth is Oure."
JUNO.
Jersey City Heights, September 4.
Cook Won Them All
In a Copenhagen dispatch to tho New York
American William T. Stead says:
Tho King of Denmark, the Prince and Prin
cess of Greece and a whole bevy of pretty prin
cesses in picture hats occupied tho royal balcony
at tho Concern Palace this afternoon, where
Dr. Cook, tho north polo discoverer, addressed
members of the Danish Geographical society. AH
Copenhagen was there. Large maps placed bo
hind tho lecturer showed his outward and homo
ward routes, with an American flag pinned at tho
north pole.
The crown prlnco introduced Dr. Cook, ex
pressing the Joy of the Danes that thoy were
the first to welcome tho discoverer on his re
turn from the pole. Tho prince then gave tho
doctor a diploma conferring on him the gold
medal of the society.
Cook was loudly cheered. He delivered his
lecture In a clear resonant voice, in even tones,
remarkable self-possession and slight recourse
to his notes. The address , was necessarily a
recapitulation of his story already told. Tho
i
lil
Uyb
irtfcMtttittiftigMMfci
