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Show POLITICAL ADVERTISING During the time of political excitement, ex-citement, the question of propriety in Political Advertising is often rais ed. As is well known, the editor and proprietors of this paper are Stand Pat Republicans, and are running run-ning Republican papers, but we believe be-lieve In the right of free speech and believe that any and all candidates or parties have a right to tell their reasons to the people and the advertising adver-tising section of this paper are open to any and all who wish to use them. The following is taken from the American Press published In New York. Many newspapers are loud in protest pro-test as they properly should be when there Is any indication of an infringement infrin-gement on the right of tree spe and a free press, but denial of the right of a candidate for office to tell his story to the people when he Is willing to pay the price in advertising advertis-ing Is a denial of free speech in the extreme. It Is a disgrace to the nation, na-tion, a disgrace to the profession of newspaper publishing. It la dodging the Issue to say that a man may talk as he wishes but that Is up to the newspaper to decide de-cide whether or not his remarks shall he heralded to the world. E eryone knows and admits the right of the publisher to print or to omit whatever he may choose so far as his news columns are concerned. Everyone admits bis clear right to take any position editorially he may choose, but when It tomes to the advertising columns of the newspaper, newspa-per, they are the public forum from which any decent man should be permitted to speak, if he pays the price of admission and what he says is not libelous. The paper that publishes political politi-cal advertising of one party and declines de-clines to accept political advertising from the party of the opposition so long as it is couched in nonlibelous language, should be denied the use of the United States mail, and the sooner publishers use their influence to have such legislation enacted the better it will be for the publishers and the country. It Is more important that the De-imocratic De-imocratic party should he permitted to make Its appeal in advertising in Republican papers newspapers and the Republican party should be permitted to make its appeal in Democratic Dem-ocratic papers than it is to talk to audiences of their own political faith in the papers and support them. It is a right that every candidate should have to reach all readers if he so desires and to show those who are opposed to him why he should receive their support. If this right be denied by the publishers, then all their blatant talk about working for free speech for the good of the people, for the cleanliness of politics poli-tics and for public reform is nothing but camouflage, twaddle and hypocrisy. hypo-crisy. A paper may have the right and a publisher is clearly within his mor-: mor-: al rights to exercise it, to refuse all forms of political advertising, but If he accepts advertising from one party then he should be compelled compel-led by law to accept it from all other parties. Everyone knows that no man can be heard unless his voice be magnified magni-fied by the appearance of what he says in the public press. It is utterly ut-terly Impossible tor any man to make his plea to the public without the use of the newspaper. The publisher pub-lisher may properly forbid the use of his columns for the dissemination dissemina-tion of statements in which he does not believe, though as a fact that is very poor newspaper work,, but he haa'no right in morals and he should not have in law to forbid a public hearing to any man who is willing to pay for it and to sign what he says. Publishers might as well recognize recogni-ze first as last that before they can be taken seriously as factors for the public weal that they must themselves themselv-es reach a proper moral level, and show respeet for the rights of their fellow. Fortunately the trend of the newspapers is towards betterment. better-ment. The independent newspaper is on the increase. In the south par ticularly; there is a noticeable change chan-ge in the matter of development of the spirit of fair play. Hundreds of newspapers that for years refused to accept Republican advertising now are willing to do so. Nothing of course can be ? against the party organ. If a publisher publi-sher wishes to conduct a party organ there is no reason why he should not go as far as he likes. But his support of persons or of policies or of parties should be confined to his tews and editorial columns. He should not have the right to deny the other fellow the right to advertise adver-tise his views. |