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Show Power of the Country Press. Let no one regard lightly 01 sligfhtly the influence of the so-called country press in the United States. The "home" newspaper is looked to in many a community as the mentor men-tor and guide when the time comes to make an important decision. The editor of the country payer, usually unassumingly, unas-sumingly, is a leader in shaping shap-ing the decisions of his town-people town-people in those progressive undertakings un-dertakings whch affect the common welfare. No matter if the people of the rural sections are coming more and more to their news of world happenings happen-ings they still depend foi friendly council and advice upon up-on the judgment of someone within their own community circle who has proved himsclt dependable and wise. So it is a matter of -no little importance, considering the magnitude of the subject, that the country press of the United States has enlisted whole-; heartedly to fight the battle of temperance and law enforcement. enforce-ment. The issue will be interesting, in-teresting, if not spectacular. Allied with the destructive liquor interests are many of the larger daily and weekly papers pa-pers published in the cities. For some reason which the editors ed-itors and owners of these papers pa-pers of larger circulation have not publicly disclosed, they have persisted in their effort to discourage a complete enforcement enforce-ment of the prohibition law. Many of them have allotted generous space to news detailing detail-ing the manner in which the law is violated, and not a few i have, by editorial comment, i sought to popularize the campaign cam-paign of nullification. Now comes the country editor edit-or and his thousands of clear-thinking clear-thinking and unprejudiced brethren throughout the length and breadtli of the land, ready to defend and uphold the law which it has been sought to destroy. de-stroy. They have no selfish motive in thus enlisting on the side of right. They are committed com-mitted to the cause by their realization re-alization that the best interests of themselves and of the people and industries which they seek-to seek-to protect demand that the constitution con-stitution and the laws be unhesitatingly un-hesitatingly obeyed. The tainted taint-ed money of the bootlegger and the brewer lias not influenced them to betray the people whose confidence they have gained and desire to keep. They feel a personal responsibility. responsi-bility. They are not tempted to sell, at any price, the friendships friend-ships of a lifetime. The inclination is to believe that no evil influence is powerful power-ful enough to sway the sentiment senti-ment of the great mass of voters vo-ters in the United States against so powerful an ally of national righteousness. It was the strength of the moral forces in the agricultural slates that made' possible the early enaetrnent of the law which the enemies of society are now seeking to nullify. This same courageous electorate will see to it that no backward sfep i-, taken. Xo editor of a country paper need apologize to his pa-Iroris pa-Iroris and friends for his stand in support of the law. They are with liiiri, just as the loyal and progressive people every where are steadfast in support of good government and civic decency. Monitor. |
