judgment, the newspaper that meets every important issue that comes up, not militantly necessarily, but squarely, is not only an example of better journalism from a moral standpoint but from a business standpoint. In other words I believe that in the long run, in spite of necessary sacrifices and set-backs, a vigorous and clear-cut editorial policy pays.
In other words, I hold a brief for the editor who while he admits that the most important problem with a newspaper is to make it pay, there is such a thing as over-emphasizing this importance until rewards of his profession which can't be measured in dollars and cents are sacrificed. There is, in short, a happy medium between fire-eating on the one hand and time-serving on the other, avoiding the point where militant methods become merely destructive and also avoiding the point where pacific methods become merely negative; and I maintain in this recent campaign we newspaper men lost a great opportunity for constructive public service by veering too far in the negative direction.
This as I admitted above was not due to cowardice. It was not due to pro-Klanitis. It was, in my judgment, a reasoned editorial policy based upon the conclusion that to mix in the mess was poor business and to keep out of it was good business. Ant it is this conception of what constitutes good business, from a newspaper standpoint, which I refuse to accept. And I refuse to accept it be cause I feel that this conception lowers the entire plane of journalism to that of a mere trade, a purely commercialized pursuit. and I maintain it is and should be something higher than that, it should be primarily a profession devoted first to public service, to what Mr. Dana termed the enlightenment and leadership of public opinion, and only secondarily to profits.
For newspaper prosperity is in direct proportion to circulation. And I have come to the conclusion that the people as a whole prefer to read a newspaper that may now and then be strongly wrong to one that is never anything more than weakly right.
And the paper the people read is the paper the advertiser wants, and the paper the advertiser wants is the paper we all want. So there you are.
I. V. McAdoo, publisher of the Scio Tribune, discussed the question raised by Mr. Ruhl from a different point of view. A draft of Mr. McAdoo's remarks, requested for publication in this number of Oregon Exchanges, has not been received, but will appear next month if available.
NEWS AGENCIES CONGRATULATE
FELICITATIONS from both the Associated Press and the United Press were delivered to the newspapermen of Oregon at the banquet in connection with the Fifth Annual Newspaper Conference. Paul Cowles, superintendent of the western division of the A. P., delivered his message in person, making a happy ad dress at the banquet. Mr. Cowles in his short talk traced the growth of news-gathering facilities, particularly those of the Associated Press, with which he is most familiar.
Frank A. Clarvoe, manager of the United Press Associations' Northwest office in Portland, read messages from Karl A. Bickel, president of the organization, in New York, and M. D. Tracy, manager of the Pacific division, with headquarters at San Francisco. Mr. Bickel's telegram follows:
