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Oregon Exchanges

A man without a personality and a newspaper without political convictions are twin brothers of misfortune. Neither of them gets very far in the world. They are neither much loved or much hated. They just exist and are of too little consequence to attract more than passing attention.

A newspaper may, however, fight for its political convictions and still decline to blindly serve party at the expense of the public service. A publisher may have political convictions without becoming the self anointed champion of every candidate whose name appears upon the party ticket.

If we are to have what may be strictly termed a party newspaper we must first have a party organization. There is no real party organization in the state of Oregon. There is political organization, but it is of the personal character. It is the arch enemy of party spirit and party loyalty because it is intensely selfish and knows no law but the law of self-interest.

The party newspaper as it was known a decade ago is therefore out of step with the march of events in this particular section of the west. Like the Red Man, the old time editor is being driven out of his old haunts and his place is being filled by the younger, but not necessarily more able man.

But while Oregon newspapermen can hardly afford to shut their eyes to the new conditions, in my judgment every publisher should have a well defined political policy. The man who edits the editorial page is either a progressive or a reactionary. He is either a positive or a negative quantity and his character will be expressed in the columns of his newspaper and his success or failure will be determined by his own personality.

In every national election the issues are clearly defined and there can be no possible excuse for editorial neutrality.

In a state election the issues are oftentimes less clearly defined, but it not infrequently happens that the press of the state is called upon to choose between the fit and the unfit. It then becomes the duty of the publisher to sharpen his pencil.

In a county or city election there is seldom an issue which is worth the cost of the printer's ink that is used by our editorial writers. When a newspaper becomes a rubber stamp for a county or municipal boss, or when, on the other hand, it attempts to become the dictator of things political, it voluntarily becomes its own pallbearer.

The political policy which I have followed with more or less success may be summed up in the following paragraph:

Strike seldom, but when you strike, strike hard.

Oregon publishers are to be the guests of the newly-formed manufacturers' bureau of the Portland Chamber of Commerce, at a banquet to be given in Portland on Friday, August 10, at 6 p. m. The central topic around the board will be publicity in the state press for Portland and Oregon manufacturers. Besides the manufacturers, there will be present jobbers of eastern-made goods, upstate merchants, and the publishers. Secretary Philip S. Bates, of the Oregon State Editorial Association, who has been working on this plan for some time, in a circular letter sent to newspapermen of the state, notifies them of the invitation given them by the new bureau, and expresses hopefulness that appropriations will soon be made by the big houses to pay for the publicity in the Oregon press.

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