Newspapers as Party Organs, 89 the better. The number of journals, however, brought into existence or controlled by party, is not, fortunately, considerable ; nor is there a prospect that there will ever be many newspapers manipulated by party wire-pullers. Those behind the scenes know in how many instances such enterprises have been unsuccessful. The model local newspaper is that which, whether buff or blue in politics, reports every speaker on his merits, and has independence enough not to print a column of twaddle simply because it was uttered by its own political cham- pion. It may then hope to have a wider circle of readers who, as Mr John Morley has said, will consult the paper for information, and form their own judgments, if they are so inclined, independently of the leading articles. It has often been a subject of discussion, but one singularly barren of tangible conclusions, whether a news- paper writer is morally justified in advocating a political policy with which he does not agree. Such a proposition assumes, of course, that newspaper writers are in the habit of doing this. Let us concede, for the sake of argument, that there are such writers, in order to examine what has been put forward in support of such a practice. The most favorite analogy is that of the barrister or lawyer, who is at the service of the client who retains him. Unfortunately the comparison is a bad one, because the consideration of questions of national policy is surely not to be put on a level with legal services for or against an accused person, which in their proper sphere are highly important Further it has been suggested that the journalist may be compared to the hired swordsman, who places his skill at the disposal of either party, and is not concerned about the justice or otherwise of the cause for which he fights. The comparison is not a flatter- ing one, and happily it is not, in the main, accurate. Journalists are not found advocating political schemes
