152 The International jew

a great American citizen famed for many helpful activities, had always

maintained a friendly attitude toward the Jews of the city. He apparently

harbored no prejudices against them. Certainly he never deliberately

antagonized them. But he was resolved upon preserving the honor of

independent journalism. He never bent to the policy that the advertisers

had something to say about the editorial policy of the paper, as to

influencing it for publication or suppression. In Bennett's time the

American Press was in the majority free. Today it is entirely Jewish

controlled. This control is variously exercised, sometimes resting only on

the owners' sense of expediency. But the control is there and for the

moment it is absolute. Fifty years ago there were many more newspapers

in New York than there are today, since the amalgamation has reduced

the competition to a select few who do not compete. This development

has been the same in other countries, particularly Great Britain.

Bennett's "Herald," a three cent newspaper, enjoyed the highest

prestige and was the most desirable advertising medium due to the class

of its circulation. At that time the Jewish population of New York was

less than one-third of what it is today, but there was much represented in

it.

Now what every newspaper man knows is this: most Jewish leaders

are a~ways interested either in getting a story published or getting it

suppressed. There is no class of people who read the public press with so

careful an eye to their own affairs as do the Jews. The "Herald" simply

adopted the policy from the beginning of this form of harassment that it

was not to be permitted to sway the "Herald" from its duty as a public

informant. And this policy had a reflex advantage for the other

newspapers in the city.

When a scandal occurred in Jewish circles (and at the turn of the

century growing Jewish influence in America produced many) influential

Jews would swarm into the editorial offices to arrange for the suppression

of the story. But the editors knew that the "Herald" would not suppress

anything for anybody. What was the use of one paper suppressing if the

others would not? So editors would say: We would be very glad to

suppress this story, but the "Herald" will use it, so we'll have to do the

same in self-protection. However, if you can get t!_le "Herald" to suppress

it, we will gladly do so, I")O.

But the "Herald" t11 'er succumbed; neither pressure of influence