"That's my business," said Bassett, sourly. As the door closed on his strange visitor, he sighed heavily. "It's a great business ... sold up the river—damned slave!" Then he sighed again and fell to sharpening a pencil.
Promptly at five Good returned. "Got them all here?" he demanded.
"Nearly all."
"That's fine. Let's break the news."
Bassett led the way to the city room, and with a clap of his hands achieved silence. "Boys," he said in a tone which was curiously unfamiliar to them, "you probably all know by now, being good news-hounds, that the paper has been sold. Mr. Brent Good, the new managing editor, wishes to say a few words."
Good rose and stood looking thoughtfully at the crowd for a moment before he spoke.
"Gentlemen, the habit of a lifetime is hard to break. Mr. Bassett proves it by the way he's coloured the facts. I'm not to be managing editor. Mr. Bassett will continue in that capacity as long as his editing and managing seems to be satisfactory. I am merely to be the personal representative of the owner of the paper. Now I have one or two things to say to you.
"To begin with, I want to say that nobody is going to get fired, with the possible exception of several men from the advertising department, the reason for which will appear later. The first question that Mr. Bassett put to me was about the policy of the new paper, and I replied that there wouldn't be any policy. All we have is a purpose, and that purpose is, in one single word, to tell all the truth all the time.
"We haven't any axes to grind. And there's only one boss. For the first time in your lives, I guess, you can write the truth without being afraid of stepping on somebody's toes. From now on, the business office gives no orders. And if the advertising department can't sell space without editorial influence thrown in, then we'll get a new advertising department or do without advertising. Instead of looking at every story with your mind on 'who will it hurt,' from now on I want you to look at every story with your mind on 'who will it help—or what.' You boys have a chance to run the kind of a newspaper that every newspaper man wants to run. It's up to you to make it or break it." Good's voice broke a little and he turned away. There was silence for a moment. Then a cheer shook the room. When it subsided, Bassett's dry voice was heard.
"Kindly don't overlook the fact, gentlemen, that we put the paper to bed to-night as usual. You can celebrate when that's done." Then he turned to Good.