VOL. V, NO. 2

October 4, 1963

National Newspaper Week

In America today many people hold certain truths to be self‑evident. There are those who still hold stock in Thomas Jefferson's widely quoted declaration that "all men are created equal."

It is, however, a proven fact that all men are not created equal; in the sense some people would have us believe. Some people are smarter than others, some people have more opportunity because they're born with it‑some people are born with an intelligence far beyond the scope of most men. Some people are born black.

In a nation such as this, where freedom is often rationed, the strengths and material gifts derived from it have been so lavish to so many that at times we accept freedom's virtues as our own.

Freedom is not our invention. Who are we to claim ourselves its sole custodians? For in America today, freedom is no longer a right it is a duty.

In observing National Newspaper Week, it is The Westerner's hope that many will become more appreciative of their rights and more aware of their duty to practice their freedom. We of The Westerner hope to take our part in proving that good newspapers are indeed the guardians of freedom. It is this bulwark of American democracy which seeks to put into practice the basic rights of the individual‑to protect‑through practice.