One may pertinently ask why the newspapers lend themselves to such infamous and dishonorable dealings. The answer is that, inasmuch as they derive a very large part of their total income from patent medicine advertisements and as these advertisements are contracted for under certain conditions, it can readily be seen that they are made a party to crushing legislation which would interfere with the patent medicine business. It is agreed in case any law or laws are enacted, either State or national, harmful to the interest of the ---- Company, that this contract may be cancelled by them from date of such enactment, and the insertions made paid for pro rata with the contract price. There is another feature of the contract that is of the utmost significance and importance to the mothers of the race. It is the only instance we know of which effectually muzzles the public press. This part of the contract reads as follows: It is agreed that the ---- Company may cancel this contract,... in case any matter otherwise detrimental to the ---- Company's interest is permitted to appear in the reading columns or elsewhere in the paper. This means that the newspapers bind themselves, under contract, not to print any matter in their reading columns which would be detrimental to the interests of the patent medicine manufacturers. Under the same stipulation they cannot even accept matter to be paid for, if it in any way reflects upon the patent medicine business. In other words, the sovereign people, whose servant the public press should be, is, under this contract, deprived of its rights of representation in the columns of the daily newspapers. The grave significance of this condition of affairs will be adequately appreciated when it is remembered that every popular movement to right public wrongs must have the fullest publicity or the effort is doomed to failure. The patent medicine business has been shown to be a monstrously evil institution, yet every effort to enlist the public press in an effort to arouse the necessary degree of indignation which precedes every public demand for the righting of a wrong has failed, because, "it is agreed that the ---- Company may cancel this contract in case any matter otherwise detrimental to the ---- Company's interest is permitted to appear in the reading columns or elsewhere in the paper."