[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 65 (Wednesday, May 20, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E923]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE 125TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION DAY

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                            HON. TIM ROEMER

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 20, 1998

  Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, Thomas Jefferson once said of newspapers: 
``The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very 
first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to 
decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or 
newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to 
prefer the latter.''
  Next Thursday, on May 28th, one of the great papers in the State of 
Indiana, the South Bend Tribune, will mark 125 years of continuous 
publication as a daily newspaper. Since its inception in 1873, the 
Tribune has compiled an outstanding record of professionalism and 
public service that continues today. South Bend, the State of Indiana, 
and portions of Michigan are all fortunate to have a newspaper that 
sets such a high standard for community service and journalistic 
competence.
  The Tribune is an exceptional newspaper in a variety of ways. Allow 
me to mention a few examples. First, the Tribune has been recognized on 
many occasions by local, state, and national newspaper organizations 
for its outstanding coverage and service to its readers. Year after 
year the paper wins awards in a wide variety of categories: from 
photography, to deadline reporting, to editorial writing.
  Second, the dedicated and devoted staff of the Tribune produce a 
newspaper that is consistent in the high quality of its content. 
Readers all over Indiana have learned that they can depend on the 
Tribune to produce an excellent newspaper every day.
  Third, the Tribune continues to be devoted to its community. In an 
era of cookie-cutter national newspaper chains that lack local flair or 
public concerns, the Tribune remains a locally owned and managed 
newspaper that is dedicated to promoting the health and civic discourse 
of its community.
  When Joseph Pulitzer retired, he outlined a standard for newspapers 
that exemplifies the history of the Tribune: ``That it will always 
fight for progress and reform, never tolerate injustice or corruption, 
always fight demagogues of all parties, never belong to any party, 
always oppose privileged classes and public plunderers, never lack 
sympathy with the poor, always be drastically independent, never be 
afraid to attack wrong, whether by predatory plutocracy or predatory 
poverty.''
  The residents of the Tribune will mark May 28th with the hope and 
assurance that the newspaper will continue to have a similar impact for 
many years into the future.

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