That was the mainspring of every political discussion--and in election times, one side had orders to abuse the other, merely to keep up the popular excitement.

By Jove! I should like to take a select body of electors 'behind the scenes' of a newspaper office and show them how the whole business is run!" "You know too much, evidently!" said Mary smiling--"I don't wonder you were dismissed!" He laughed--then as suddenly frowned.
"I swear as I stand here," he said emphatically, "that the press is not serving the people well! Do you know--no, of course you don't!--but I can tell you for a fact that a short time ago an offer was made from America through certain financial powers in the city, to buy up several of the London dailies, and run them on American lines![1] Germany had a finger in the pie, too, through her German Jews!" Helmsley looked at his indignant face with a slight imperceptible smile.
"Well!" he said, with a purposely miscomprehending air.
"Well! You say 'Well,' David, as if such a proposition contained nothing remarkable.

That's because you don't understand! Imagine for a moment the British Press being run by America!" Helmsley stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"I _can't_ imagine it,"-- he said.
"No--of course you can't! But a few rascally city financiers _could_ imagine it, and more than that, were prepared to carry the thing through.

Then, the British people would have been led, guided, advised, and controlled by a Yankee syndicate! And the worst of it is that this same British people would have been kept in ignorance of the 'deal.' They would actually have been paying their pennies to keep up the shares of a gang of unscrupulous rascals whose sole end and object was to get the British press into their power! Think of it!" "But did they succeed ?" asked Helmsley.
"No, they didn't.

Somebody somewhere had a conscience.