Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1906-05-18

United States for the first time in
1912 and had made a stay of some
weeks in Washington. The reflections
of the Incompatible novelist were
formed at a period of American polit-
ical history when Clay, Calhoun and
Webster were in the zenith of their
powers, and when in the congress
were many other men whose worth
became woven in the laws of the re-
public and whose fame is a common
heritage of its honor.
The proneness to popular distrust
has always existed, more or less in
sistent. It takes many forms and
manifests itself in varied fashions,
sometimes running into something like
a craze. Fl
Just now in the matter of attention
to public affairs susceptible of divert
ing animadversion, it appears to be
the fatuous fad OF the time to trounce
the senate of the United States. But
the senate. as of yore. is Winding its
own business, which, in the fullest and
highest measure is the peoples well
fare, and has not time. if it had in
clination. to harken to the interested
efforts to swell a popular cutlery
against it's members. all and sundry.
The general mind should be in a
Btate OF singularly unhappy susceptible
Iity to evil influence when it regards
with any patience the Wholesale critic
lsms of the senate with which the.
cheap magazines have recently been
affame Indeed, one may speculate as
to how great may be the measure Of
mental vacuity or moral perversity
possessing the public mind when it
accords to these frantic diatribes even
the respect of unmurmuring silence.
It would be very well-it might real
/ ly be advisable-if those who read
these cheap magazine assaults upon
the senate would take a little heel
of the question as to the authority and
responsibility of the well-adyertiseSl
enanations. Who and what are the
writers? When were they in Wash :
ington, and how long did they stay i'll
| the national capital? What have been
their opportunities to learn Of these
fearful evils. iscme of which they
describe and more of which they aW-
fully suggest? Was it through long
Iextended opportunities of observation.
experience or association?
The least inquiry will answer these
questions with an unqualified negative
of any assumption that the magazine
writers have been properly equipped to
inform the public
There has not been a single author
4 OF one of these widely advertised serial
Iphilippies who has spent time enough
in Washing ton to learn what he as
Isumes to know about public men and
| measures. He may have been lunch
i con guest of the president, but surely
/ the president has not inspired the SEN
4 ate critic. The very Vehemence OF
his criticism renders him liable to the
5lsuspicion that If he ever had any re-
4 lations sufficiently intimate with SEN
taiors to enable him to procure the ex-
ordinary information he purports
4 to give the innocent public, he has
either betrayed a confidence on sc
i trif1ed with the truth ais to pa der tc
j that coarse element OF the population
which derives glee from me- eenaEy
slmendacity. 81 II.
Naturally the class which views
Il with the least patience the productions
lof the yellow magazine ma lingeTers is
4 the corps OF Washing ton newspaper
correspondents 200 Of whom enjoy the
privileges of the congressional press
II galleries and represent nearly as many
II great daily wspapers uhlished il
ievery part of the colin try, onait ting
4 none Of influence and respecta bil ity be-
Tween the two oceans and the lakes
and the gu One-half sof these cor.
irespOnde dents were here ten years age
4 and has since that time con finuously
Iwatched the sessions Of congress a
third dates al con inu0us service al