The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-12-18
FALSE PRAISE DANGEROUS.

When the newspapers OF Vermont dis
card fswnng for the honors of office;
dare TO be frank and open instead OF
apron-st ringed or poked: are not party or
gans or tools; do not indulge IN false adj.
Grafton or stoop TO kiss somebody's feet
Tor praise; will admit that men in high
places are not gods without faults or eN.
empt from criticism; that honesty and
independence rank higher than hypocrisy
and embryo cyncism; then, and not TIL
then, will politics he - millste
cleaner than they are today-Newport
Express and Standard.
There is much truth in this arraign-
ment, widesweeping though it is. The
false alteration clause and the one follow
ing appeal to us particularly. II is the
practice of many newspapers in this state
land Others for that matter) whenever a
man is elected or appointed TO public of
flee TO lavish praise upon his head with
out regard for the facts in the case Re
peatedly we read that ''the many friends
of Mr.. So.and.So will congratulate him
upon his well-deserved appointment to
this or that office" when we and every
one else familiar with the facts know
that the appointment was not well-de-
served. Editorial paragraphs almost in
variably tell us that the gentleman in
question is particularly well-qualifed to
serve in this capacity" or will bring to
the position large measure of expert
ence" when it is common knowledge that
the appointee's qualifications are a doubt
full quantity and his experience lacking
entirely. Not infrequently just esti-
mate of an appointment would read thus:
'The appointment of Mr.. So-and-So to
the Office of commissioner Of this or that
comes to him as reward for the service
he has rendered the republican party.
His ability to fill the position is a matter
Of conjecture. He has never shown any
marked qualifications for the position but
for the sake of the state it is hoped he
will make good" Yet how many edi-
torial paragraphs as frank as this are
found in the course of a year? Undue
praise is not confined to public officials.
Whenever country weekly issues an ex-
ira page or two of platematter its enter
pIisc w 10 lndue tHc suDJtcI iOI bltii-
dishment, while if newspaper man hap
pens to change his base of operation he
is Landed so high that we wonder why he
wasn't made Washington correspondent
of the London Times long ago.
This habit of passing out praise indis-
criminately has tendency to nullify the
effect Of deserved commentator. 1t
misleads the public into thinking either
that none but well qualified men are
placed in positions of public trust, which |
is not true, or that all newspaper com
mendation is matter of policy and not |
of fact, which is equally far from the
truth. 1t would be radical departure,
certainly, for all newspapers in the state
to tell the plain, unvarnished truth in
matters of this kind, but at least they
can keep silent when praise is not due.
As result of such a course deserved
would be rated at its true
value, the public would get far clearer
idea of the actual fitness Of its public
servants, and eventually the state would
receive the benefit that would surely
come from the appointment of only COM
petent men to the public service.