Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-01-20
Outside Point of View

\ Ihefe Is little danger 70 tnls repuDlC
of ours from hero worship. About as re-
mote possibility as can be imagined
| is that any president of these United
States. will ever proclaim himself die
tator and have following strong
enough to capture even the defense
! less District of Columbia. And the rea-
son for all this that with our system
| of publicity in the press. this hourly
and daily thru the medium Of trained
correspondents at Washington. we the
people not only know of the good work
our elected officials are doing, but we
are acquainted thru the same source,
with their weaknesses, and any pos
sible step they may take In the wrong
direction. The case of President Roose-
welt as 1t stand today well illustrates
this theory. Critics he has, severe ones.
everywhere Yet Senator Tillmans
speech, his so-called defense. filed as
1t was with vindictive references to
Roosevelt, fell fiat Foraker can con-
tinue his attacks on Roosevelt till the
day the senator steps down to private
life, but he will make no impression on
the minds of the people. Why? Simply
because we all know Roosevelt Till
tlldtl ttLiu u Stahet. All Iii tiCSV PHp
lie men are past masters in the line Of
making speeches to the great big jury
of the voters of the country. All call
spade a spade. But only one. Roose-
welt, this after his friends admit his
many shortcomings, his sins of COM
mission, for those OF omission, he has
yet to be indicted. retains his hold up
on the respect of the people. Again,
why? And the answer once more Is, we
know all three of these men.
A we'll read and reflective physician
not long ago, remarked to the writer,
that in the many changes that are
coming to this country, this in the way
of better things, was that not so long
ago, any doctor with suit against him
for malpractice, could depend on the
entire profession coming to his rescue
in time of need, but now doctor
rightfully accused of malpractice, was
in danger of getting his just deresrts
And thus suggests the attitude OF the
public press towards our public men.
The editors and managers of our daily
papers, realizing that they have given
their readers, the facts and the truth,
can not write editorial opinions toi
their news columns. Time
was that If a republican congressman
was detected in wrong doing. republic
an papers would come to his rescue
this because he was q republican and
belonged to our party" Hardly trace
of this kind Of or: is left. Covering
such cases with the mantle of silence
is now esteemed the best we can 90 ZOE
"our congressman"
And the public proceeds along these
same lines. Even during the lass
campaign, when things
were hot" few democrats defended
Haskell, few republicans found Foraker
free from fraud Active politicians
there were in both parties, that We're
silent concerning the exposures in the
careers of these public men, but Brv-
an did not defend r eskell In MS
speeches, no more than Taft took up
the cudgels for Foraker. Grant had tae
faculty
faculty of standing by his friends
Roosevelt does not know what ths
word friendship means If he detects
wrong doing. And to get back to the
attitude Of the press, on the question
of standing by the party" such pa
pers as the Springfield Republican
and Harper's Weekly find their occu-
patton gone-as mugwumps.
And all this has given added weight
to the editorial utterances of both our
daily and weekly papers 1t Is true that
the editors of such papers still in
dulge In or rather practice more the
shooting at long range rather than at
target, closer. Here in Iowa the repuo-
lican paper hits the center Of the For
aker target. Here in Iowa a democratic
daily using the telescope editorial rifle
shoots into the center ring Of the Till
man target, this at the first shot. But
the point is, such editors fire, and not
blank charges. And humiliating as it is
to admit and creditable as 1t Is to at
firm, such change has to come both
to editors and readers, because OF an
awakened public conscience. The press
acting as the agency of publicity, nos
only have Reformed the people but
have felt a needed reform in the make
up of the editorial page. Lincoln's fool
ing part of the people part OF the time,
but not being able to fool all of the
people all of the time" has thus taken
on renewed strength.