Imperial Valley press., 1912-10-18
THAT DEMOCRATIC COLUMN
CAUSES MUCH COMMENT

The Press has received a number Of
| the matter published in the column
donated to the Democratic county cen
trail committee, which has been in
large part of a bitter personal charac-
ter, and even a number of Democrats
have protested that it was not repre-
sentative But the column was givel
to Democracy without any strings, ana
the Press has published what was fur
nished Replying to the contents of
the article in the Press last evenin g,
District Attorney Swing makes The
following very pertinent comments:
Editor Press-Dear Sir: As citizen
Of Imperial valley, want to protest
against the publication of the personal
attack upon Governor johnson found
in your last nights issue under the
column edited by the Democratic lead
ers of this county.
Taking for their text the news item,
Hiram Johnson was enthusiastically
received in New Jersey" they go on
TO state their conclusion that his audi
ence who paid him the respect stated
by the news dispatches, was made up
of the filthy elements who clean De.
mocracy drove into the gutter of
malign revenge.
The writer of the article very proper
ly paid very high tribute to Governor
w
cratic political machine in his state,
and by kicking ex x-Senator Smith and
other bosses out of power Such ac-
aching spots on the psychology of Mr..
smith, To these statements no OBJ
lection can be taken. and Republicans
join the Democrats in being proud> of
Governor Wilson's record in New Jer
sey. This Democratic writer, however
of the state of California, notwith-
standing that he broke up a greater
machine. and kicked out as bad, if not
worse, political bosses.
Most people, whose eyes are not to-
cord Hiram johnson high place
a person than William Jennings Bryan
has time and again laid aside his
partisan character to pay to the gov
ernor of California the compliment he
work in this state. You Democratic
editor however, referring back to the
sore spots on the psychology" of Mr..
Smith of New Jersey continues this
statement, "and our governor, the gov4
ernor of an enlightened, redeemed and
progressive state, stopped and licked
l would be sorry indeed if l thought
that this kind of an attack reflected
the sentiment of any part of the Demo-
Only : few : days q; g. ago ., r; Theodore .l,}s
Of ar. assassin whose brain had been
J
1ttacE uror the Character OF Roosevelt.
IEe American people were iTeEPTe5si-
bly shocked a. the daaIaIdlS deed. ana
the leaders, regardless Of poIl1icai af-
fliatiou, now deplorc the personal vii
lificatiOn heretofore indulged in, and
by common consent, will conduct the
remainder of the campaign on a high
standard Under these circumstances
the attack upon Governor Johnson was
in exceedingly bad taste, II say the
least.
Your paper goes all over the country
and ] would hate TO have outside peo-
pie think that such an article was Il
representative of any part of our citi
ZenShip.
AS a Republican voter, l was proud
of you, Republican editor, when
vou gave the Dem ocratic leaders space
III your paper to present their arSu
ments to the public. The great issues
of this campaign, reaching as they do
and industrial, as well as our political
.ife, call for the widest and fullest dis
cussion possible, Of all the principles
involved. to the end that the decision
Of the American people, on the 5th
day of November, may be correctly and
intelligently made.
The citizenship of this valley is the
equal of that anywhere in the United
States. Its men and women are intel
lieent and broad minded, inspired with
high ideals. and anxious to form in
the questions now before them, and |
cannot believe that such a campaign
of personal attack and VillificatIon
will do otherwise than react upon :he
party who presents it to the public.
PHIL d. SWING.