The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1913-11-14
President Shows That Responsibilities
Of Office Are Weighing On Him
Says Congressman Tavenner
NEWSPAPER REPORTS BLAMED
Fake Stories and Sensational Stuff"
Aiding in Urging On Fight
Means Lives Of $4,000 Boys

President was weary the other morn
ing when he met the Washington
newspaper correspondents in the re-
gular weekly meeting he holds with
them. The lines on his face showed
that the responsibilities of his Of
flee are weighing on him. He was
pallid, tired. His answers to ques-
tions lacked the play of humor that
characterized his informal utteran-
ces when he first entered the White
House.
He knew in advance the questions
that would spring first. Mexico. 1t
has been the theme Of these White
House meetings for months. And the
questions were sanguinary, warlike.
Had Huerta sent to the Powers a
note of defiance of the United
States? Had Lind prepared to break
off all diplomatic relations War!
War! War! How soon? That was the
unspoken, but apparent, eagerness
behind most of the questions.
The President answered all pa
tiently He knew of no note. Lind is
merely the medium for communica-
tion-he is not laying down ulti-
mata. But the President by his man
ner showed he realized the futility
Of trying to impress upon some of
these news writer's the necessity for
moderation in their articles dealing
with the Mexican question.
Yet he die not terminate the inter-
view without making the trail-his
usual trial. Because of the White
House custom I am not permitted
to quote his exact words. But he
gave the reporters to understand
that the newspapers are making it
very hard for the administration to
deal with Mexico. The sensational,
jingoistic headlines not only excite
the American people and appeal to
the worst side of their nature, but
the distortions and the surmises of
Of the reporters, raw boys some of
them, and the pure war fakes' are
telegraphed promptly to Mexico to
create further excitement and a lit
tie more hatred in an already excited
country.
It is pity that this is true-that
newspaper owners will assist the
spread of inflammatory rumor and
guess. 1t is not usually the fault of
the reporter. His writing reflects the
wish of his employer. And so, to get
the "good story, he draws founda-
tionless conclusions he snatches a
straw and with it predicts the tenn
pest, or he resorts to that contempt
able thing, the out-and-out fake.
Happily almost wrote unhap-
pily-there will be no war unless the
American people desire war. 1t is
good that the people have this free
dom of choice. But the people as a
crowd are sometimes easily excited,
yielding to war hysteria. AS Champ
Clark said the other day, the United
States has been the aggressor in get
ting into every one of it's foreign
wars. And no one knows better than
the President the effect in mob
PSYCHOLOGY of this continual, hyp-
motto repetition of the tocsin of war
with Mexico. It puts the nation into
a frame of mind ready to be aroused
to fury by some act that might other
wise result merely in a diplomatic
incident.
Do those who are writing news
that makes the Presidents task diff
ficult, do those who own the newspa-
pers which print these articles,
know what war means? Aside from
the fact that it would set back for
years the growing movement for
''the new freedom" aside from the
wound war would give to the ma
tons ideals, aside from the cost IN
money war is terrible curse to a
nation.
Speaker Clark said that an inva-
sion of Mexico would cost $4,000
American lives-American boys
lives, for wars are fought by boys.
One of the $4,000 might be your boy
reader, or your sisters boy or Your
DAUGHTERS bow. Are Won willing that
your boy shall pay with his life for
the desire of few large city news
paper owners, and the Standard Oil
Co., and Big Business in general
that the United States gratuitously
seek war with Mexico?