The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-06-13
THURSDAY, JUNE IS, 1918.
The State Officials Again.


then Chinee" it has ways that are
dark and peculiar and it is usually
rather hard to find out just what it. is
really seeking to get at. Down in Wash
ington it is heralded as the Leading
Democratic paper in this section of
the country but in it's own balliwick
la Wisconsin the Journal prefers to be
referred to as a publication eminently
committed to independent thought. y
We like the Journal because it has
ideas-once we thought that it had
ideals, but the recent senatorial cam
paign in Wisconsin led the News along
with a lot Of other people to believe
that the Journal priced more highly the
distinction of being the Leading De-
mocratic Organ in Washington than
the distinction of being the leader of
independent thought in Wisconsin.
To us this is regretable. The Journal
with a happy way of expressing its ideas
and happy methods Of expression plus
ideas should be very valuable asset
iIpthe cause Of the people.
The trouble with the Journal isthat
ii can not be trusted. 1t starts out
right at the head of the procession, with
the true blue loyalty - non-partisan,
save the country slogan at the head
OF its column and at the end of the
campaign drops back to the old worn
out trail of boosting a man because he
belongs to a l1ertain party-that party
has usually been the Democratic party
We have haunting suspicion that
somewhere in the past the Journal did
support Republican candidate in a
half hearted fashion and that the man
was the hand picked candidate of a
certain Senator who is now not in the
best of light with men who prefer to
style themselves as "patriots. Other
than this our observation. of the
Journal has led us to believe that it
was a pretty reliable dyed in the wool
Democratic paper.
1t is probably largely on this account
THAT it is hard for the Journal to grasp
the suggestion of the News, that Wis
consin have a "Loyalty Convention -
rather than ''Party Convention -
Now if the Journal were a paper of
ideals as well as ideas it would find it
very easy to catch at least CLINT Of
what is meant by the suggestion.
The Journal has sat in loyalty con-
ferences in the past. It's representa-
tives called loudly for a loyalty candi-
date in the recent senatorial campaign
and then it fell down miserably. 1T s
Editor suggests that the News was un-
comprOmisingly for Lenroot. Our mem
DRY is fairly good, and we recall that
this paper in the primary campaign
was very favorable to the campaign
OF Dr. Mccarthy of Madison. The fact
that he happened to have in some way
affiliated himself with the Democratic
party did not appear to be barrier
to our speaking kindly of him. We did
not believe in the idea of the Journal
that the administration at Washington
should tell Wisconsin people who
should represent them in the upper
house Of Congress.
The News stands ready to take the
same broad view in state conference
as it did in the Senatorial conference.
IL did not suggest Mr.. Lenroot. 1t is
not suggesting slate of candidates
for office in the state now. 1t has no
names to mention. 1t is simply sug-
costing that Wisconsin put in the state
house at Madison men who are not 90
ing to compromise with the Hun to
gain the political support of the pro-
German element in the state.
We are nor warped in favor of some
old party candidate. In fact we be-
heve that the state would be highly
benefited by putting some new blood
in the state house at Madison. The
fact that man favored President Will
son In the last election should not bar
him from consideration by a loyalty
conference. 1t might even be recon-
mendation to him as most of the men
who are going to have part in loyalty
conference, if one is held, are men who
have stood shoulder to shoulder with
Mr.. Wilson in his conduct of the war.
They have not done this because they
were Republicans or because they were
Democrats but because they were Amer
leans. They have not sulked when
they could not put over their own poll
teal friends as candidates but they
have buckled right down and put coun,
try above party.
If the Journal is this sort of fel.
low the invitation for it to be the
leader in the organization of such a
conference is a most cordial one.
The brilliant intellect of it's editor
could find no more shining mark fol-
his editorial. lance than the support Of
such, a movement.
Ib~would' bring the. Journal into the
class of papers with ideals as well as
ideas. 1t might make it greater pow
er for the fbetterment of the nation thar
for II tN have Al a roS. cno 4so1, af ftT no