Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1920-07-16
Columbia Wills 10 Have Editor as
a Guide During Next
Four Years.
VIEWED AS GOOD EXPERIMENT
An Apathetic Campaign Likely TO
Warm Up-Doings of Republican
Leaders-Trade Restrictions With
Russia Lifted - Mexico More
TranquiI-Spa Conference
and Foreign Affairs.
BY E. F. cLlPsoN.

America, ever reSourceful and willing
10 try anything once. has shown the
spirit Of true democracy by going to
various professions for its presidents.
The first one was n civil engineer, and
since his time the White House has
been occupied by lawyers. diplomats,
professional politicians, planter, sol.
diers, tailor, two college presidents.
one Of whom also preached little, and
The other Of whom practiced law a lit
lie, and several others who at various
times in their careers were identified
With trail blazing farming, legislating
and the law. Now the supreme expert
ment is to be tried. for Ohio mother of
presidents, has produced twins, and,
singuarly enough, both are newspaper
npn. The claim has long come from
various sources that the newspapers
nun the country, so nothing is more
logical than an editor as chief eXeeu.
tive.
BARRING accidents or the totally I'M
expected, either Editor Harding or Ell
itor Cox will sit in the presidential
chair March 1, 1921. Tile consensus OF
opinion gathered from public express
sions and the news of the day, is that
Il is an experiment worth trying. No
very pronounced evidences of worship
Tor either candidate seem manifest as
yet in the great body of tie electorate.
bat that is a condition in keeping with
the editorial personality and may eaS-
by change as the campaign warns up.
Until the day of signed news articles
and editorials changed the condition
slightly, the newspaper man has al
ways been somewhat submerged
Voluntarily submerged - personality.
He has been a most potent leader and
sirector in his quiet way, but seldom
for him the heroic role. He has created
many heroes, but little hero worship
has come to him. His ideals would not
admit of it. Clncinnatus patiently
blowing is more ideal in the general
newspaper creed than Cincinnatus
leading armies.
Now the editor gets In front of in
stead of behind the calclum's bright
glare. The public will, metaphorlcally,
see two editors at least, stripped TO
their very souls; but as each has had
some stripping in state politics the or
deal will be less severe. Also, the pro-
fessional halo makers, In this case the
political managers of the two candi-
dates, will soon be enlarging upon the
nobility of the editorial calling and the
self-sacrifcing qualities which 1t en-
tails. Already the haos are in the
molds and before November II Is safe to
assert. both candidates will be heroes
TO their respective followers, although
Mt present they are just level-headed
representative citizens, with consider
able edge in ability over the average.
The exaltatiOn will extend, in some
degree, to the whole newspaper profess
sion. and some there are who think
this will not be good thing. Any
way, after next March the people will
have an opportunity to see how an edi-
tor, who never fails to tell how the
country should be run, will run 1t him
self
The aftermath of the Democratic
convention has not been greatly dis
similar to that of the Republican con-
cIave. The bulk of party sentiment,
with the exception Of the naturally
iisgruntled, seems inclined to abide by
Governor Cox, just as the bulk Of Re-
publican sentiment abides by Senator
Harding. Bean spillers have been ac-
tive in both parties and Nicholas Muir
my Butler, in his attacks on the forces
of corruption, did not say any more.
indeed not as much, as William Jen-
nings Bryan, In post-convention utter
ances, has said along the same strain.