The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-03
ON SECOND THOUGHT
BY JAY 4. HOUSE.
(From Philadelphia Public Lsdsss.)

<11lCI YOUR "dNSOA S0l-
torial," writes a smart chap who signs
himself o. c., 81 bought a bundle OF
morning and evening papers and read
the Watson appropriations of your fell
low editorialists. The tone and mat
ter are about the same as yours, show
ing the perfect Standardization of the
American editorial mind. The Kip
ling stuff recently exploded furnishes
an even better example of this syn
chronizing Standardization. One
sound paper headed it's effusion AN
other Fallen IDOL Now, of course,
ling has a place in the writing game
as wonderful story-teller. But be-
cause he does not know politics he is
a fallen idol Gosh! Suppose he
can't swim, or is a dub at tennis, is he
another fallen idol? Or does Lloyd
because he does not Know how to make
money on the New York stock ex-
change?i
Probably it is useless to say o. C.
has the wrong silk purse by the hasp.
Likely it will be futile to say there
are a number of things in this news
paper we did not write. Doubtless
the people will go right on holding US
responsible for everything. But, as a
Watson editorial. Its authorship rests
in one whose journalistic shoes we
are not yet qualified to unIace.
For the balance-and that is really
what we want to talk about-we don't
run across much Standardization of
the editorial mind. We meet with six
or seven editorial minds every fore
noon. There usually are about the
same number of divergent views at
that table. What we think about the
editorial mind is that it is honest.
oil sic cd fo frA
better things.
If we were disposed to criticize it
and we are not-we'd find for it a
sufficiently close analogy in the case
of the gent who is afraid the waiter,
or the hat-check girl, or the door
man. won't think well of him. We
think the editorial mind is unneces-
sarily scared of it's public. 1t is a
little afraid it will do something that
isn't done. 1t is a little too much
impressed with the thought that if
1t doesn't soften the blow somebody
will get mad and stop the paper, al
tho it is not a matter of record that
anybody did stop the paper for that
reason. That is what we should say
if we were disposed to criticize the
editorial mind. But we are not dis
posed to such criticism. Most of the
editorial minds with which we are &C
quainted have forgotten more than we
ever knew.
And it may be it is the better part
to be a little scared of the public.
We have a mind that doesn't go along.
Nobody has ever been able to syn
chronize it. The result is that we
are in constant turmoil, and the only
reputation we have been able to
achieve is that of being a low life"
The editor of the American Econo-
mist is much perturbed because this
column takes tariff legislation lightly.
We never saw a chappie more worked
up over nothing. Well, for his infor-
nation we shall repeat that from the
time we arrived at the age of under
standing until we were twenty-five or
twenty-three we bled for the tariff
in season and out. We were always
in a state of emotional disturbance
with the tariff as it's inspiration We
were as much devoted to the tariff as
the editor of the American Economist
dare be. The difference is that we
bled for the tariff for nothing. The
editor of the Economist, we take it.
draws a salary for every drop of blood
he sheds ir its behalf.
How ever, we are always amenabie
to reason and looking for an oppor-
tunity to better our condition of life.
If our attitude toward tariff legisla-
ton is considered important, we'll
covenant and agree to bleed for a
high protective tariff four times every
year for an Eonorarium of $4,000 a
year. For $4,000 a year we'd bleed
for free trade.
The editor of the Economist con-
cedes that we may know all about
Hollywood, sports and local occur
rences, but he regards our ignorance
of tariff legislation as pitiable. The
editor of the Economist comedies too
much. We know nothing of Holly
wood-we are beginning to doubt that
we shall ever find out-and equally
little of local occurrences. And, in
common with the great body of our
fellow citizens and the legislative and
executive arms of government, we
know nothing of the tariff. There
is a general agreement, to which we
subscribe, that a tariff should be
levied on imports. But nobody knows
exactly what the duties should be,
altho the tariff has been a subject of
burning discussion for fifty years