Evening star., 1925-06-08
Politics and Newspapers.

In a manner extremely compliment
-tary to the power of the press. prom
inent Democrats today are attributinS
their failures in recent campaigns to
the fact that the Republicans have
the newspapers" AS a rule they pro-
ceed to dcnounce the newspapers--Re-
publican, be it well understood-as
."interest" controlled, Subsidized" :"
No one ever heard of d Democratic
'subsidized'' newspaper-at least not
from Democrat.
If this alibi really STOOD up" the
trats to subsidize AS many newspa pers
5as possible. There are Democrats
with money. But the ulibi does not
stand up. Without discounting the
power of the press, or the influence
which the newspapers have in politi-
cal campaigns, attention may be called
to the fact that you can't fool all the
people all the time" even in the news
papers, or even u majority of the peo-
pie. There must be some substance
editorials that are published if they
are to be effective.
The Democratic party today needs,
far more than il needs newspapers.
popular issues, strong leaders and
harmony, which is not the least i'm
portant. The newspapers Of the
United States are quick to print the
news. isappointed politicians to the
contrary Notwithstanding. If the
Democrats would remember the old
sa ying that to get water out a well
it is sometimes necessary to pour in d
little water, and act accordingly. they
might meet with better results. Nor
does water" in this case have any
, thing to do with financing or money.
II simply refers to news that Is of in
terest.
Democratic leaders complain that
President Coolidge has been sold
to the American people by the news
papers. So he has. in a way, but it
was only possible because the Presi-
dent stood for something that the peo-
D,
whether stock or political leaders, is
not possible over long periods OF time.
President Coolidge has stood the test
Of time and of Office, and there is
q, plenty of testimony today, even out of
the mouths of the Democrats them
selves, that he is popular throughout
the United States. Some of the Demo-
Gratis repeat over and over a refrain
that ''the President is colorless." They
may wish that constant repetition
would make the people believe what
they say. But is there any public man
whom the people generally have been
better able to picture more vividly
in their minds than Calvin Coolidge,
2 because of the things he has said and
done? Calvin Coolidge means some
thing, stands for something to the
American people. and he will continue
to mean something to them as long as
he conducts himself as he has during
the period he has occupied the White
House. This may be unfortunate for
the Democrats. who are out Of office
and Who would like to get in. If they
are to succeed they must find man
who can be sold to the American
people, man VINO will stand for the
things the people want and who will
appeal to their imagination. When
they find such man, and such issues,
they will find, too, that the news
papers of America will help to turn
the trick for them just as they have
helped to give the people today a reali-
Zation of President Coolidge.
AS evidence Of the fact that a politi
cal leader must have something which
warrants newspaper support, 1t is only
necessary to call attention to some OF
the municipal and State elections,
when the great daily newspapers have
& supported candidates who did not
measure up to the demands of the
people. In those campaigns columns
of eulogy have failed to land the prize.
r.