Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise., 1926-10-23
W. H. HAYWARD
DEFENDS SHORE
in LETTER TOsUN
Former Pocomokian Resents Attack
On Del-Mar-Va a Peninsula. Let
er From Harry Hayward.
THINKS ARTICLE SHOULD
NOT HAVE APPEARED

Eastern Shoremen, as body, re-
sent the attack made by 'Mencken ir
recent issue of the Baltimore Even.
ing Sun. There is no more influential
body of citizens in Baltimore thar
the Eastern Shore. Society. One Of
these, a Pocomoke boy, expressed his
sentiments in letter to the Sun, and
the Democrat takes pleasure in Civ.
ing space to said letter which was in
full as follows:
Baltimore, Md, Oct. ii, 1926
The Editor of the Evening Sun,
Baltimore and Charles streets,
Baltimore, Md.
Dear Sir: ''%
About ten days ago you carried in
your columns an article entitled "Del-
Mar-va" written by Mn. Mencken in
his characteristic vein. When / read
this I was impressed with the unfav-
orable impression that such an arti-
Gle appearing in your paper would
be likely to produce on the Eastern
Shore of Maryland.
Unfortunately, have today had
confirmed to me, by two rather
prominent business men of the high
est character and standing on East
ern Shore, that the impression which
1 had anticipated was fully shared by
the residents of that Important Part
o. our State. Both of them spoke to
me about the matter, and were quite
as much surprised that your paper
should have allowed such an article
to be published in its columns as they
were that Mr.. Mencken should have
seen fit to give voice to such ideas.
Perhaps much more so.
I presume that your defense will
be that you do not hold yourself re-
sponsible for anything appearing in
your news columns but only for such
opinions as are expressed in your
editorial columns. In a strict tech
nical sense perhaps this is true. On
the other hand, I think it is undeniably
equally true that readers of your
paper will be inclined to hold you re-
sponsible for the dissemination of such
views, even though they appear only
in your news columns. This was cer-
tainly the case with the two men a.
bove referred to. Both of them ex-
pressed the greatest astonishment
that you should have allowed such an
article to be published Manifestly,
il creates a bad feeling on the East
ern Shore of Maryland toward Bal
timore.
The merchants of Baltimore have,
under serious handicaps, not neces-
sary to enumerate here, been trying
to retain such measure of business
as is possible with the Eastern Shore
of Maryland. Anything which is
published in one of the leading news
papers of the State which makes it
more difficult to do this is greatly to
be deplored.
I have absolutly no quarrel with
Mr.. Mencken. On the contrary,
read his articles with great deal of
pleasure as a general proposition.
Some of them l agree with-and
some of them I do not. 1 am quite
content, however, that he should en-
tertain any opinions on any subject
which he may desire to do. do think,
however, that the dissemination OF
these opinions by your good paper,
when they clearly are against the in
terests of the people of the State,
should under any circumstances be
carefully avoided.
Doubtless the residents OF the East
ern Shore would take the same view
Of the matter. I fancy they are not
especially concerned about Mr.. Menck-
ems opinion of them-that would be
interesting, but not necessarily i'm
portant. But the broadcasting OF
such opinions by you lends to them all
Importance which they would not
otherwise possess. It. is small Won
der that such gratuitous and unfriend-
ly publications in your paper, as the
article referred to, give lasting Of
fense,-and what good purpose dc
! they serve?
CONTINUED on page 12)