Imperial Valley press., 1926-06-26
ARMED GUARDS SPEED BEFORE AIlIE1EE'S TRAN
EditoriaZ Association VIII Be Welcomed To Ez Centre
IMPERIAL VALLEY SALUTES LADIES
AND GENTLEMEN OF FOURTH ESTATE

AS spokesman of the people of Ell Centre
and the great Imperial Valley, the Press vel
comes the members Of the Editorial Assocla-
ton.
1t is tradition we'll observed Of the Fourth
Estate, that newspapermen write neither OF
themselves nor of others of their craft in words
of praise, their function being that OF recording
the news and the speech of others; but IN this IN
stance, where hundreds Of scribes are Journey
ing through cur country, we feel lmpelled TO
transgress the unWr1tten code OF their cult ana
in welcoming them to sunland express our
appreciation of the great function they exercise
for civilizations advancement.
These hundreds of men really represent
millions of readers, American citizens For those
readers they not only chronicle the news OF
their various communities the nation and the
world, but ever they stand as sentnels to guard
the veal Of their readers to prevent by the great
white light of publicity any infringement Of
those readers political rights, any piundering by
predatory politicians OF the peoples treasury
wherein Americans have placed their taxes to
meet the payroll and maintain the integrity OF
this great nation.
Being human, with human faults and frail-
ties, probably there exist amongst newspaper
men some who are not wholly true to their sacred
trust as curators of the public safety; but just as
the great majority Of the American people are
sound of heart so with rare exceptions the
quill drivers" are kept through the hard years
at their arduOuS and often unappreclated LABOR
by the spiritual eXaltation that glOrifies any
task, no matter how humble and irksome.
These men Of the press who will sojourn with
us Monday, perhaps are more representative OF
our public life than even the legislators who
frame our laws, for without their eagle regard
tricky politicians would suffer no slightest check
upon their devious and selfish schemes against
the best interests of the people.
In welcoming them, therefore, we feel that
we are extending greeting through them to mil
lions Of fellow Americans and that our message
will reach that host Of our countrymen.
And to change to the wholly material, the
economic, viewpoint, what an advertisement of
our fruitful valley this visit of the editorial as
sociation will prove! AS they return to their
desks throughout the Union, they will tell their
folk about this land of eternal sunshine, of this
valley made by the rich sediment of an ancient
sea and the fecund silt of the Colorado, Of the
boundess riches of the future when the great
red rivers tide shall have been harnessed for
hydro-electric power and it's waters diverted
upon the fruitful acres about us until the pre-
sent huge output of Imperial Valley shall seem
slight by comparison.
The word these men Of the pen will take
back to their millions of readers will in the ulti-
mate reckoning mean more than all other forces
working for the mighty project Of the Boulder
Dam.
Again, in the name Of the people Of Imperial
Valley, we welcome you, ladies and gentlemen Of
theFourth Estate.