Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-04-29
The Once Over
MIR. TwITCHELL ON THE PRESS N THE
CRIME WAVE

President Hoover IS doing a smart thing when he
calls on the American newspaper publishers and ed
itors, to help suppress crime" declared Elmer
Twitchel today. The newspaper publishers have
the solution in the hollow Of their hands. II they
would refuse to run any notices about crimes unless
the criminals took out paid advertisements the crime
wave would be knocked in the head"
Mr.. Twitchell seemed quite serious. las a mat
ter Of fact" he continued, 1T would be a good thing
II the publishers refused to print any free notices
about crimes anyway. If the crooks want to get space
in the newspapers let them pay for it!
Its the glamour thrown about lawlessness by
many newspapers, particularly the tabloids. that's
responsible for much of the shooting now going on
in this country. A lot Of people are going In for
crime just to get their pictures on the trent page.
Walk into a newspaper office and announce that
you are 70 years old, never broke a law in your life
and would like a little mention Of the fact on page
one, and you will be handed over to the loving care
OF the janitor, while the editor phones for a doctor.
Walk in and announce that you have just held UP a
bank and killed two tellers and you will get all the
space originally reserved for Lindbergh,
"One Of the troubles today is that you can't get
any publicity through a minor offense. In the old
days the local paper would publish a photograph Of
a man and his entire family if he tapped a gas main,
stole a horse, got off a trolley without paying his
fare, threw a brlck through q window or cheated the
landlord out Of a months rent. Today that's piker
stuff in any editorial room. The only way to get a
big first page spread is to 60 in for arson, robbery
and murder.
The publishers should confer with their business
managers and editors at once and let the word go
out that there will be no more free notices even for
major crimes.
Yes, sir, it's up to the press to help Hoover. If
a child bride wants to get before the public the news
that she has murdered her mate, as the headlines
say, let her take out a full page ad. If a couple Of
nuts want the public to know they have held up an
armored truck and shot the guards, make them take
out a page advertisement.
IF I was an editor ! would 80 even further" con-
.cluded Mr.. Twitchell. 7 would not pay any atten-
ton to any criminal unless he took out a years con-
tract at the highest advertising rate"
REVENGE
The collier T. "A. d. Jones, named after and owned
by Tad" Jones, former Yale football coach, was
.shelled by the coast guard recently for no apparent
reason. There is, Of course, just the bare possibility
that the guardsmen had wagered on some Of those
Yale teams Of the past few years.
soil is rich enough to raise two crops Of debentures
every year.
Mr.. John q. Rockefeller, Jr. his own car disabled.
tried in vain to get a ride as a hitch-hiker the other
day. Probably the drivers Of the cars were willing to
give him a lift but were restrained By their timid
wives, who said, Don't take a chance Willis; 7 don't
like his looks"