The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-04-14
NEWSPAPERS OPINION
A NEW DOCTRINE

Governor Ehrnghaus has not delivered speech
that has caused more discussion than MS a"ul g"
AT the Jackson Day dinner of Young Democrats IN
Raleigh last week. in that speech the governor i0'
the third time assaulted his critics.
The first occasion was at the meeting OF inc
Young Democrats organization at WnghtsVlHe
Roach last summer The second was at the meet
ino of the Democratic State Executive committee
at Raleigh in March.
Tn his last speech, however, the governor IS more
severe on his opponents than in any previous Ut
torrance He calls them ''Mugwumps, "perVerters
of the truth" and such like pleasant names. what
he must really think of Democrats who cannot see
eve to eve with him in all things is Indicated by
this language
There are MANY good Democrats in North Caro-
lima who are sincere admirers of the governors
ability and personality and have been ready to
accord praise and commentator to him in all
cases where they could agree with him.
But at the same time these Democrats deny the
right of anv man, governor though he may be, to
constrain their support for all his actions or to
"crib, cabin and confne" the policies they shall or
shall not approve
In his Impotence with his critics in the Demo-
cratic party, the governor seems to have taken
democracy, the strength and virility of which de-
pend upon differences of opinion, full and frank
discussion.
It is said that Senator Simmons once had ma
chine in this state Maybe he did But at no time
did he seek to suppress discussion of his official
actions or party policies. When head of the party
he fought his battles out in the open.
There is grave danger, we fear that the position
I'll. 1o&Oe NC1iF
terance means the creation of a machine which
would not only operate to choose the candidates
of the party but also to smother and suppress
those contests within the ranks upon which the
safety of our institutions and the perpetuity of
the Democratic party depend.
In discussion of the governors speech, in The
News and Observer, Frank Smethurst, managing
editor of that paper, makes point that all leaders
of the Democratic party in North Carolina might
consider with profit to themselves and their party.
He says:
"The governor is quite right when he says there
is danger confronting the Democratic party and
that it comes from within rather thar without the
party. ,.
eft isn't, as the governor suggests, the menace
of snipers 1t doesn't come from the disloyal who
spend their time manufacturing ammunition for
the enemy, perVeftlng CfuCn garDHng 1acCS, IRA
ducing other Democrats, subvertin& Democratic
'"The danger comes from those who elect them
selves custodians of Democratic truth and censors
of Democratic doctrine; who suggest ostracism
and penalties for other Democrats whose concep-
tions of Democracy may differ with theirs; who
harbor the illusion that the Democratic party has
been accorded an irrevocable franchise to govern
North Carolina and that anything the elect may
see fit to do is good Democracy and therefore
socrosanct.
,"Fhe Democratic party has given North Caro-
lima reasonably good government The danger
confronting the party in North Carolina is that 1t
may come to believe that any sort of government
it supplies is good and ought to, be swallowed be-
cause it is Democratic. Wi nston-Salen1 Journal
Libertaran, One who is Mortified by any injus-
tice to the weak in some region far away.
Russians must be little smarter than other
people. Little kids of FIVE and six can speak the
language.
Out of rs men and women drivers tested for
licenses in Salt Lake City, 10 failed and all were
men. Bachelors, probably, who hadn't been coached
from the back seat.
A bigger and better cucumber has been devel-