Imperial Valley press., 1934-08-13

; ing of the California News
PAPER Publishers association in
. Los Angeles, Friday. August 8,
1884, ! p. m. is printed that
the public may knew there is
, another side TO the recent state
ments made by General John
son on newspapers.
General Johnson S address in
Chicago last night is a challenge
to every citizen who has sworn to
support the constitution of the
United States. Speaking as a re-
sponsible official of the United
States government he plead again
for a dictatorship under the NRA.
He made statements which are his
torically and factually inaccurate
and which were unquestionably de-
liberately intended to substitute
/ goyernment-made opinion for pub
lie opinion. General johnson IS
speech makes the freedom of opin-
ion as important an issue today as
the freedom of the press was one
year ago and every citizen who
cherishes his liberties must decide
between the bill Of rights or gov
ernment by executive order, the
twin brother of martial law.
President Nicholas Murray But
ler of Columbia university stated
the issue clearly when he said that
the first principle of a democracy is
that government must be subject to
public opinion. Public opinion must
not be servile to government. Gen
eral johnson is opposed to that
principle. He has opposed it ever
/ since he became the national re-
covery administrator and his latest
address is a direct challenge to the
press to lead the fight for freedom
of opinion, for the freedom of pub
lie opinion.
Historically there is solid found
alton for this public service. The
first line of type ever set is said
ito ha1e been "lNt x'-"let
there be light. The first pam
phlet published in the English lang
uage. the forerunner of today S
newspaper, was printed to warn the
people of England of danger of war
with Spain. One of the Oldest def
initionS of "publick printing is
"A rare engine for communicating
knowledge of the truth In the
United States the newspaper as an
institution is older than our re-
public. older than the bill of rights,
older than all modern industries,
utilities and most of our educa-
eional ! institutionT Historically,
too, the press has been the cham
pion of public opinion for more
than two centuries in this country,
more than three centuries in Eng
land, and until recently. in all
other countries where the people
have a voice in government.
Seeks Press Control
From the day the National Indus
trial Recovery Act was signed by
President Roosevelt to the present
hour, General johnson has been
fighting to control the press and
substitute NRA-made opinion for
public opinion. The men who draft
ed that law which gave the Pres
ident power to license the press not
only desired but expected to con-
troll the press. Furthermore, they
intended to use the radio, which
the government can license, to
manufacture government opinion
One year ago General johnson per-
sonally asserted at the Century OF
Progress exposition that with the
radio and motion picture he could
create a symphony of action" in
the United States. At that time he
thought he would be able to con-
troll the press and suppress public
opinion but the fight of the news
paper publishers of the United
States for the freedom of the press
in the daily newspaper code de-
prived him of his opportunity to es-
tablish a dictatorship by law.
Today General Johnson seeks to
accomplish the same objective by
criticizing the press over the radio
in the hope and with the expecta-
ton that he can undermine pub
lie confidence in news and substi-
tute government opinion for public
opinion.
'sWhy," he asks. I'VE do not
have an undivided press is beyond
me-" What is an undivided press
but a servile press? 81 wish, - he
said. 1--WE could get more general
whole hearted support for NRA. y
What is that but the wish of a
man who would like to dictate?
What General Johnson wants is
a press which will take orders, a
press which is united for the gov
ernment and by the government
edited by governmental yes-men
who will suppress every opinion not
approved by an American-made
dictator of propaganda.
While there is more involved in
General Johnson's address than
the fate of the press let us con-
slider calmly as newspaper men his
specific charges. General john
son said:
81 have seen news garbled, sup
pressed and colored and have seen
able men prostituting their talents
in libelous and misleading stories
pandered as news at the behest OF
opinionated bosses
Should Give Proof
The American press should make
General johnson state the facts in
his possession and submit proof
of this indictment. To have a
statement such as this enter mil
lions of American homes by radio
sponsored by a high official of our
government is a libel on every
neWSpaper in the United States