The Washington times., 1936-09-24

NSN@NANAANSR
final session of the Herald-Trib
une Forum on Current Problems
heard the President over the ra
dio, broadcaSting from the library
Of his home in Hyde Park.
Governor Landon sent his mes
sage from Des Moines, Iowa, tt
Mrs. William Brown Meloney
chairmen of the conference.
New Deal waste and extrava
gance was the theme of the Re
publican candidates message.
President Roosevelt appealed fol
clear thinking, rather than rancol
and prejudice, in the deciding oi
national issues.
The Presidents message follows
Anything that makes for toll
erance of opinion and contrib
utes to the general education of
our people in the issues of gov
ernmental policy is of vast value.
Therefore I like the forum idea,
May we have more of them and
cover the country with them.
"VitaI Questions"
It is not likely that such a
brief expression of a point of
view as is possible on such an
occasion as this will persuade
the convinced political partisan
to change his or her position,
but it may start such people to
thinking and convey the idea
that prejudice is a rather weak
substitute for logic in determin-
ing the questions that are Of
such vital consequence to our
country as a whole and to each
individual citizen thereof.
It is natural, I suppose, in a
campaign year, for advocates
and adverSaries of any policy or
process of Government to re-
lapse into exaggeration and in
vective, and so becloud the con-
troverSy as to make it possible
for the future of the country to
be determined in rancor and
temper instead of by calm de-
liberation and clear thinking.
Province of Press"
I don't know that there is any
actual remedy for this state of
affairs, but I believe that it is
within the power and the prov
ince of the press to make what
ever improvement is possible.
I do not think that anybody OBJ
jects to a statement of opinion
or an argument, either pro or
con, being put forth in the edi-
torial pages provided the editori-
ais do not contain miS-state-
ments of fact. That, unless I en-
tirely misunderstood newspaper
psychology, is what the newspa-
per editorial columns are for. I
do not believe-and I do not
think any disagreement is posi-
BILE on this Subject-that a
journals news columns ought to
be tampered with, either by col
oring news or by leaving out
news. The news is the commod-
ity that is marketed to the whole
people.
I may be accused of idealism
when suggest that Republican
reader of a Democratic news
paper is entitled to all the news
that appertainS to his segment
of the political landscape and
that Democratic reader of a
Republican newspaper should
not be fed exclusively on Re
publican diet. And I would apply
the same idealism to the head
lines.
"Fair-Minded idea"
The forum idea, conducted i'm
partially, is an indication Of the
objective which most fair-minded
people seek. I cannot help but
contrast a nation which more
and more is encouraging any
friendly discussion on all manner
of public problems with those
countries which unfortunately
have made public discussion diff
ficult if not impossible.
In the welter OF passion which
Is apparently still inSeparable
from our political campaigns,
YOU and I hear about the liberty
of the press-regimentation of
the press against the Govern
ment and RECOMMENDATION of the
press by the Government. 1t is
doubtful if the United States ever
had an administration since the
days when washington was ac-
cused of despotism and aSpira-
tions to kingship that had the
slightest desire to muzzle any
body.
"PrOof of Statement"
The unchecked virulence OF
assaults on almost every admin
istration since the beginning OF
our history in itself is best proof
of that statement.
An old friend of mine who, al
though a successful man of af-
fairs in New York, has led a
somewhat narrow existence,
asked me the other day if it was
true, as many of his friends had
told him, that three-quarters of
all the money spent for relief of
the needy unemployed in these
past few years had gone for over
head and only one-quarter to the
needy unemployed themselves.
He asked me further if it was
true. as he had been told by his
friends, that all our bank de-
posits were insecure and our in
surance policies worthless.
"Logic Still Lacking"
I wrote him that it would be