The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-11-12

Editor. The Timos-Ncws:
Some years ago Upton Sinclair
wrote a book called the Brass
Cheek" which was severe in
dicmcnt g. the press and vixen
Il. l.. Ncnckcn was asked 10 tY-
press his opinion Of Sinclair'a
>corchinc structures, he wrotc;
"What I desire to say is simply
this: That to the best of my
knowledge ard belief, the average
American newspaper, even Of the
sO-callcd better sort, is not only
quite rs bad as Dr.. Sinclair says
il is, but ten times wurSc--tCn
times as ignorant, ten times rs
unfair and tyrannical, Ten times
rs complaccnt and pusii!animouS,
and ten times as devious, hypO-
critical, disingenuous, deceitiuI,
pharisaical. pecksnifiian, fraudu-
lent, slippery, UnscrupulouS, per-
fdious, lCwd and dishonest.
ALAS. aiasl | undcrstatc it hor'
ribly! The average newspaper, es-
pccially Of the better sort, has The
intelligence of a - CScct de-
Ietcd evangelist, the courage OF
rat, the fairness of a prohibit
ton boOb-iumpcr, the information
of a high school janitor, the taste
of 4 designer of celluloid valen-
tines and the honor of a police
station lawyer
Al the time Mr.. Menckcn wrote
this ACKNOWLEDGMENT of Sim
clair's work he was one of the
owners and editors Of the power
full Baltimore Sun. AS such, he
ought to have expert knowledge
on the subject! However much
one rebels against accepting DR..
Sinclair's and Mr.. Mencken'S in
dictmcnt, he finds powerful re-
minders of their declarations IN
such editorials as "Thc Inside OF
Social Security" appearing in
your issue Of the 9th inst.
Whatever impcricctions may
exist i'm the Social Security act. 1t
is & tremendous undertaking de-
signed and intended to secure to
every human being in this coun-
try. at least, a subsistence against
the "slings and arrows of out
ragcous fortune" As time and
experience test its workout no
doubt changes making for a con- .
tinuing improvement of the act
and its operation will be made. .
But make no mistake about 1t, 1t
is here to stay, not as a New .
Deal slick trick" as you say, to
fool many Of the people much
Of the time" but as Il permanent
achievement for the welfare OF
all the people.
| nave not the time or you the
space to discuss the cycle Of en-
ploymcnt which this social secur-
ity fund follows in It's circulation
through the economic structure
from its collection as taxed to ITS
disbursement in benefits, but IL Is
a cinch that it is not being used
to further private ventures IN the
nature Of Teapot Dome or Vet,
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES swindles and
the like!
If some of our editorial Solo
mons would 90 and hide out in q
haystack somewhere and read
some of the works Of the worlds
great thinkers in political philoso-
ply, such as Chase, Cram, Orte-
gay Gasset, Spengler, Madaragia,
Byrdyeaff, Mock, Dawson, Veblen,
Coyle, and the like, perhaps they
could offer some really construc-
tive criticism that would help the
masses form an enlightened judg-
mcnt and throw some light on the
path ahead. but talk about the
administrators of the government
of the United States as bunch
of tricksters and fool-baiters does
not do any credit TO. the distrib-
utor of. that kinasof 'balp,! -
8 200, F. W. EWBANAr Z:
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