The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-06-19


 BILL WHITE iSbeing celebrated today because he upset this American tradition. He turned down tempting offers to go to the big city, and hewed out his considerable, niche in the Hall of Fame in a typical, small vest ern town.
 EMPORIA, KANSAS, has a population of 14,00O now, but when Bill White bought the Gazette in 1895, its residents were numbered in the hundreds. The word 'Emp0ria" comes from two Greek words meaning sin the way"; that is, in the highway of the world. Emporia was not in the highway of the world in 1895, and it is not now. But Bill White has put it on the map, and the world has beat path to his door.
 Farm Belt Spokesman
 Many wonder how White came to be famous by staying in small town. There are thousands of small town editors, and big town editors for that matetr, who have never been heard of.
 Bill White is significant and vital American leader because he is an enlightened, vibrant spokesman of the great farm belt of the nation, because he is an unrelenting foe of provincialism, and because he keeps Main street alert.
 It was very characteristic that one of the earliest advocates of U. s, recognition of Soviet Rus sia was this small-town Kansas editor. White had gone to Rus sia as a delegate tot he Prinkipo Conference in 1919, and came back to challenge the Red-baiters in the U. s.
 As a result, he was blackliSted by the D. A. R. One of the Daugh- ters wrote him a caustic letetr, denouncing him as Bolshevist and a traitor to his country. White replied. editorially:
 "Mrs. Brousseau is lovely lady with many beautiful quali- ties of heart and mind. Put in her enthusiasm she has allowed several lengths of Ku KIux nightie to show under her red, white and blue."
 CrNnoShnd KIan
 Whites tilting with the Klan embroiled him in his only attempt for public office. He has always held that en editor should never run for public office. But when in 1921 it appeared htat the Klan would seize control of Kansas, White quit his editorial sanctum and entered the political arena as a candidate for governor on straight-out, anti-Klan platform.
 He ran as an Independent, with neither organization nor money behind him. With his young son at the wheel, he toured the state in an old Ford, often speaking eight and ten times a day. Whe nthe votes were counted, he had received 150,0OO, enc out of every three cast, not enough to elect him but enough to smash the Klan.
 White has certain oddities. He drives a car with a license tag bearing the number 13-1313. In France, during War times, he would go to Paris cafes to munch Kansas cakes sent him by his wife. And instead of shaving every day, he slaves only on Sum- days, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
 Decayed Conservative
 Tn a book published last winter White listed number of judg- ments which he regrets having made during his life. Among them he recorded his characteriz- ing Eugene Debs as a charlatan. advocating the Spanish-American and World wars, and asserting that Sacco and Vanzetti deserved their death sentences.
 Thus White again reverses the normal by becoming more liberal and tolerant the oldler he gets. He calls himself "a decayed con- servative."
 His first big splash in journal ism was on the conservative side. He wrote an editorial called What's the Matter With Kan sas?" in which he scathingly at tackled William Jennings Bryan and his free silver platform. To- day White calls the article a stupid job, but it brought him fame four decades ago. Mark Hanna had it reprinted through out the country and offered White any job he wanted.
 White got started in jour- nalism by sheer chance. Shortly after he entered the University of Kansas, his father died. Un- known to Bill, his mother opened boarding house to keep him in school. When he heard of this, he wroet three job- hunting letters-one to grO- - --- = - -