The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1937-08-05
All Scripps-Howord Newspapers Cory
Editorial Proising Senator Wheeler

ables" came in-those unseen fac
tors which Napoleon described as
decisive in any military movement
and which are equally decisive in
political affairs. Instead of Tory
leaping into the breach. who should
appear but-Mr. Wheeler.
Our generation had seen Mr.
Wheeler become symbol of hber-
alism. And not merely in the AGA
demic. or parlor, sense. He had
been put on the spot by the reac-
tionaries as perhaps no other man
in our times. To know that it is
necessary only to reread the story
of Teapot Dome, of Harry Daugh-
erty and William J. Burns, of the
effort to get Wheeler" of the
Wheeler defense fund headed by
President Emeritus Charles W. Eliot
of Harvard. of Roxie Stimson and
Jesse Smith and the Ohio gang and
the little green house on K ST., and
of MFR. Wheelers colleague. Tom
Walsh. and of Mr.. Wheeler's cam
paign as Vice. Presidential candidate
with the elder Bob La Toilette.
To big business and the inter-
ests' this man Wheeler had been
anathema any way you looked at 1t,
from the marked man" time when
they tried to frame him, on to the
corporation curb" headlines for
which he was responsible in the
] New Deal.
And yet this was the one who.
along with the brilliant OMahoney
and others who were classed as lib
erals, so quickly sensed the danger
of the packing plan, split away and
took the ball
Had there not been such an OPP
position leadership. developing very
early after the proposal was SO sud-
denly sprung, had the forces of
resistance conferred in the Hamil-
tons and the Shouses, had the lines
of the 1886 campaign prevailed. the
results might have been different,
and this nation of supposedly three
equal and coordinate branches
might now be under s.your-own-
ticket one-man control.
In paying tribute to MIR. Wheeler
we desire to philosopher for mo-
ment on the subject of labels. We
have referred to him as liberal.
But rather we should like to pick
another designation and call him an
independent. There's a vast diff
ference, we believe. whether the
field be craftsmanship or journalism
! Mark Twain said. Irreverance
is disrespect for the other mans
Cod Liberalism, like morals, is
something you have to define for
yourself. But independence is just
being yourself, like the fellow who
was heard to say after long argu-
ment with four other travellers ir
Pullman smoker.--"Not one OF
! them agreed with me- They were
the four most unreasonable men
: ever met"
Out of the intolerance of pro
fessional liberalism you have Hey
/ wood Broun condemning an OSWALD
Garrison, Willard. They all get on
of step but jim
: We chose, therefore, in appraisint
: Senator Wheeler to refer to him a.
! an independent and to quote a bi
| from Cryano.--
: ITO walk in my own way and b
alone,
Free, with an eye to see things a
| they are.
t To say:-My soul, be satisfied will
! flowers,
. With fruit, with weeds even. bu
. your own !"
We may and probably will b
\ scrapping with him about this o
that, as we have before. But w
never will accuse him of wearing
anybody's collar except that Whicl
is owned in fee simple by Burtol
K. Wheeler.
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