The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1938-05-12
Bitter Row Develops

Bitter Row Develops
Washington.-In the midst of all
Of the politics and planning in the
national capital, there has lately
come to the surface one of the deep
est and most bitter rows that has
developed incident to the admins
tration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. II
is the controversy, long shoulder
ing between the President and the
newspapers of the country. It is out
in the open now, and the struggle is
a desperate one.
To go back few years, it will be
remembered how Mr. Roosevelt was
described as having very friendly
press when he entered the Invite
House. He continued to maintain
the most pleasant relations between
his office and the newspapers of the
country, and especially with the
Washington correspondents, until
doubt began to develop in the minds
of some editors as to the soundness
Of New Deal policies in 1885. The
number of opposition editors in
creased and in 1886 it was generally
said that the President had only
about one half of the newspapers
supporting him. But even then,
Mr.. Roosevelt continued to have ex-
ceedingly cordial relations with the
corps Of correspondents who report
on national affairs under a WASH
ington date line.
The Washington correspondents
and columnists who found little or
no fault with the New Deal began
to dwindle in numbers eventually.
Now, as guess, would say that
probably only about one-fourth of
the five or six hundred writer's be-
neve heart-and-soul with New Deal
policies. This does not mean that
those who observe weaknesses or
vulnerable points in the New Deal
do not write their commentator
when they believe 1t is due. The
differences is that they are no long
er completely "sold' on New Deal
statements or propaganda without
digging further into every situation.
AS result, obviously, attention is
directed daily to those weaknesses,
as well as the strong points, Of the
New Deal; the news is no longer all
ballyhoo for the New Deal.
Another result is that the White
House press conferences no longer
are the jovial, carefree meetings
filled with laughter, good-natured
jibes and exchanges, friendly shots
back and forth between the Presi-
dent and the correspondents. On q
number Of occasions, quite the con-
trary has been true. The President
has spoken in very harsh words
now and then about news dispatches
from Washington by certain writer's.
He has not minced words when some
Republican writer, like Mark Sulli-
van of the New York Herald Trib-
une syndicate, for instance, wrote
his observations of a critical nature.
Althogether, I believe it can be said
that the newspaper criticism at
times has got under the Presidents
skin and has made him quite irasci-
BILE and squeamish. ! do not mean
to say that this condition obtains
every time the President meets with
the press, but it has happened with
greater and greater frequency OF
late that Mr.. Roosevelt has found
fault with what the correspondents
We're writing.
Such things, generally, are not
written. Newspaper men usually do
not inject themselves into rows, nor
do they consider that they are more
than the eyes and ears for their
readers. That is to say, they con-
sider their work impersona1 and for
the reason that it is impersonal sell
dom take the public into their con-
fidenceS on matters that Seem Tn