The Wilmington morning star., 1940-11-30
BY pFcrrn

BY wEsTBRook FEcLER
NEW YORK, Nov. 81
ing to try to discuss in a nor 80
impersonal way the recent ' nr.e.
release of Harold Ickes, in n p.eSs
he viewed with alarm the fact @4 a
whereas a majority Of the s .a'
papers supported Wendell WI~ a;ts
nevertheless a majority Of w,
people Endorsed President ue
welt. He concludes from fb;s O ,S
the press has lost public ma'
fidence-"an unprecedented .u,,
progressively perilous Situation anu
quiring public consideration"
not sure this means that the nr o,''
has lost public confidence b gtSS
will say that if that is what !.
does mean, then the public itson
could be mistaken and the nrasa
right, nevertheless, even thou5b l ~
editorial opinion had been rejects
by an overwhelming vote rstbo.
than by a ratio of SIS to As. wbirh
WAS fairly close. 1
With the contention that IL.
press should reflect the opinions ~.
its readers-I disagree empbatica1.
ly. Who else, besides Ickes, claims
that the press should represent its
readers as a congressman renre.
sents his constituents If the nrpss
should come to that. then no nanor
could have an opinion of its own
1t would engage in sordid trading
to retain its popularity, as CON-
gressmen unfortunately do, and
run with low and evil gangs nj
practical political crooks. instead
of opposing them. Mr.. Ickes, if
may be observed, being a poIiti.
clan, finds himself at home in such
political company, but that is a
characteristic of his chosen trade
1t is his privilege to play that way
to his political peril, Of
course-but the suggestion that the
press is decadent because il
doesn't play that way is a mis-,
take.
Presumption
Some papers do undertake to tell
their readers how to vote, but that
is a presumption. 1t is a different
matter to present argument in
favor of one candidate and against
another, with the hope. always.
that the arguments are correct and
honest. In the last campaign |
heard nc specific charge that the
facts cited against the new deal
were false or distorted. However.
there was a disposition on the new
IDEAL side to denounce facts as
scurrilous merely because they
were embarrassing.
l dislike to accept any facts or
figures from Mr.. Ickes without in,
dependent verification, but | will
concede, for the sake of argument
that those papers which supported
Willkie gave him more or less the
better of it in their treatment Of
straight campaign news. But did
Mr.. Ickes, in his campaign speech
es, give Willkie an even break with
president Roosevelt. Did the varl,
Gus and numerous press bureaus
O fthe government give Willkie an
even break, and what sort Of press
could we expect to have If the
recent vote were construed as a
reputation of the free press for
violation of it's trust? We must
. have some press, and it follows
that we would have a controlled
administration press whose far
ness would be consistent with the
. performance of Ickes, the press
bureaus and the other new deal
campaigners.
Southern Press
! The press of the south in TINS
campaign was overwhelmingly loE
President Roosevelt, and take Il
!, that MIR. Ickes thinks those papers
> kept the faith, although the |hos
, nation knows that in national poA'
: tics the south never has an open
mind and would support a pao OF
4 mediocre democrat against a go0u
republican.
And we come now to the telling
fact that if the press had pee'
venal in this fight, if it had oee"
serving only the comfort and fIhaI,
cial interests of the owners "
certainly would have supported us
President. He was a favori'e u
the betting, he stood to WIZ a.
they say in the fight business anS
I the new deal had gwen i'u."
evidence that it's friends could *
pect rewards and its opp0n''ss
punished. 1t strikes me lhas ~
opposing a probable winner "nUSy
vindictive nature had been Ie'.r
ed in the past the American pre-
in the campaign Of l94o SAo"r1
high editorial and economic eo~
, age.
In addition to which l WouIo Inv
to ask how comes the secre'aL! y, W
the interior to deal with Sucl o..
tissue on office time and III po
r;eeS ~maintained for the trahSaN
ton Of government business. 1 l~s
question isn't the proper ouSHI'9
:. of the Department Of the In'eI1O-''