Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-08-12
Record Shows
Patterson as
A Real Patriot
Name Calling Continues,
Trouble Foreseen
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER


~ against Joseph Medill Pat
terson. the publisher of the New
York Daily News.
Some congressman got up the
other day and said he was Hit
lerite, and Patterson. who is no
boy but big fellow and always
keeps himself in pretty good
shape. replied with an editorial
in which he called the congress
man a liar and invited him 10
step outside.
For the rest. the campaign is
running in a little journalistic
query published by Marshall
Field, who, all of sudden.
couple of years ago, came down
with a mission.
The party is getting pretty
rough and possibly, before it is
over, we shall have repetition of
some of those picturesque jour-
nalistic and personal brawls
which enlivened the issues dur
ing the war between the states.
WHAT any one could accuse
Patterson of any sympathy
with the enemies of his country
is Just proof that somebody is
losing his mental balance in the
excitement of the war. because
Patterson's family is strictly
American from way back.
He was a combat soldier in
the other war. for which he en-
listed as a buck private. and forI
years he kept up monotonoua
din IN his Monday morning ed1-
torials. pointing to the menace
of Japan and always winding up
with the tagline, Two ships for
one.
He also carried for years, as
an item Of his papers platform,
Decatur's line about MY coun-
try right or wrong" and he is
no cheap and mouthy patrioteer
who would do that for circula-
ton and profit. but a standup
American Who means il.
I'VE odd thing is that all the
way down the line from 1882
10 the third term. Patterson
was a thick and thin New
Dealer himself.
Long after his cousin, Bert
Mccormick. VINO runs the Chi
cago Tribune. got off the New
Deal and started fighting
President Roosevelt's policies.
Patterson supported the adj
ministration and the President
personally.
He showed his sincerity by
going New Deal in his news
paper shop. where he encouraged
the Newspaper Guild. even when
its leadership and policies were
consistent with the Communist
party line. and gave the Guild
an agreement amounting 10
closed shop
THIS burned up a lot of good
newspaper people who had
been with him long before the
guild was thought Of and who
had no gripe against him and
had always been able 10 90 10
him. personally. without the
services OF a bargaining agent
for the d JUSTIN ent of any
trouble
After the shop went guild. thu
personal relationship betweeT
Jomp, as they call him, and the
staff underwent a change which
is hard TO describe.
The relations didn't exactly
cool Oft, but happy newspaper
shop became more like a fac
tory, an old-timer indicates.
He went back 10 the News
looking for job on the COPY
desk. was turned down, but
given occasional work on the
extra list because his health
wasn't up to par.
SWAY back there. even before
w the New Deal. Patterson's
editorials clamored so loudly
for weapons and soldiery for
this country's defense that he
was accused of being a lingo.
II took gumption 10 advocate
militarism then because, as you
may remember. some of the
same panty-waisted he-shrews of
the present war party. the poets.
philosophers and dilettantes,
were sneering at patriotism, de-
nouncing the other war as the
work of j. p. Morgan and insist
ing that a nation with arms
would surely pick a fight so as
to use them, whereas an UNI
armed nation would shame the
others into disarmament.
He also advocated military
training for the CCC and every
once in awhile he would let fly
an editorial proposing additional
West Points and Annapolises.
LIE EVEN defended Jimmy
N Roosevelt's rank as a coll
onel Of the marine corps reserve
and his appointment to a Job at
$4,000 a year as the Presidents
secretary.
Jomp said. hell the ranLa~