Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-08-06

Dear MIR. MallOn:
IVY work brings me In con
tact with many NecutiveS,
attorneys and other people. in
Guiding elevator operators and
lanitOrs.
1T has been my ambition 10
get these people set straight as
To the confidence and truthful
ness being expressed by you and
your fellow columnists.
when read these various
columns, l have confidence In
YOU and your fellow columnlsts'
opinions.
SHOWENER, many Of my
fellow associates make
harsh statements which ut this
time show much dissatisfaction
with the way many I'm Washing
ton are doing things.
They deem the cOlumniStS as
being told what 10 write, and
say YOU just write because YOU
are paid TO. Most Of them have
no respect for the American
press AT this time. and accuse
the board of censors OF misin-
forming the people.
Certainly something could he
done i'm defense Of our reliable
cOlumnists and the American
press.
(Signed) Charles r. Litz,
Wilmington, Delaware"
nEAR Mr.. LITZ
~ THE syndieated eolumnists
are paid a little by each paper,
not lot by one newspaper or
even n group. 1 think the small
est number of client newspapers
publishing any OF the national
coIumnists II about so. About
no are publishing my column
and these represent every shade
OF international, economic and
political opinion.
81, too, have run into the same
criticism which you have en-
countered.
"A letter from a Colorado
reader the other day cuffed me
around for writing the editorial
viewpoint of his home town pa
per there which publishes my
column. have never had the
pleasure Of seeing the paper.
Another correspondent ac-
cused me Of trying to get all
the Democrats kicked out OF
Congress, because / wrote the
facts about Congress delaying
the pay TO dependent
women and children OF our fight
ing men for five months until
the day before the coming con-
gressional election.
SQUT that same day, I re-
- ceived a request from a
Democratic congressional candi-
date in West Virginia. asking
permission TO reprint the very
same article for his Democratic
purposes.
II find II generally evens up
people can easily see from what
columnist writes, what he is
trying To do.
1T takes an unusual person
atty TO write convincingly and
Interestingly about something
which he himself does not be-
lieve. Ii y writer, himself, does
not believe what he is writing,
he will never make many others
believe IL, and his writings are
therefore unimportant.
EVOU can see from the man
Il ner in which the column
nists work and are paid that
they could not attempt to pre-
sent the editorial Judgment of
their papers. IL Is physically Inn
possible TO obtain or read that
many papers. I have never seen
most Of my papers.
THE government cannot be
said to cont more than
hand full. IL any, newspapers.
Therefore, IL cannot pay colum-
nistS in anything except personal
favorS, and few successful jour
nalists here want favOrs that
bad. They generally want To sell
more newspapers and ma Ike
more money.
The d ca that the govern
ment tells us what 10 write and
pays for IL therefore cannot he
generally true. No cOlumnist
that know of, submits his
articles 10 the cenSorS. We
know what are military secrets
and avoid their use.
NTINHE fact that this situation
exists I'm the newspaper
business II a great tribute To
the American press, the great
est perhaps. In itself. il offers
incontrOvertible proof of the
fairness and impartiality of the
press n whole.
Here YOU have hundreds Of
papers all through the country,
each with its own sharp indi-
vidual editorial viewpoint, eN-
pressed ny its publisher or his
local editorial writer's. willing To
open its columns daily To
C0lumniSts far away in Washing
ton whom they do not know.
and who frequently express
judgments conflicting with their
own.
1t Is "a fine example Of
democracy in action and the
democracy OF the press. that