The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-10-07

COOPERATION
The Presidents Secret" two.week tour Of the
country now matter Of history-the secret which,
os one commentator remarked, 100, 100000 Amer.
ieons wouldn't tell to the other 3O,OOO,OOO.
The secret" was preserved" because newspop-
ers and radio, leaning far over boekword deferred
their best judgment to that Of the President who over
ruled many if not most Of his advisers and asked thot
no word be published about the trip until he himself
gove permission.
In view Of the unfovorobIe remarks made by Mr..
Roosevelt about the press and the radio, at the very
conference in which he permitted publication OF his
trip we feel justified in saying that tbs suppression
bv the news media was on extreme example OF war.
time cooperation by both Of those agencies 1t should
be borne in mind thot this voluntary censorship went
beyond the limits Of anything ever before asked or
conceded
Obviously, in wartime, there should be no men,
ton of the itinerary Of President en- route, either IN
advance or while he is in any fixed spot Such pub
licty might either invite sabotage by advance oct
ion or permit enemy agents to reach the scene in time
to get in their dirty work.
But this went further This went SO far that, otter
the President had addressed gatherings OF thousands
Of persons-n one instance the estimate was thirty
tEousond-ond had moved on to some other city the
IocoI newspapers O'O PUN Va VIZ wv
that he had been in town.
This voluntary censorship went SO far that Wash
lnoton news ooences disseminated prepepored pres
jdentoI material, creating the implication that it had
lust been worked up not even negatively to Gre
ote curiosity whether Mr. Roosevelt was at his desk
on Pennsylvania Avenue.
In one moment we are proud Of this oIl-out COOP
Grafton. In another we are bewdered and worried.
Virtually without exception professional news
men, who have devoted their lives to eouen9 popular
psychology in relation to events believe that the
Presidents request went beyond the bounds Of reos-
on.
These dissenters include not merely the working
reporters, who might be influenced by their desire
to write hot Stories but also the best publicity brains
OF the Presidents own administration.
They include not merely the representatives OF
onti.RooseveIt publications the onRooseveIt rep
resentotves Of other papers. but such ordenty pro-
Roosevelt writer's as Raymond CIopper and Ernest
LindIey.
TOSSING their own informed convictions into the
wuste bosket these needed the President request,
and refroined from giving the people some OF thot
information which is the cornerstone Of enlightened
democracy.
They had done this before, when there was dit
ference Of opinion among competent experts hey
have done it now, when there substantial dit
ference Of opinion
Itis cosy to see the dangers we ore facing. IT It
IS true that democracy cannot function unless it
supported by on enlightened public opinion, then
there hos to be some point at which those media
choroed with public enlightenment insist upon func-
toning democrotcoly.
II anyone can stop that process co'd-ond one
man hos in this nstonce-then perhaps it is time TO
reossess the situotion.
FORTUNATE FAILURE
Tests suggest thot the suggestion made by one
oil compony to cut out half the cylinders Of on outo-
mobile in order to gasoline, is not very proeo-
obIe The savings in no instance was large, and in
some tests there octuo increased use Of fuel
openotino results not Unexpectedly, we're for from
&nooth
Probably this is fortunate. Throughout most OF
UDQJtyy oosotne is Totioned to sove rubber roth.
4: ~. Any device permitting oreoter mileage
I90eand oos would serve 70 defect the prime