Evening star., 1944-07-27

oAih S4SSV WAC
utter opposite. Lowell MeIIett.
Mr.. O'Daniel Is that-but utter. HI
became governor of the Lone Sta,
State by singing "Pappy, Pass thu
Biscuits" which had some cute
connection with the fact that he wa,
flour salesman.
Fed up with the song, II not with
the biscuits, and feeling resentful
toward Washington for some reason,
Texans passed ODaniel on to the
National Capital. Here he became
what Is called good copy" He was
a "colorful character" Notwith-
standing the sad experience they
had had with another colorful
character from Texas, name of
Martin Dies, newspapers found
space to develop Mr.. O'Daniel into a
national figure. His blatant per-
formances were always good for a
headline, so long as he was attack
ing the reprehensible New Deal.
Which was all the time. Mr.
ODaniel grew to be as great man
as Martin Dies and for largely the
same reasons.
Ncwspaperman Now.
But now Mr.. O'Daniel has done
what am doing here, although in
different way. He has bitten the
hand that fed him. He has gone
into the newspaper business him
self started a newspaper. Which
would be all right in normal times,
since anybody with a shirttail full
of type and million dollars has
the constitutional right to start a
newspaper. In these abnormal
times, however. with the supply of
newsprint limited. starting a new
newspaper can mean reduction Of
the newsprint available to existing
papers and existing papers need all
there is.
In some manner Mr.. O'Daniel OBJ
tanned enough newsprint, according
to his own announcement, to enable
him to publish 100000 copies of his
paper for a year. This aroused the
curiosity of Arthur R. Treanor, di-
rector of the War Production Board S
printing and publishing division.
Mr.. Treanor wrote the Senator a
routine letter, asking how much
paper he had, where he got it and
how he was using 1t. He expressed
no suspicious or doubts, he merely
asked for information. Mr.. Treanor's
job is to protect and control the
supply Of newsprint during this war
period, in order that all newspapers
may have fair deal.
The result Of this polite inquiry
was the angry outburst from Sena-
tor ODaniel In the letter to Chair
man Nelson. THE people OF this
Nation" Mr.. O'Daniel wrote, ARE
fully aware Of the thousands of Gov
ernment f1unkeys on the New Deal
payroll who do little more than
read the newspapers and continue
to vote the 'one-man' ticket ="
He expressed the hope that Mr.
Nelson would not countenance this
smear letter written by one of
your flunkeys."
Competent Newspaperman.
The "f1unkey." of course Is Arthur
Treanor, quiet, friendly, compe-
tent newspaperman of long expert
ence. He was picked for his present
thankless Government service by the
other publishers of the country,
succeeding in that role the business
manager Of the Hearst Publications
who, in turn, had succeeded the
business manager of the Scripps-
Howard Newspapers He himself Is
vice president Of the Booth News
papers, published in Grand RAPIDS.
Flint, Saginaw, Muskegon, Kalama-
ZOO, jackson, Bay City and Ann
Arbor. (Change cars for Detroit,
about the only place in Michigan
where Mr. Treanor has no news
paperD These Booth Newspapers
have never yet supported the New
Deal and there is no reason to sus-
pect them Of any such foul pur-
pose this year.
Being called New Deal turnkey
L. 3t,~