Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1946-06-07
Colun,nists Speak
Out of (in?) Turn

The carping critics of today and
yesterday enjoy decrying the vari-
Gus inroads upon our founding IA
Tiers ideas of government by the
people.
We hear much about govern
ment by lobbies"; government by
executive order; government by
this and by that ~
President Roosevelt used to in
weigh against what might have been
called an attempt at government
by columnists. 1t always seemed
rather unnecessary on his part
since he used to be elected regu-
larly with press 80 per cent hos
tile.
Recently President Truman
was called upon to comment on
the work of the distinguished
columnist, Walter Lippmann.
Lippmann eXp0unded the some
what startling theme-with even
more startling trimmings-that
Britain and Russia were pursu-
ing foreign policy based on
the possibility, if not the prob
oDAAey VI WAL, Will CdCH sue
hoping to enlist eventual Ger
man support.
In fact, Mr.. Lippmann even discov-
cred an invisible German army in
the British zone. Il don't mean that
literally, for l understand that he
did not visit the British zone in his
tour of investigations
Tho Dror;Iorfte
that hindsight was better than fore
sight, but as far as hidden army
was concerned, he never heard of
it and didn't think it existed.
The same day, Mr.. Truman was
asked to comment on the statement
of another distinguished correspond
ent, Harold Calender, Paris cor
respondent for the New York Times.
Mr.. Calender had reported sharp
reversal of American foreign pol
icy toward Russia. The President
slapped that down, too, saying that
he knew of no change and he
made the policy.
Some days before. Sumner Welles,
former undersecretary of state,
now radio commentator, made OBJ
servations similar to those of Cal
lender.
Recently Harold Ickes, another
former civil servant turned colum-
mist, declared that the careful news
paper reader could get more author
itative information than the secre-
tary of state possessed, because the
Secretary's inform alton was
screened by a reactionary and in
efficient aide
Just how much influence the in
dlvldual writer or commentator
Yields is question. In most cases,
it takes an almost unanimous repe-
tition of an idea to produce action.
And then its effect on the govern
ment is usually indirect. 1t results
from the pressure of public opinion,
which in many cases is created by
press and radio, when the many men
of many minds and political faiths
can agree on some one subject.
When the majority agree it usually
means that they are as nearly right
as mortals can be in these confus-
ing days.
III tAiC CdSC VI waiter lido
mann, I believe that he is voic-
ing what many of us who have
followed recently International
gatherings and who have been
in Europe since the war, agree
upon: namely, that the states
men of the major European
powers have fallen into the old
pattern basing their diplo-
macy on the thesis that war is
more or less inevitable, instead
Of the new pattern where the
objective is to prevent war rath-
er than prepare for it.
Another theme of Lippmann's
which is not held by him alone, to
which this writer certainly agrees,
is that the problem of the proper
handling of Germany is the most
important foreign problem, and the
one upon which all the other prob