Evening star., 1948-11-19
Letters to The Star
Epistle From Mr. Ickes Also His Fortnight Explanation
of Why President Truman Lost the Election

TO the Editor of The Star:
1t appears that in your issue of November
you carried an editorial "The Press and Pol
itics." do not know what candidate, II any,
you supported during the campaign. but I
gathered from this editorial that you were
hoping, and perhaps expecting, as so many
did, that Gov. Dewey would win. Anticipating
such an event. you were apparently ready to
get in some Of your sly blows against those
who have had q growing conviction that, re-
gardless of issues ard the merits of the can
didates, the great majority Of the daily press,
in any presidential election, can be expected
to line up for the Republican candidate.
Your editorial, in effect, was badly timed
invitation to "Mr Ickes and his crew" Ito come
right out and say that the press has regained
its influence, that the people now look to 1t
for guidance" If 1t was, am asking you to
admit that the press has lost its influence and
that the people disregard 1t in making up
their minds how to vote in a presidential
election. This seems to me to be the fact.
If Mr.. Dewey had won, 1t would have meant
that good deal Of credit should have gone
to the newspapers, but "alas and alack," 1t
was just another case Of the grounding ven-
turing out to see his shadow and then sinking
back again into his hole.
Perhaps you will be kind enough to date
me up for the first Tuesday after the first
Monday in November OF 1852. You might as
well take the chance that you may feel more
like "twosing" with me then than you do now.
And, In the meantime, you may be willing
to explain your expression, Mr.. Ickes and his
crew ." According to my dictionary, a
"crew' is "a detail Of men; band: company
or, specifically, any small body Of men re-
JAI ofal hv mot nr
trait, often derogatorily; set; gang, herd;
mob" Not for the first time, The Star has
INDUCED in language that 1t is called upon
to justify If 1t can. In what sense is the word
"crew" used in this editorial? Who organized
the crew? OF whom does 1t consist, and what
is its objective?
With the unctiousness that one nat
urally associates with The Star, you say: For
it is not the function Of the press to tell the
people how to VOTE and no rational editor
expects to be. able to do that. All that the
press can do Is report the news and express
such opinions as 1t may have" This nov
you see 1t, now you don't see it" blurb would
be worthy of Mr.. Dewey himself. 1t may"no
be "the function Of the press to tell the peo-
pie how to vote" but, II 20, . large segment
Of the press does not seem to know 1t. In
any event, 1t does not restrain itself from
conducting itself in a nonfunctional manner
And as to your second sentence, would agree
with 1t II you were to say: All that the
press ought to do is (to) report the news"
Unfortunately, there is more than one way
of reporting the news. A newspaper can only
be really factual and fair In its news columns
If 1t has due regard, not only for the news,
as such. but for the position, display and space
accorded to It, Unless it has drastically
changed its ways, The Star does not come
within this category. Very truly yours,
NOV. I'D HAROLD L. ICKES.