Milford chronicle., 1949-12-23


Parties Echo Each Other
ETHROUCH THE YEARS Of a long
! life have been intimately as
ISOLATED with the publishers and
editors Of rural American news
papers; the weeklles Of the towns
and villages. and the daiIies Of the
small cities. those Of 10000 popula-
tion and under.
Publishers and editors OF hun
dreds Of the more than 10000 Of
such daily and weekly newspapers
] have been privileged to class as
friends. / have known the standing
Of these rural newspaper publish
ers and editors with the people Of
their respective communities, the
influence they exert, and the pub
lie opinion they create for any
worthy project they may support.
The vast majority Of these
rural daily and weekly news
papers has taken q part In
partisan politics. They have
not been neutral, neither have
they been radical In support Of
either Of the two major parties.
but the majority has main
tanned a status Of political I'm
dependence. Each has served
the party its editor believed
would best serve the nation,
would best preserve our Amer
lean way Of life, our economic
system, our constitutional gov
ernment.
Through my years. up to 1885.
these rural editors could make
their choice Of parties by a study
Of the principles and policies enun-
ciated by each party. They could
choose a party and support the
candidates Of that party with a
reasonable assurance that candi-
dates, when elected, would be
guided by the principles and poll
cies Of the party to which they
held allegiance.
That condition changed IN
1885. In that campaign the only
difference between the parties
was one Of degree. Governor
LandOn insisted that, II elected,
he would follow the pattern %
the New Deal. but would do q
better Job on New Deal lines
than could be expected Of Pres
ident Roosevelt. For those
rural editors Il left no princl-
pies and policies to choose be-
tween, there was a choice only
Of candidates.,
The conditions Of 1885 have con-
tinued down to the present. The
principles and policies Of both
parties have been much the same.
There has been practically no op-
portunity for the rural editors TO
choose on a basis Of which party
offers the strongest support for
constitutional government, for our
American economic system. for
free enterprise, and those institu-
tions and methods Of government
dear to the hearts of millions Of
Americans. Both parties have
promised free spending, a generous
hand-out for those who, individual.
ly or collectively, seek government
assistance. Through these years
the choice Of the rural editor had
to be between not parties, but can.
didates.
What these editors want, as
! interpret the letters I receive
from them, is some way Of de-
termining what candidates for
seats in both the senate and the
house can be depended upon 10
support policies That win stop
the extravagant spending, that
win maintain our economic
system, our constitutional gov
eminent, and stop the rapid
drift toward the welfare state,
which Is socialism. They would
like a choice between what
might be classed as conserva-
tive and liberal parties, with q
reasonable assurance that can
didates elected on such tickets
can be depended upon 70 follow
the principles and policies Of
the party 90 which they owe
allegiance.
These rural editors are more
than fed up with the race for votes
from the minorities that are in
dulged in by both parties. They
again want to be able to make 4
choice between principles and poll
cies rather than between candi-
dates. Should they have a choice
b etwe n constitutional govern.
ment, our present economic sys.
tenn, our way Of life and the pro-
motion Of the so-called welfare
state, / know which choice the
vast majority of those rural editors
would make.
Increased railroad fares can
cause repairs for the family bus
when we want to go places, unless
congress should offset the increase
in fares by decrease in fare tax.