Evening star., 1952-09-08

PORTLAND, Oreg., Sept. g.
Gov. Adlai Stevenson charged to-
day that the Overwhelming ma
jority" Of the press is against
Democrats automatically, as dogs
are against cats"
In a speech prepared for deliv-
cry to a luncheon of editors here
Text Of Gov. Stevenson's Address 10
Editors Luncheon. Poee A
Stevenson Strategy Tries to Put NE Too =
log on Eisenhower. Poee A.
today, the Democratic presidential
nominee accused some of the Ma
tion's great papers" of rushing to
commit themselves to Gen. EiSen-
hover last spring without know
ing what he or his party platform
would stand for or who his op-
ponent would be.
Gov. Stevenson charged that for
10 or Is years 80 per cent of press
"has been telling the American
people day in and day out that
the Republican Party alone can
save the Republic"
Concerned by One Party Press.
Surely Republican publishers
and editors don't honestly believe
that they have so little influence"
he added.
He said he IS concerned by "the
extent to which we are developing
a one-party press in a two-party
country"
But even as he complained of
the lack of editorial support, the
Democratic presidential nominee
admitted that he has been i'm
pressed by the fair treatment
accorded me by most newspapers,
including most of those aligned
editorially with the opposition"
II am convinced that nearly all
publishers are doing their honest
best, according to their lights
even if I must confess that some
times their lights seem to me a
little DIM" he continued.
He told the editors he is "grate-
full for the impartiality and full
ness OF your news columns"
The Democratic nominee seemed
to enjoy the chance to talk face
to-face to the editors. He quipped
that since some of the press keeps
describing him as a captive candi-
date. II particularly enjoy the op-
portunity of speaking to a captive
audience"
In an obvious reference to the
so or more newsmen who have
been assigned by the papers to
cover his campaign, Gov. Steven
son said:
Il have had strange feeling
these past weeks that people are
following me; they all seem to be
friendly, inquisitive and rumpled;
they wear hats and keep writing
things down on pieces of paper. Il
cannot drink a milk-Shake or put
on a pair of shoes without their
friendly but implacable surveil-
lance"
If the reporters following him
look rumpled it may be because
in the past three days they have
flown thousands of miles by
plane over a strange zig-zag
course.
Fly V-Shaped Course.
Last Friday, the Stevenson cam
paign party, using three planes,
few from Springfield, ILL.,. to Den
yer, Colo, for two speeches, then
all the way back to Kasson, MINI.
before heading west again.
On Saturday the caravan few
2.105 miles over a huge V-shaped
course from Denver to Minneapo-
lis to Cheyenne. Wyo., and then
on to Billings, Mont. before STOP
ping for the night. When they
got to Cheyenne they were only
about 100 miles from where they
had started in Denver.
The newsmen. covering the
Democratic nominee write down
everything he says to public gath
erings. They have had little op-
portunity recently to interview
him about the issues of the cam
paign. He has held no formal
press conference in the last two
weeks. Once or twice reporters
have obtained brief comments
from him as he left his plane,
returning from trips to New York
and Michigan.
Asks Honor for Profession.
Referring to himself as an ex-
newspaperman, Gov. Stevenson
told the editors today I'VE need
to work harder for the time when
all editors will honor their pro-
fession, when all publishers will
have a sense of responsibility
equal to their power and thus re-
gain their power, If I may put it
that way"
When Gov. Stevenson was a
young man he worked for a short
while in the editorial department
Of the Bloomington (nl.) Daily
Paragraph, a newspaper which
is still run by one of his cousins.