The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1953-05-29


Independent st. Louis Post-Dispatch
Prior to that time he was chief edi-
torial writer for the Chicago Sun
Times. He is graduate of University
of Nebraska, Oxford, and Harvard.
One problem of adjusting to a new
administration in Washington after
20 years of Democratic dominion is
getting used to the new attitude of
the press.
Memory may betray me, but
seem to recall that the press not so
long ago was a jealous watchdog of
the public interest, applying the
highest standards of political morali-
ty to men and events in Washington.
The newspapers were easily outraged
in those days, and tireless in their
search for official turpitude. Demo
cratic National Chairman William M.
Boyle, Jr., General Harry Vaughan,
the hapless t. Lamar Caudle, the
five percenters, and the mink coat
brigade felt the whiplash of pub
lie scorn in print.
Who would have thought, after
observing the zest with which Mr.
Boyle was exposed, that mis- latter
day counterpart on the Republican
side would have treated with such
vast unconcern when charged with a
bit of influence peddling of his own?
THE ROBERTS CASE
C. Wesley Roberts of Kansas was
appointed Republican National Chair
man Jan. IT, and resigned March 27.
The resignation must have come as a
surprise to great many newspaper
readers, for the events leading up to
it were not given anything like the
news coverage accorded Mr.. Boyle |
in similar circumstances.
About a month after Mr.. Roberts
was appointed-on Lincoln's birth
day to be exact-word seeped out |
of his home state that he had col
lected an $11, 900 fee for helping sell
the state of Kansas building which,
so some legal authorities contended,
the state already owned. The building
was sold for $4,000, which made
Mr.. Roberts fee 10 per cent, or
double what the nasty five percenters
used to collect in Washington. Mr..
Roberts was not a Republican of
ficial at the time he did what he
called his public relations work, but
he had been state COP chairman the
year before, and so had played some
part in seating the state administra-
ton which looked so kindly on his
clients proposal.
Mr.. Roberts Indignantly denied
having lobbied for the sale. Had he
done so, he would have violated
state law, since he had not registered
as a lobbyist. Yet, as it turned out,
he did discuss the matter with state
officials, one of whom somehow got
the distinct impression that Mr.. Rob-
erts was representing the state as
buyer rather than his client as seller
BIG NEWS IN KANSAS ONLY
Confronted with the charges, Mr.. ]
Roberts accused some of his fellow
K ansas Republicans of plotting
against him, and obtained from the
White House an expression of conf
dence. But Kansas was aflame. ALT ]
Landon publicly expressed his disatis- (
faction with President Eisenhower's !
satisfaction (that Mr.. Roberts was in
the clear, and the Kansas press
boiled with critical comment. And yet ;
all over the nation, except in Kansas, !
with singular unanimity !
regarded the matter as not news. A ,
couple of sticks of type well back in 6
the paper were uually enough for
Mr.. Roberts.
was so impressed with tic prevail :
ing lack of interest in the Republican
chairman that / checked as many
papers as l could lay hands on the r
day after Mr.. Roberts went back to -,
Topeka to face legislative lnvesti- d,
cation. Here he was, defending him :
self against the calumnies of his foes. :
Surely, you would have thought, he 7
must be news, if not when he was
accused, then certainly at q time 7
when he was on the stand in his own :