Truetalk

The great, the famed journalists of today are in the main neither editors nor simple reporters. The names which take greatest rank are those of "correspondents" *the interpretive reporters. They tell what happens and they tell what it means. In the case of the best men, this is done without partisanship. Frequently such men, in the mere process of explaining something, say things far more illuminating than the editorial writers of their sheets.

Elmer Davis, correspondent of The New York Times, "covered" the Democratic Convention. He told of the end of the six-day impasse when the Convention voted to invite a committee of leaders, alias bosses, to undertake the undoing of the deadlock (see NATIONAL AFFAIRS), and he added this:

"A sigh of relief drifted up from the hall to the speaker's stand. This meant, of course, the abdication of the Convention, and the resignation of its functions to a committee. But as all legislative bodies learn, sooner or later, so this Democratic Convention has learned that business has to be done in committee, if one wants secrecy and dispatch, and then merely be ratified afterward on the floor . . . Once more pure democracy, or the form of pure democracy, which always is the cloak for some sort of oligarchy, had been replaced by representative government where the oligarchy could frankly function in the open with the body of electors reserving the right to veto its decision.

"One wonders how many Democrats realized that they were acting out a pageant illustrating constitutional history. Probably most of them thought of nothing but that at last they might get something done, which has, after all, been the motivating force in the development of all constitutions." This is no startling contribution to knowledge--every political observer knows, sees that all democracies are in fact oligarchies--but it does raise a number of interesting questions:

1) Would any of our political leaders dare say this publicly?

2) In 4th of July speeches, would they deny it vehemently?

3) Is the press--or a section of it-- more truthful, more civilized than politics ?

4) If the press as a whole, if politicians, if the public avowed their agreement with Mr. Davis' proposition, what would become of our national ideal of Government?

5) What could speakers say on the 4th of glorious July?

*Famed correspondents include: Robert Barry, Samuel G. Blythe, Heywood Broun, J. F. Essary, Carter Field, Clinton W. Gilbert, Edwin L. James, Frank R. Kent, David Lawrence, Richard V. Oulahan, John W, Owens, Mark Sullivan, Ferdinand Touhy, William Allen White, Grafton Wilcox, F. W. Wile, T. B. Ybarra and many another.