Senator Jones & Drunks
Sirs:
I notice with interest the statement in TIME, that the author of the "Jones Law," or the ''Five & Ten," "had seen only one drunken man in his life" (TIME, April 1). If the Senator made such statement, I would like to recall to his mind, when he must have seen them as many as three at a time, unless he was "seeing without eyes." This particular instance was about the time, in 1889, or the early '90s, when he was employed as a stenographer by Spike & Arnold, in Yakima, Wash., and one of his former employers, Sidney W. Arnold, was mixed in an election row with Sam. Vinson, Col. J. G. Boyle and G. W. Wilson, and in which, six-shooters were freely displayed along Yakima Avenues.
Of course I am unable to say, which "one" of a dozen or more the Senator "saw," but everyone of them could no doubt hit the ground with his hat and therefore be unable to qualify. And along with the Senator, they all wore their hats large in those days.
But I am reminded that Al Smith was looking for a scientific definition for an intoxicating beverage and it may be that Senator Jones was the scientist for whom he was seeking.
OWEN T. STRATTON, M. D. Salmon, Idaho
Smoot's Waste Basket
Sirs:
TIME arrived as usual and reposed on my desk while its subscriber breakfasted. Returning. TIME had disappeared. Four or five hours later, after searching high and low, found TIME in Senator Smoot's private waste basket.
(Kindly refer to April 8 issue, p. 12 near the top of the third column.)
When in mid-season form, I don't believe that I have ever seen the Senator shoot the Soldiers' Home course in over 90, and nine-tenths of the time he is well under that.
Gentlemen, we realize that a man in public life must submit to a certain amount of license, slander, and calumny, but I am sure that you must now realize that the waste basket is certainly not too severe a fate even for TIME in this case. What would you do about it?
TRUMAN R. YOUNG* Washington, D. C. To Senator Smoot, apologies if TIME'S report on his golfing prowess was calumnious. TIME said: "His golf came at the age of 63. Now from 6 to 7 a. m. he plays around on the capital's public links, shooting no in straight, cautious jabs." -- ED.
"Low Down"
Sirs:
1) If Editor Ray Long assigned to Calvin Coolidge the writing of an autobiography, and if the manuscript which Editor Long tells us he received from the hands of Mr. Coolidge was composed by the President--hats off to Editor Long. 2) Calvin Coolidge is a native of Vermont, and migrated to Massachusetts. I was born in Massachusetts, and migrated to Vermont. But Mr. Coolidge now owns the homestead at Plymouth, he accepts the name Vermonter--so I feel that we are fellow Vermonters. 3) My occupation during more than 30 years has been editing (daily newspapers), publishing, and printing. With these premises and qualifyings, may I comment on the "Great Mystery" (TIME, March 18). You tell your subscribers that in the plant of the Cuneo Press, where Cosmopolitan Magazine is printed, "numerous compositors set portions of an article that were 'meaningless fragments' to them." I have read this "On Entering and Leaving the Presidency''; and if anyone has told a TIME writer that even Printer Cuneo could have cut this copy into "takes"* that intelligent compositors could not have recognized as Coolidge biography, the story teller, in my judgment, was trying to put something over-- and not very cleverly. For there is little if any of the text that is not familiar to cover-to-cover TIME readers. Which leads me to suspect that either Editor Long or one of his boys wrote the copy of this "great mystery" captioned "On Entering and Leaving the Presidency" and, like so many "autobiographies" appearing in the popular magazines, that it was okayed by the subject. I am not criticising Mr. Coolidge. What he did was ethical. If Mr. Long comes to me with the same proposal I shall say, Go to it. But I am wondering if my fellow Vermonter isn't feeling that Editor Long is being over glorified when TIME gives such space to the mystery. Perhaps Mr. Coolidge's New England conscience is being (unduly) pricked, and that he wishes TIME hadn't stressed this Long achievement. But if Mr. Coolidge did write this copy after Editor Long had "asked and begged and bid," then Editor Long did a great job--a much bigger job than I should suppose he would have had the temerity to undertake in the closing months of a strenuous term of the President of the world's greatest nation. I'd like the low down on this. Ray Long in his leading editorial "A Fine Human Document" quotes Mr. Coolidge as saying to him: "Whenever a problem comes before me the first thing I say to myself is, 'Isn't there someone who can do that as well as I can?' and you would be surprised how often I find someone else can do it better. That saves me for the problems which only I can decide." F. L. LANE
of Burlington, Vt. Wintering at Phoenix, Ariz. Vermonter Lane's query about the "meaningless fragments" can never be answered. Now that the "mystery" is dispelled, not even the Cuneo Press typesetters could honestly say how little or much sense or sensation they derived from setting the disjointed Coolidge paragraphs. Editor Long exaggerated, perhaps, when he suggested that the typesetters were entirely ignorant of what the fragments were all about. Vermonter Lane's questioning of Editor Long's editorial integrity is more grave. In the interests of accuracy, definiteness and fairplay, TIME has showed Vermonter Lane's letter to Editor Long, has received from Editor Long an affidavit.--ED. The Long affidavit: STATE OF NEW YORK
COUNTY OF NEW YORK RAY LONG, being duly sworn, deposes and says: I am the Editor of Cosmopolitan Magazine, and, as such, negotiated for the preparation and publication by the Cosmopolitan Magazine of the manuscripts by Calvin Coolidge. To the best of my knowledge and belief, every line of the manuscripts by Calvin Coolidge which have been delivered to me by the ex-President and which have been published in the Cosmopolitan Magazine was written by Mr. Coolidge himself. In fact, from my personal knowledge, I am able to state that neither of his secretaries knew of the existence of the manuscripts until they were completed. Mr. Coolidge prepared them in longhand and then dictated them to his personal stenographer. After the manuscripts were completed he showed them to his official secretaries, Mr. Sanders and Mr. Clark, and asked for suggestions. They made one or two minor suggestions. While I had told Mr. Coolidge that I believed the articles in which the American public would be most interested would be those in which he told his reactions, as a man, from the experience of being President of the United States, I did not, in any way, dictate what was to be written and I did not know what had been written until I read it in manuscript form. Neither Bruce Barton, nor any other professional writer, had anything to do with the preparation of the manuscript. Bruce Barton did know, through a personal letter from the President, that the first article had been written, but he had not the slightest idea of the contents of the article until I had received it and described it to him over the telephone. The story is the ex-President's own story in every manner, shape and form. It is amazing to me that anyone could dream that it was otherwise. No "ghost" writer--as those writers who put stories into shape for prominent people are called--could have put into a story the sincerity which Mr. Coolidge embodied in his story. (Signed) RAY LONG SWORN TO BEFORE ME THIS 9th DAY OF APRIL, 1929. (Sealed and Signed) William J. Sperl Notary Public Queens County No. 1749 Reg. No. 6896. Certificate filed in N. Y. Co No. 979 Reg. No. 1868. Commission expires March 30, 1931.
Friendly to Canada
Sirs:
I subscribe to your newsmagazine which reaches me every Monday. I spend the evening of that day in reading it. It interests and instructs me very much and I frequently pass it on to friends who tell me that they experience the same intellectual reaction from it that I do.
It pleases me to see that you are evidently friendly to Canada, from which the United States have drawn so many people. Perhaps you might consider a suggestion to have a page de voted to conspicuous Canadian happenings. The relations between the two countries are fast be coming more firmly interlocked financially, socially and intellectually.
I want you to know that I like your style and I think it would be a good thing if you had a large circulation in Canada. Canadians are a reading people and appreciate the things which are worth reading. In my opinion your news magazine abundantly answers that description.
C. F. JAMIESON Calgary, Alberta, Canada So close is Canada to the U. S., so similar its interests, so interwoven its activities, that many a Canada story is treated of by TIME Foreign News. Example: "'World's Greatest Railroad," TIME, April 15, Business. Let more Canadians say how they would like their Canada news -- under "Canada" in Foreign News or mixed through TIME. -- ED.
Shylocks
Sirs:
The enclosed clipping from the Journal of Edmonton, Alberta, is of interest to us particularly because it indicates that the writer of this paragraph probably is unaware of the fact that over 500,000 public and private school children and students in our colleges, subscribed to this fund.
EDWARD D. ADAMS Chairman, Committee on War Memorials to American Engineers New York City The clipping: "The new library of the University of Louvain costing $2,000,000, was built entirely by American money. Those American Shylocks ! " -- ED.
Put England Right
Sirs:
I am an admirer and a loyal reader of TIME. It occurs to me to make a suggestion that a questionnaire having as its theme "Why Don't You Visit England?" would bring out all manner of interesting comments and criticisms which would reveal to us on this side things we ought to put right if more and more American visitors, who would greatly be welcomed, are to come to us. I pass the suggestion on to you in this rough way. It would, I think, produce most interesting material. SYDNEY WALTON* London, England Let readers say why they do not visit England, why they do, what they would like "put right." -- ED.
French Line Defended
Sirs:
Permit me to lay a cool hand on the fevered brow of your correspondent from Scranton, Dennis F. Crolly, who was so exercised last week (TIME, April 15) about the matter of legs, Nancy Hanks and the disintegrating influence of the Rue de la Paix as set forth in French Line advertising. Nancy was a fine woman; in that I am in entire agreement with him. If she were alive today, probably the French Line would be proud to offer her a cabin de luxe on the lie de France and I would personally shepherd her from shop to shop in Paris. I believe that her son -- who was a real man with a man-sized viewpoint -- would be genuinely pleased, no matter how many pairs of stockings she bought. Neither his morals nor her own were on such precarious foundations that they would totter under the shock of silk.
The Puritan complex that associated pleasure with the devil and beauty with dire consequences to its possessor seems to die hard in certain quarters or ... perhaps Mrs. who Crolly has been teasing for a trip to paris who knows? One been fancies she might need a holiday. JAY ELWOOD WINGATE Dorland Agency, Inc. New York City.
* A clerk of Senator Smoot's Finance Committee. *The portion of copy a compositor has at one time. *Publicity man for England's Wembley exposition of 1924.