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Show THE AMERICAN WAY ELEVEN THOUSAND UNSUNG HEROES Ty George Psrh t : This week I would like to say a few words regarding the editor of this newspaper and his approximately approx-imately 11,000 fellow and sister editors who pilot the weekly, semi-weekly semi-weekly and daily newspapers in the smaller communities of the nation na-tion those men and women whose journals may be small in size but which bulk large in influence and prestige. The editor of the big metropolitan metropoli-tan daily, sitting in his comfortable comfort-able swivel chair behind his ex- pensive and expansive mahogany desk, may imagine he is a mold-er mold-er of public opinion. Behind him he has the marvelous facilities of the various press services; assisting assist-ing him a staff of highly-paid assistants, as-sistants, feature writers, foreign and domestic correspondents, and reporters. In his press room, he has a modern, up-to-the-minute press, capable of printing thousands thou-sands of copies per hour. His newspaper goes out on to the city streets to be sold by the hundreds of thousands. Small wonder, then, that he deludes de-ludes himself into believing he is one of a small and select group which is leading the thinking and subsequent action of the American people. But, he is wrong. The people he reaches through his publication are not the typical Americans not the backbone of the nation. Those people are to be found in the small communities and in the rural districts. In the hinterland are the hard-headed, clear-thinking citizens, the people who can- not be fooled by false doctrines or deluded by quack panaceas, and who steadfastly adhere to sound American principles. These people depend for their news and editorial comment upon the local paper which serves their particular district. The editors of those local papers have a rendezvous rendez-vous with destiny to them has fallen the gigantic task of insisting insist-ing upon sound . government, encouraging en-couraging business, reserving free enterprise and maintaining democracy. dem-ocracy. That's a tough assignment for any group of men, but they are measuring up to it. It is my privilege priv-ilege and pleasure each week to look through many hundreds of these local papers. Whenever doubt assails me as to where this nation is heading, I am reassured by the knowledge that 11,000 editors edi-tors of the local newspapers are on the job, quietly, without fanfare, fan-fare, but consistently fighting for the betterment of their communities, communi-ties, their states and of the nation na-tion as a whole. Throughout the war your editor had a mighty tough time of it. Uncle Sam just had to take some of his hired help away from him, newspaper was scarcer than hens' teeth, new equipment and replacements re-placements were practically unobtainable, un-obtainable, and manufacturers having nothing to sell, had no ads for him. Yet, somehow he surmounted sur-mounted these obstacles and got his paper to you regularly and on schedule. The editor of this newspaper probably doesn't sit in a "comfy" swivel chair, before an elegant desk. (If he does, please don't begrudge it to him. He rates it.) He doesn't have a corps of expensive expen-sive assistants, even though the war is over he's still having a dickens of a time obtaining newsprint news-print to print his paper on, but in spite of these Jacks and handicaps, handi-caps, he does give you a newspaper news-paper replete with news of your community and abounding with wisdom and good, old-fashioned horse-sense on his editorial page. Why not drop in on this unsung hero and let l him know that you appreciate his service to your community? A pat on the back never hurt anyone, not even a newspaper editor. |
