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Show mm Released by Western Newspaper Union. SELECTING LEGISLATORS IS SACRED TRUST 1 WE SEND MEN to Washington as senators and representatives to constitute con-stitute the legislative branch of the federal government It is their province to think of and act for the welfare of the nation as a whole. Should we select them for the purpose pur-pose and with the expectation of their securing special advantages for the people of their states or their districts without regard for and consideration con-sideration of the interests of the nation na-tion as a whole, we would not be worthy citizens of the republic. We would not be entitled to that freedom free-dom our form of government provides. pro-vides. It happens all too frequently that those selected as candidates for these responsible places in our government gov-ernment are picked because of what we believe they can, or what they promise to, secure for us. They propose pro-pose to get their fingers into the government purse and dig out money for our special benefit. They propose to find jobs for those who are neither qualified or worthy. They propose to secure the location of government institutions within the state or district that would be better-if better-if located elsewhere. It is seldom that men nominated and elected for such reasons have any definite influence in the shaping of national legislation, and it is well they do not. The republic survives and functions despite them rather than because of them. The republic must stand or fall on the action of the legislative branch of government. Should that branch for any appreciable time fail to be dominated by men of broad vision and ability' the republic will die. That will be especially true throughout the next few years during dur-ing which we must pass through a period of national and world readjustments. re-adjustments. To surmount the difficulties dif-ficulties that will confront us, statesmanship states-manship of, a high and practical character will be needed. If we are to deserve ' the blessings the republic has provided, and may con-' tinue to provide, we will select our candidates on the basis of their ability abil-ity as practical statesmen rather than ability as party workers, the indebtedness in-debtedness of the party to them, or their promises to bring home the bacon for their state or district. It is not too early to be considering qualifications. ENGLISH ROYALTY AND U. S. DEMOCRACY ' THE RECENT VISIT of King George VI to the British and American Amer-ican troops in North Africa serves to again remind me of a similar visit on the part of his father to British and American troops in France in 1918. I have told the story in other places, but believe it will bear repeating. A party of American newspaper men, -of which I was ope, was - spending a Sunday with the king and his family at the country estate of Sandringham. I had accompanied accompan-ied the king into York cottage and we were in the billiard room when he remarked that he understood we were to go to France the following week. "I have made some visits to . France," said his majesty. "For obvious reasons I never go there in uniform or with any following, but only as just an English civilian. On my last visit I, with a junior officer of-ficer as a guide, was passing through a British rest camp in which there were also some American troops. I stopped for a moment to talk with a British company commander, and near us was a British Tommy and one of your American doughboys. " 'Say Bill, who is that boob?" asked the American doughboy as he pointed to me. " 'Shut up you d d fool,' replied the British soldier, 'that is the king of England.' " 'The hell you say! Where's his crown?' asked the doughboy. "That," said the king, "is the kind of reception British royalty gets from your democratic American soldiers, sol-diers, and I like it." BY WHAT SCANT MARGINS political po-litical elections may be won or lost is illustrated by the fact that in 80 congressional districts a switch of from 5 down to less than 1 per cent of the voters would change results in each one of those 80 districts. Of the 80 districts 48 are now represented rep-resented by Democratic congressmen, congress-men, 30 by Republicans and two by Progressive or Farmer Labor. It is such close results that should keep both parties seeking their best men for the jobs. It is such results that make for good government. . "KING" VICTOR EMMANUEL did not have to abdicate his title of "emperor," over which there was quite an argument. The Allied armies in Africa managed to do the job for him. AFTER ATTEMPTING to raise . the family food in a window box or a 10 by 10 space in the front lawn, the city dweller will better understand under-stand the problems of the farmer who cultivates hundreds of acres as against the tens of feet in the city Victory gardens. REGULATIONS AND AMERICAN WORKERS IT WAS a Washington bureaucrat, sitting at a desk all day, who figured the meat needs at one and three-quarter three-quarter pounds a week. Put a miner's min-er's pick and shovel, or a farmer's pitchfork in fils hands, give him eight to twelve hours of real labor each day and he might change his estimate. What is meat for one man is but a starting point for another. That is a thing Washington has not yet figured out in its efforts at regulation regu-lation of the American citizen. |