The Howe Messenger (Howe, Tex.), Vol. 17, No. 3, Ed. 1 Friday, February 9, 1940 Page: 4 of 10
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Page Four
THE HOWE MESSENGER
Friday, February 9,
mmm
The Howe Messenger
RUSSELL W. BRYANT
Editor and Publisher
mitered as second-class matter at the
Post Office at Howe. Texas, under the act
of March 3, 1879.
Published Each Friday Morning
Subscription $1.00 a Year
Editorial Comment
FIRST PRIZE
All-Southwestern Editorial Contest
State Fair of Texas, 1939
ME)
PRESS
SECOND PRIZE
All-Southwestern Editorial Contest
State Fair of Texas, 1938
ION
The Russell W. Bryant
Publications
HOWE MESSENGER
ALLEN TIMES . .
PRINCETON NEWS
ANNA LIGHT . .
TOM BEAN TIMES
. How*, Teas*
, . Allen, Tex**
Princeton Texas
Anna, Texaa
Tom Bean, Texas
Advertising Rates on Application
We received a communication from an associa-
tion, together with a pamphlet, purportedly setting
forth certain discriminations in laws regulating the
industry represented by the association, and ask-
ing assistance in sponsoring legislation designed to
alter such laws to favor the industry.
The letter stated that the association officials
had been advised by a newspaper editor that the
best way to get information to the press of Texas,
and subsequently to the public, was by using some
printers ink. The association apparently thought it
was following the suggestion by printing the
pamphlet for distribution.
We are of the opinion that some one erred in
the matter, however. It hardly seems logical that
an editor, who is accustomed to getting a obx full
of mail two or three times daily, would recommend
that any one follow the course this association has
set for itself. When the editor said “use printer’s
ink,” we are sure he meant for the associa-
tion to buy space in the newspapers.
Editors generally are pretty-well informed on
matters of prime importance to the public and ai’e
rather apt at sorting out actual truth from the
deluge of propaganda that accompanies each mail
delivery. On this particular question of discrim-
ination as charged by the space-begging associa-
tion, those editors who make a practice of dis-
cussing public questions have already expressed
their personal opinions. ‘Some have favored the side
of the association while others have taken the sid«
f the competitor, but the question has been dis-
eased rather thoroughly.
be competing industry has at frequent inter-
vals resorted to printers ink to tell its side of the
story knd has not let the favorable or unfavor-
able policy of the newspaper affect the amount of
space purchased. On the other hand, the complain-
ing association has never to our knowledge spent
a dime with the newspapers but has consistently
"begged free space.
It is our opinion—and was before any money
was spent for advertising by anyone—that the reg-
ulations of which this association complains are
to the best interests of the public. We will still he
of that opinion though the association should de-
cide to buy a full page in every future issue of
this publication. We have answered every ques-
tion raised by the asociation to our own satisfac-
tion and to the saticfaction of the majority of our
readers and if the association desires to bring its
statiscal claims before that part of the public served
bv us, it will have to resort to a different kind of
printers inks than that now being used.
1:
SHADOW OF GREATNESS —
By Irv Tirmar
Convention
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265
Copyright ’140 Lincoln S-V
Features. Inc
Quiz
We are not certain that the numerous “quiz”
programs have been inspired by the approaching
decennial census or whether some of the ques-
tions to be asked by the census-takers have been
inspired by the “quiz” programs, but we are al-
most willing to wager that by the time1 the census
has been completed that such programs will not
be any too popular.
We are in receipt of a sample copy of the re-
port to be made by farm operators and if any
mian has a secret it will be found out by the time
he completes answering the questions propounded
therein. The report contains 232 questions per-
taining to farm operations.
Seriously, however, eforts gre being made to make
this the most complete census ever taken and
if the questions are truthfully .and accurately an-
swered should give an exceptionally clear picture
of the condition of the nation and aid mate-
rially in platting its future course.
Will Leslie, district supervisor, states that the
enumerators have received the utmost co-opera-
tion thus far in the business and industrial cen-
sus and is hopeful that the same spirit of help-
fullness. will exist when the farm and personal cen-
sus-taking gets underway on April 1.
The report is required by an act of Congress
and is of a confidential nature, all employees of the
census bureau being sworn to1 secrecy. Data collect-
ed will be used solely, for preparing statistical in-
formation concerning the nation’s population re-
sources and business activities. The law specifically
prevents use of information given to be used for
purposes of taxation, regulation or investigation.
The proposal to upset still another precedent by
waiting until after the Republican convention to
‘ name the Democratic nominee for the presidency
seems to us to be much ado over nothing. We fail
to see where the party can gain a thing by such
action, other than establish grounds for further crit-
icism.
If the idea in mind is to be informed of the Re-
publican platform we fail to see much advantage.
It is more or less definitely established that th«
Republican platform will be anti-New Deal and that
the nominee will be one who will conform to such
principles It is altogether possible that the Repub-
licans will incorporate some of the most beneficial
acts of the present administration into their plat-
form and will pledge the continuation of such prac-
tices, but even if this is done it can ‘matter little
to the Democrats whether it is done before the
Democratic convention or before.
The Democratic party must realize that the cam-
paign will be based upon the record made during
the past serven years, that certain acts of the party
are going to be subjected to criticism and that
promises of action designed to offset such, undesir-
able acts will be offered by the1 opposition. New
Dealism is to be put( to the test in the forthcoming
election; it will be put to a test in the nominating
convention; it is being put to the test even now.
as discussion of the merits of the various Demo-
cratic possibilities is being waged on all fronts.
It is our opinion that more thaft^ platform prom-
ises are going to be required to hold sufficient
Democratic votes to assure election this year. In
1936, as in 1932, a platform with which the most
rock-ribbed Democrats could find no fault wa3 pre-
sented, but in each instance, the platform was neat-
ly put away and forgotten immediately after the
votes were counted. We hardly think this will work
this year. The platform of the Democratic party
must carry a nominee whom the public thinks will
carry out its principles and jockey iris with the Re-
publican party will not help matters in the least.
The party will do well to forget the'.Republicans
for the1 time being and' appease the dissension with-
in its own ranks, for this dissension is going to
have more to do with the election' of the next
president than all of the nominating conventions
j that have ever been held.
UNDER THE CAPITOL DOME AT AUSTIN-
By Gordon K. Shearer
'United Press Staff Correspondent
Austin—(UP)—'Candidates f,or
governor soon will be on political
stumps (and! airwjaves of Texas
describing the utopia of govern-
ment that will prevail if the vot-
ers elect them to office. But state
Auditor and Efficiency Expert
Tom 'C. King blasts all such hopes
in a general report on the opera-
tion of Texas state government
issued this week.
“If the chief executive of the
state is to fulfill the responsibility
of his office under the constitution
he must possess undivided execu-
tive powers and adeuqate means
with which to exercise them,”
King said.
“The chief executive of Texas
during recent years, by statute or
otherwise, has been divested of ali
facilities and every direct contx*ol
necessary to carry out the func-
tions of the office; the functions
thjat were clearly/ intended and
provided for, in the constitution
Dear Editor:
Have just read a clipping from
the Times under date of January
12th under tlie caption “Hines gets
a hand,” and want to thank you
very much for the nice things
you said in this editorial; it cer-
tainly makes a person feel good
to know that those people we are
attempting to serve as public ser-
vants, thinks enough of us to ex-
press themselves as you have done
in this instance.
(HARRY HINES",
State Highway Commissioner
Austin.
of our state.
“The people of Texas look to
their governor for leadership and
yet we permit the whittling away
of the effective cotitrol of our gov-
ernment, essential to that lead-
ership, by parceling out powers
of policy and administration to
other elective state officials, and
principaly to irresponsible inde-
pendent appointive boards and
comimss ions.
“Effective, efficient and respon-
sible management of the executive
department is impossible as long
as this unsound and undemocrat-
ic diverson of. executive author-
ity continues.”
Instruments of Dictators
Non-profit, self-governing cor-
porations have been and are being
used for administration of public
funds and properties, King said
and here’s what he thinks of them:
“These are the instrumentalities
used by the dictators of Europe.
The use of privately controlled cor-
porations for govemmene adminis-
tation violates evey principle of
renresentative government.”
Texas long as recognized three
branches of its government, execu-
tive, legislative and judicial. But
King says the constitutional amend-
ment that permited. creation of
boards whose members have six
year overlapping terms has set up
a “fourth branch” of government
in Texas.
“Boards and commissions,” Tom
King found, “authorized the dis-
bursement of (approximately] .95
per cent of $162,640,000 of ixpen-
ditures from the state treasury in
the last fiscal year.
“In addition they spent approx-
imately $25,000,600 state funds
which were never placed in the,
state treasury and over which the
state officials did pot exercise even
STATE AUDITOR BLASTS GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN
THUNDER BEFORE IT STARTS. “FOURTH BRANCH”
OF GOVERNMENT CAUSE OF INEFFICIENCY
a perfunctory approval. The
sources of these undeposited funds
were licenses assessed, ad valorem
taxes, special assessments, so-
called local funds of the educa-
tional institutions, federal grants
to the State of Texas, etc.
“This headlined fourth division
of Texas government, divided into
many units, responsible only to
the invisible pressure political
groups whichh sponsored their cre-
ation, must be returned to the
control of state officials selected
by the citizenship at the ballot box.
.before there can be economy, ef-
ficiency or proper organization of
the fiscal year system of our
state,” King said.
LIFE’S BYWAYS
Ay/ cee-Mom : Cah't we keet him ?
HE Vfottr EXT Much — ONEi SCBXTE *
-njJZH THAT HAS — GETS
IPower Perpetuated.
I Six-year board members, he
^points out, cannot be removed by
the governor after appointment
There is no legal responsibility to
the governor after appointment. A
board member is in for six years
while the term of the governor is
two years. A Governor of Texas,
except in the case of newly-cre-
ated boards, hasn’t even a ma-
jority of his apointtees, independ-
ent as they are, until the latter
part of a second term in office.
The net result is that certain
cliques and groups are perpetuated
in power after the administration
of which they were a part has
passed out of office.
“These bureaucratic boards and
commissions, created as they arc
to perpetuate1 independent organi-
zations of the spoils system, and
horizontally grouped together in
many instances, with their huge
spending powers, and the large
amount of patronage they pave to
dispense, have secured control of
tlie vital functions of administra-
tive officials, and have through
thc:r political influence had the
official setup of the state strip-
ped of power and facilities to car-
Vy out tlie duties expected of
state officials by tlie electorate,”
King said.
Lack Responsibility
“These independent boards and
commissions enjoy power without
responsibility and leave the1 chief
executive with responsibility with-
out power. He must detour around
powerful administrative agencies
which are in no way subject to
hi a authority, and therefore are
actual and potential obstacles to
bis effective over-all management
of the state government.
“These independent boards pre-
sent a serious, immediate prob-
J
lem. No satisfactory administra-
tive organization can be set up and
leave suspended in the air more
than a hundred powerful irrespon-
-ive agencies free to determine
policy ;and administer law. At the
same time these boards present a
long range problem of even great-
er seriousness. That is because we
keep on creating them. The claims
of efficient administration and the
great accomplishments by these
boards appears to be propaganda
and in no instance coming under
I the writer’s observation have the
I statements been supported by ac-
j curate and adequate reports and
facts to substantiate the claims.”
Listenin’
WILL BE THERE
A friend said to us on the
street: “S’matter you are not
whooping more for your man Gar-
ner?” We replied: “Well brother,
it is just this way—it is a long
time yet before the convention
meets and we note that that “la-
bor-baiting, whiskey-drinking, card
playing evil old man” is still up in
Washington attending strictly to
the business for which tlie people
are paying him and that his po-
litical opponents are busy trying
to find some one who can stop
him. Vice President Garner will be
at the National Convention solid-
ly backed by bis home state and
the man who can beat him hadn’t
yet been found. So why, should we
worry) ? —.McKinney Examiner#
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Bryant, Russell W. The Howe Messenger (Howe, Tex.), Vol. 17, No. 3, Ed. 1 Friday, February 9, 1940, newspaper, February 9, 1940; Howe, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth848033/m1/4/: accessed July 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .