In Re Munchausen

James A. Frear, La Follette Republican from Hudson, Wis., spoke to his associates. "I wish to pay a compliment to the reporters of the various newspapers who do present the facts in the same news column, correctly. It takes an editorial writer, however, to exercise the imagination of a Munchausen, and these gentlemen deliberately lie, because they distort the language as it appears in the newspaper columns, and I shall expect every member of the House to bear me out in the proposition when I quote from this leading editorial.

"I was referring, while speaking, to Mr. Mellon, and The New York Times in its editorial columns quotes me as follows:

" 'Let the gentleman in the Treasury, cried Mr. Frear, keep his hands off or resign.'

"The editorial writer goes on to comment as follows:

" 'That is the spirit in which Congress boasts that it can run itself.' . . .

"I said that he ought to resign from his position as Secretary of the Treasury unless he was in sympathy with the Bonus Bill and the Tax Bill as we had passed them. That, I insist, is a fair statement. He ought not to administer a law unless he can 'do it fairly. That is what I said, and I repeat it. ...

"The New York Times, which is one of the best newspapers in the country, in its editorial policy is reactionary, as we all know. It is unjust, it is unfair, it is subservient to big business and it does not see straight. It is unfortunate, simply because of the class of men it has to do its editorial writing. They see little things.

"In an election in the City of New York, with all the newspapers against him, a gentleman was elected Mayor, and that shows the influence of these papers with the public. If they would get in touch with human nature and understand the ordinary people, instead of being always bowing to wealth, I think they would gain very much for their editorial policies. As I said before, I compliment the men in the gallery here who do give the news correctly, which appears in The New York Times correctly."