10
University Daily Kansan
Editors' Day 1985
1.
Friday, Oct. 18, 1985
Chandler
Continued from p. 1
trustee of the William Allen White Foundation.
The story in the Holton Recorder after his death called attention to his strong feeling about the First Amendment. A plaque in his office quoted Abraham Lincoln: "Public sentiment is everything. With it nothing can fail. Without it nothing can succeed." In 1952 the words of Thomas Jefferson were placed on the nomenplate of the Recorder: "Our liberty depends upon the freedom of the press and that cannot be limited without being lost." And in 1979 he told the KPA, in an address, about his First Amendment feelings:
"This battle is as old as the printing press. It is never won. But, with a vigilant and united press, we can work together to see it is never lost."
John Chandler was a man who gave public service in many areas: on the board of education of USD 336, as director of the Holton Chamber of Commerce, as a member of the Rotary Club, of which he was past president and a Paul Harris Rotary fellow. He was a lifetime member of the Jackson County Historical Society and was a member of the Native Sons and Daughters of Kansas. He had been president of the Jackson County Old Settlers Association, was on the board of directors of the American Savings Association of Kansas, was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Holton.
And, of course, he was in politics. In March of 1976 he announced that he would be a candidate for the Republican nomination for state senator for the 1st Senatorial District. He squeezed by in the first election, by a margin of 37 votes, but in 1800 he was reelected by a comfortable margin. In the Senate he was chairman of the committee on confirmations, vice-chairman of the committee on federal and state affairs, and he served on several other committees. How did he vote?
"I have chosen a middle ground. There are certain issues in every session that are clearly understood by the electorate. Some of them have an emotional impact on the people of the district, and they have most positive opinions on these issues. In such cases, if I can get a sense of the position of the district through the mail, phone calls or personal contact surveys, I try to vote in keeping with the expressed position of the people of the district."
He wrote these words in "Reflections on Being a Kansas Legristator":
"Occasionally, the Senate is led by giants and plagued by pygmies. Most of the time, it is in the hands of workmanlike men who are deeply conscious of the responsibility with which they are entrusted . . . In these times of turmoil, it is the legislator's charge to find and sense the purpose of the people and to steer the state on that path.
"The challenge is great enough to make ordinary men equal to this task."
John Chandler wrote the "Plain Talk" amendment to the Kansas Constitution, one requiring that all future proposed amendments include a brief statement in simple, non-technical language that would make clear the intent and probable effect of the change. The amendment was approved in November 1980.
His daughter, Mrs. Leslie McDaniel, who now runs the Recorder with her husband, Bryan, sent me a great amount of fine material for this commentary, including many of the words uttered by Chandler. When the newspaper had its hundredth birthday he wrote this:"
His 'Coffee Break'
"For 100 years the Recorder has been a part of Holton and has tried to support and advance whatever has been good for the community and its people. . . With renewed dedication to supporting whatever is good for the town, the country and their people and with confidence in the rightness of our intentions and motives we are ready for the second hundred years."
He had a column he called "Coffee Break," and it was thought to be the most popular feature in the Recorder. I thought I would regale you with passages from that column:
On Veterans Day: "It should be remembered that veterans did not make these wars. They only fought them. Our mode of government wisely reserves the decisions of war and peace to the duly elected civil authority, and the decision for war has been made, then the faith in the nation is based in the hands of those who later make up the veteran population."
On being invited to the Ronald Reagan inaugural in 1981, or at least on receiving an invitation not guaranteeing admission to
John Chandler
'This battle is as old as the printing press. It is never won. But with a vigilant and united press, we can work together to see it is never lost.'
— John Chandler of the Holton Recorder on the First Amendment
anything; "For the trifling sum of $1,475, I was offered a limited edition of 500 sets of five inaugural medals including the gold one
1. First day covers, variously cancelled in Washington; Palisades, California; and Houston, Texas, can be had at prices ranging from $5 to $20. I had to pass it all up. I had just set my allowance on a Mickey Mouse T-shirt."
On reading that some students at Kansas State were being paid $6 an hour to take showers then record their impressions of the
temperature in the shower room: "This information is duly communicated to a federal task force in Washington which is charged with establishing 'federal standards of shower room temperatures.' It is reasonable to assume in the light of past experience that once such standards are established, federal employees will fan out from Washington, thermometers in hand to (to use a word now in vogue with bureaucrats) quantify compliance with the newly established standards."
On an item in the news: "I learn that controversy ranges in the scientific community over the question of whether apes can use speech to communicate with each other. From this corner, it would appear this matter would be of small concern to anyone save other apes."
On the question of "Who shot J.R. Ewing?" : "I sense there are those about who wish Kristen had been a better shot."
On political debates on television: The debates we see on the tube are not a replay of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. They are set pieces in which candidates take turns answering questions from a moderator, and the answers are usually little speeches which may or may not address the questions."
And, again, on the Bill of Rights: "In recent years, we have witnessed attempts which continue today to pursue Congress to propose amendments which would nullify many of the protections afforded by the Bill of Rights. The source of most of these is pressure from various religious groups which seek to impose their doctrinal beliefs on others by Constitutional mandates.
"Fortunately, the process of amendment is sufficiently difficult and deliberate that even should the Congress succumb to this kind of pressure, the careful scrutiny of three-fourths of the states is required before an amendment is adopted."
When you write a statement such as the one I am reading you lean on anyone who can help, and I have stolen in great detail from what Leslie McDaniel sent me. And in November of 1982 the Kansas Publisher had an article by Jare Denney that I thought is extremely moving, and I want to quote from that too. She had interviewed him only three hours before his death.
'Drop in to say hello'
"I would rather be remembered as a good newspaper man than a good senator," he told her. He was in a reflective mood, and recalled his days of working for an oil company, about his decision to try to raise a family and run a paper, and about visiting with Will T. Beck in Holton.
He said that he never wrote an editorial while the Senate was in session. "I never want it said that the Recorder is being used as a tool to promote my efforts in the Senate."
He praised his staff, "who kept the paper running as well, and maybe even better, than if he had devolved full time to it. Without them I would never have had the nerve to run for the Senate the first time, and certainly could not have even considered my second term."
John Chandler died on Friday, October 15, 1982. He suffered a massive heart attack while he was mowing his lawn. His services were at the Evangel United Methodist Church in Holton, and burial was in the Holton Cemetery. A memorial service was held in Topeka at Grace Episcopal Church, his daughter Sara officiating.
He had written with pride of his daughters, and had told Jane Dennery aobut them: the Rev. Sara J. Chandler, rector at St. Peter Episcopal Church in South Windsor, Conn. Mrs. Richard (Cindy) Koester of Lawrence Mrs. Steve (Mary) Cole of Denver; and Mrs McDaniel. He had three grandchildren, Jay and Corey Koester and Patrick Chandler O'Donnell, and a sister, Ruth Mary Harrie of WaKeeney. He married Bertha M. White in September of 1940, in Council Grove, and she died in 1958.
When John Chandler took over the Recorder in 1950 he had written: "As fast as time permits, I am looking forward to becoming personally acquainted with my new neighbors. Your comments and suggestions will always be welcome, and I hope that many of you will drop in to say hello when you pass this way." We may be sure that many people of Holton, as well as people from other areas would have wanted to say hello, and will join us at the Press Association and the faculty of the West Allen White School of Journalism in expressing deep pleasure that John Chandler has been added to our Hall of Fame.
The preceding was the text of Pickett' speech for Editors' Day.
Lynn
Continued from p.1
must work harder at presenting facts, showing how change will affect readers, stimulating discussion and urging others on.
But when newspapers today do these jobs with skill and serve, they make a difference. Jobs are created. Parks are made more beautiful. Interest in the quality of education is revived and student test scores improve. Communities become better, happier places to live in.
Newspapers help make good things happen in Kansas today, just as they have from the time the first itinerant printer moved into the state with a shirttail full of type and set up shop; just as they will for as long as there are man-made mountains which must be climbed before we can reach the stars.
Lynn is the editor and publisher of the Register.
Grammar and style
John Lechliter/KANSAN
Cindy McCurry, Lenexa senior, edits a reporter's story on a video display terminal in the newsroom of the University Daily Kansan. McCurry is an assistant campus editor for the Kansan.
For openers, they could find inspiration in the priceless work of the man for whom their school is named. William Allen White.
There are countless examples to be found in the delightful writing that fills books all over the hill on which they labor.
Reed
Mr. White forever cautioned his auditors not to take themselves too damned seriously, and that's a good rule that can be copied for better writing at this and all future moments.
There can be fun as well as wisdom in editorial columns. Read Mr. White for proof.
expires 10/31/85
The old bird thinks the younger generation takes itself too seriously in some of its writing.
chison Globe, wrote an innocent piece one day with tongue in cheek that had editorialists all over the state laughing as they hadn't done for weeks.
Continued from p.1
Bennett said that the cattle Rolla Clymer loved lovingly about inhabiting Clymer's Flint Hills weren't really of the blue ribbon variety but of the knobby-kneed kind.
Bellows that followed were heard throughout the hills. Clymer was duly offended and other editors were heard from. It was fun while it lasted and a demonstration that you can toss a smile or two into the day's work and that editors can have fun, too. There's no law against it, is there?
The old bird recalls with glee to this day how that can be done. M
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Reed is the former editor and publisher of the Parsons Sun. He now teaches editorial writing in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
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