The Press: Newsman v. Newsman

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William R. Hearst Jr., editor in chief of the Hearstpapers, likes to introduce National Editor Frank R. Conniff as "the house Democrat." This at once pays affectionate tribute to the staunch Republicanism of the Hearstpapers, to Conniff's equally unsubornable allegiance to the other party, and to the indulgence of Bill Hearst himself. Last week Democrat Conniff, 49, reached for a House more sizable than Hearst's. He accepted the Democratic nomination as candidate for Congress from a suburban Westchester district.

Conniff's candidacy pits journalist against journalist. The incumbent is Ogden R. ("Brownie") Reid Jr., 38, who was president of the New York Herald Tribune for three years before the paper was sold to John Hay Whitney Jr. Before running for Congress, he was U.S. Ambassador to Israel.

Reid's journalistic qualifications do not match Conniff's. A Hearst staffer since 1936, Conniff is a member in excellent standing of the "Hearst Task Force," which roams the world for top-level news. As national editor, he is Hearst's right-hand man for all the papers. He also writes an increasingly popular column that is syndicated by King Features.

Politically, however, Brownie Reid has everything working for him. His district, embracing most of Westchester County, has never yet sent a Democrat to Washington. Voter registration is Republican 2 to 1, a ratio so immutable that any man the Republicans put up campaigns largely for appearance's sake. Moreover, during his two years in office, although Congressman Reid has done little, he has done absolutely nothing to turn the voters against him.