01:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, October 11, 2005

THERE'S A SOUND CLIP on my computer of the late, great journalist and stylist H.L. Mencken, speaking about letter writers. He's not very complimentary.

"The volume of mail that comes into a magazine, or a newspaper, or a radio station is no index of anything, except that you happen to attract a lot of idiots, because most people that write letters to the newspaper are fools," Mr. Mencken declares in a voice dripping with condescension. "Intelligent people seldom do it. They do it sometimes, but not often."

Well, that sounds like the old Mencken shtick of getting laughs with calculated hyperbole.

In my rather less sordid view, letters are some of the best stuff in the newspaper. And I'm not alone. Readers' polls consistently show that letters are among the best-read items in the newspaper. People like to read the voices of their fellow citizens.

I think I know why: Letters are a variety show -- tart, outrageous, funny, thoughtful, newsy, clever, foolish, bombastic. And because they are short, letters tend to get right to the point -- unlike pontificating politicians and all too many newspaper columnists. And Journal letter writers are among the best anywhere.

People sometimes ask me why we run the letters we do. I wish I could say it is based entirely on an overarching intellectual vision, but I am forced to admit that luck plays a great role in whether any letter gets published.

At The Journal, we get many scores of letters for every one we can publish. Editorial-Pages Editor Robert Whitcomb and I plow through piles of them -- and daily wade into the thickets of an e-mail file that sometimes seems an impenetrable jungle of erectile-dysfunction ads and financial come-ons from alleged African officials.

We tend to favor letters that:

Are short.

Make a point quickly or succinctly.

Argue for or against our editorials and columns.

Challenge or expand on something that was printed in the newspaper.

Have a particularly strong interest to readers in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Make us laugh.

Treat different subjects than letters that have already run.

Express or inspire strong emotions.

We strive for variety -- of opinion as well as subject. There are few things more boring than editorial pages with a monolithic viewpoint. We like up-beat letters as well as negative ones.

Our friend Mr. Mencken claimed to favor the latter.

"In my days of running a column, I was in charge of the letters column and always let anybody that denounced me violently get in, because . . . I believe that people like to read abuse," Mr. Mencken said.

"I didn't care what they said of me. I was much too vain to care what such idiots believed about me. In fact, I'd have been ashamed if they'd praised me. And so letters praising me very seldom got in that column," he added.

Well, once again, the Sage of Baltimore goes a little far -- but those who read our letters column regularly know that we who appear in the newspaper come in for our fair share of abuse, some of it very strongly worded indeed.

But that's the beauty of a lively editorial page that makes the most of the First Amendment we are blessed to enjoy. No one has a lock on truth. The more we can discuss issues and ideas -- in, one always hopes, an intelligent and illuminating way -- the better off our society will be.

I think letters to the editor -- as products that take some time and attention, and enjoy the permanency of being printed on a page -- have a far greater impact than voices on the radio. Writing, unlike much off-the-cuff speaking, is a way of carefully organizing thought. Letters keep issues alive, and give those in positions of power a glimpse of what concerns well-read people (who, politicians understand, are more inclined to vote). Journal letter writers can actually influence government in cozy Rhode Island.

Where does luck come in? Well, our layout editors choose from a file of letters that Mr. Whitcomb and I have created. Whether a letter runs depends often on such unpredictable factors as: how much space we have that day; whether the topics are newsy; what letters may also pique the layout editor's interest; how the letters fit together; whether we have positive as well as negative, national as well as local, pro-Republican as well as pro-Democratic; etc. It's a bit of a jigsaw puzzle. Sometimes, alas, good letters sit in the file until they become outdated and must be discarded.

How can you increase your chances of getting your letter published? Write short (150 words). Be pointed, or funny, or passionate. Be sure to include the date and headline of any article you cite. And you must include your full name, address and phone number (we use the last only to confirm the letters, or if we have questions). Read the "To our readers" box that runs every day with the letters.

The more writers we have, the merrier. To thoughtful readers of all political stripes: Don't be afraid to express your views!

Edward Achorn is The Journal's deputy editorial-pages editor. His e-mail address is eachorn [at] projo.com.