Evening star., 1897-01-07
An Official Publication Receiving
.t.n-.' u ---s -
Private Advertisements.
1HE BUREAU OF AMERICAN REPUBLICS
It's Directors Course Very Sharply
Criticised by Some.
OUTCOME UN CERTAIN

All is not plain SaiI1ng with the bureau of
American republics in it's efforts to COM
pete with the trade journals of the country
in the purely business field Of advertising.
There has been considerable opposition to
the scheme of printing advertisements in
the official bulletins issued by the bureau
At the present time the bureau seems to
have little the best of the argument
but the opposition has by no means given
up the contest. The bureau. notwithstand-
ing its international character, gets its
main financial support from the United
states Congress, and the people who are
opposed to its advertising feature propose
to concentrate their energies upon tha.
body, with view to the Withholding of
further appropriations for the support OF
the bureau unless the business of publish
ing paid advertisements iIr the official pub
lications is discontinued They seem con-
ndent OF success, and there are reasons for
the belief that their confidence is not alto
gether misplaced.
Origin of the Plan.
The plan for the publication of advertis-
ing matter in the monthly bulletins oriei-
mated with Mr.. Clinton Furbish director OF
the bureau, several years ago, soon after
his appointment to the office by Secretary
OF State Gresham. At that time the con-
trlbutlons for the support of the bureau
by the United States and the other govern
ments responsible for its existence were
not % suilcient to meet the exalted ideas of
Mr.. Kurdish as to the scope Of the bureaus
work, and, as a measure of relief he
evolved the plan of increasing its revenues
by the publication Of advertisements He
considered 1t a perfectly legitimate trans
action, and, without further ado proceed
ed to put 1t into execution upon his own
responsibility. He went into the bus,ness
with energy and found many merchants
q will {nor 70 ,I,<,l
prise They wanted to operate in the South
american countries, and felt that the pub
Hcation of their business cards in the bull
ietins issued by the bureau and circulated
IN the trade centers of the countries to the
south of US would be in the nature of a
semi-official Endorsement of their business
status.
Gresham's Opposition.
Contracts were made with them accord
ingly by Director Furbish and every ar
rangement made for the appearance Of the
advertisements in the next issue of the
bureau, even to the setting up of the
advertisements, when the matter was
brought to the attention. of Secretary
Gresham. The scheme met with the most
emphatic disapproval of that official and
he put his foot down urSp 1t hard not
wlthstanding 1t was the pet project of his
own appointee. 1t was never revived dur
Ing his administration, but that it had
merely been in state of.suspended ami
nation was demonstrated soono after by
the enorts made to secure its Subsequent
approval by Secretary Olney .
1T Is said that the latter at first agreed
with his predecessor, that gov ernment pub
licauons should not be used as a medium
for advertising private tbusiness enter
prises At any rate nothing was accom-
pished in the liae Indicated ur,tit within
the last few months. i = b
Situation Complicated. -..
Tn he
come complicated by a discussion as to
the exact official status of the bureau it.
self. Was it an Internal tional affair gov
erned by the countries interested in its
maintenance or was it merely bureau of
the United States State Department? Up
TO this time 1t had been regarded as an
appendix 20 the State Department as evil
denced by the fact that the directors (there
have been but two) were in each case ap-
POINTED by the Secretary of State. The
question was raised in the room of the
Senate committee on appropriations at
the last session during the consideration of
the annual appropriation for the bureau.
1t was practically left unsettled, however,
until last summer, when the bureau was
entirely reorganized on a purely interna-
tional basis. This result was accomplished
by series of meetings called at the in
stance of Secretary Olney, at which the
representatives of all the governments in
terested in the bureau took part.
Permanent Organization.
permanent organization was established
on the basis of the existing personnel and
the bureau was placed under civil service
regulations similar to those in practice in
the executive departments of the United
States government. 1t was declared that
the bureau lis for all purposes to be con-
sldered as an international organization
and that appointments In the future for
all positions in the bureau, for which lit