Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-02-19
Fairbanks Now Busy Cultivat.
ing Newspaper Men---knox
Spends Little Money
Not Vet Started, But Probably Will
Be In Few Days Governor
Hughes, Known as the lnscrutabIe
Sphinx, Also Not Unaware of the
Value of the Press.

Hanna procured the nomination VI -ii
Mckinley for president in 1896, ht
| used one means to that end which has
stuck like a burr in the memories OF
| public men. This was the press bu-
reau. Never before had anyone at
tempted anything OF that kind upor
so extensive a scale in any nationa
| endeavor, and Hanna's success has APP
parently led some of his successors IN
the field of personal promotion to at
tribute more than its just share to the
| potency of the canned newspaper ar
ticle
In the present campaign, as III every
campaign since Hanna astonished the
country, the press bureau has been
brought prominently into play. Hanna
employed singularly active New YORK
gentleman to handle this end OF the
game for Mckinley, and the business
occupied suite of many rooms IN a
! New York office building, with a large
staff of clerks and the expenditure OF
many thousands of dollars. In 1904
this outfit was again on duty, and to a
than in 1896, but this time it was en-
ployed to pcr"!arize Alton B. Parker
and make possible his nomination by
the democrats.
This Hanrn'S old q and his
accoutrements have been in use only
few weeks, and that was some
months ago. The employer was Lieu
tenant Governor Chanler of New York
and anybody who can remember a
brief period last fall, when Chanler
was quite literally touted in the papers
as a presidential possibility, will be
able to fix the date when Hanna's old
literary machine was in action. But
its work for this pampered son of
democracy was ended abruptly. No
chicken ever yielded its unwilling neck
to the ak with more incisve sudden
ness.
1t has been rumored here that even
Chanler, who never earned a cent, yet
spends more money each year than
many men earn in a lifetime, became
tired Of paying bills scaled upon the
magnificent precedent left by Mr..
Hanna and by the Parker boom. An
other story has it that the press agent
went to the bad in the upper story
under the strain of trying TO make a
national character of presidential size
out of the material at hand, and had to
go to the West Indies to recllperate
Anyhow, the press bureau made a
brief but violent gathering and then
stopped short off. like trunk falling
downstairs.
Among the republican candidates for
president now before the country, the
press agent has not been overlooked.
Each of them has something doing in
that line, but the heaviest operator is
Senator Knox. and the funniest one,
Secretary Taft. Knox has the idea that
he stands no show for the nomination
save as a compromise in case the adj
ministration people and the ants get
into deadlock. He has it figured out
that If the Taft strength fails to land
its man on the first few ballots in the
convention, and the red-hot anti-ad l.
ininistrationists cannot enter upon
ate, both sides will turn to him as the
one man not Objectionable to either.
Knox Spends Little.
Knox is, therefore, not spending
much money or effort in sending
men about the country working
up delegations for him, or try
ing to. He appears to be devoting
his efforts to placing his public record
before the country as fully as may be.
Congressman Burke Of Pennsylvania is
his campaign manager, and Burke has
prepared speech in which he re-
viewed the public services of Knox.
This speech, and variations of it,
printed, mmeographed, etc, are being
sent out to the daily papers in all por-
tions of the United States for such
use as the editors may choose to make
thereof.
The press agent may be said to be
l.. w. Strayer. Washington correspond
ent of the Pittsburg Gazette Times.
At least he prepares most Of the mat
ter sent out, and his work is made
effective in many places by his urban
ity, good sense and popularity. In addi-
ton to Mr. Strayer, Congressman
Burke, Mr. Burke's secretary, and SEN
ator KnoX's clerks chip in for what
ever they can do
But the funny business Of the cam
paign is done by the literary bureau
established presumably by Mr. Vorys,
at Columbus, Ohio, in the interest Of
the Taft boom. This bureau has been
sending out comic postal cards and
other devices which would have caused
smaller man than Taft to be laughed
out of the presidential game. The sec
rotary, fortunately for his presidential
prospects. had established himself with
the people of this country before his
press bureau began to operate. and his
character was not judged by the mate
rial sent out from Columbus. Hence
he has fourished on his merits, and in
spite of his press bureau.
Fairbanks After Reporters.
The most carefully nurtured press
work of all has been done by Vice
President Fairbanks. BY one means or
another he has secured immunity from
nearly all the papers of Indiana, while
here in the national capital his maneu-
vers have been the standing Joke of the
press gallery for several years. There
does not appear to be a correspondent,
however obscure the paper he repre-
sents. who is not invited to dinners and
can not be possible that the vice pres
ident is aware of the comment his hos
pitality causes in the press gallery. for