The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-05-08
PRESS p L: AGENTS
QUITE j !. !. BUSY |: u: { J
PRESIDENTIAL AsPiRANTs AL.
HAVE BUREAUS SENDING
( OUT CONCENTRATIONS.
Z WASHINGTON, ., G.. May s.-rhIs

= 81.
WASHINGTON, D. c.. May s.-This,
4 Is a press agent campaign. 3s
Never in the history of presidential.
politics have the possibilities OF pub
licity by means OF the press been SO
thoroughly appreciated and seized
upon. ~ x
Il The methods originated by the cir:
Gus and the stage, and latterly fol.
lowed by the great commercial and
industrial corporations, are now be-
ing employed, with sundry up.to-iate
improvements. by all the candidates
for the Republican and Democratic
nominations for the Presidency. Il
Each of them has n regular '.lfter.
/ airy bureau here in Washington. with
branches in other sections of the coun-
try where they will do the most
good" Each bureau is MANAGED BY
newspaper man of ability. expert.
ience. and wide acquaintance among
his fellow craftsmen and public men
generally The duty OF the modern
political press agent is not only to dis.
Eseminate information about the prog.
ress OF his chiefs campaign for dele
gates but to manufacture favorable
sentiment OH behalf of his candidacy.
Hc must be both journalist and dip.
lomntist. When he is not engaged
in purely literary pursuits. he is ex-
pected to glad-hand visiting political
chieftains and convince them that the
fate Of the nation rests in the nomina.
tion Of so-and-so.
The War Secretnry's managers were
the first to adopt the press agent Idea.
and there are those who say that
President Roosevelt himself is the
man. who suggested it. The Taft pub
, licity factory has for It's gutlt';n~ .-ol-
i,is newspaper man OF twenty-five
years experience. and who. has been
a Washington correspondent for. the
& past ten years. He is from Ohio. and
i is a longtime friend Of the Secre-
tary's. His Office on Newspaper Row
Is n2mecca for the representatives Of
I such newspapers as are favorably dis
!, posed toward the candidacy of the
Secretary. None go away dissatisfied,
as he. always has a Taft story Of some
sort on tap. Those who don't come
around, he hunts up. Three other
Washington correspondents are en-
rloyed in preparing Taft matter for
the press. much of their output going
direct to the newspapers. al II z.
] Following Taft's example. "the al
les established their publicity bu.
[; reau. They were a little late getting
into the game, but the industry OF
their press agents indicates com,
4mendab1e effort to make up for lost
time. Their chief publicity man is
Z; also a correspondent from Ohio, whose
experience and general knowledge oil
politics Is only little less than 'Taft's
| chief advertising manager.
Within the past week. both tn,
Johnson and Gray Democratic booms
4 have attached to themselves full
fledged Washington press agencies
I with newspaper men in charge. Tn;
I Johnson managers began their public
tty work from Chicago. adopting ar
j unique scheme to attract nttentionlte
their output. They mailed hundreds
OF letters containing attractive John
son literature direct to the homes O.
Democratic statesmen throughout tht
country and to the residences OF thu
entire corps OF Washington CORE
) spondents. They put q special deliv
. cry stamp on each letter, and ST
timed the mailing that 1t would ar
rive at tie destination IN the hrst mai
sanday morning. Receiving It at I'LL
I home instead OF at his once, and tha
! Go az Hhen hs wonad t1ihely havi
LnE f&H arafn !Safn >a1fta safa tfn1nd n WIN