St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-12-25
EXPLOIT UNCLE SAM
PRESS AGENTS ARE THICK IN
WASHINGTON.
Thrive in Nations Capital in Greater
Number and More Dignity Than
Anywhere Else In the
World.


Aside from legislation, adjudication
and administration, the big colony of
government officials and appurte-
nances thereto in Washington is main
Iy engaged in publicity promotion.
Washington the beautiful may truly
be said to be the home of the press
agent. He thrives there in greater
number and more estimable dignity
than on any other spot on the face
of the earth. Press agents there have
their trade reduced to a scientific
basis. Their glorious example for
emulation is none other than the
United States Of America, one Of the
tirmest believers in printers ink en-
gagged in modern development.
To be without a press agent in
Washington is almost as bad as be-
ing without a two-gallon top hat. A
man can get along without a top hat
by borrowing one from his neighbor
in the next hall room, but press
agents are fixtures that cannot be Dor
rowed. What press agent could be re-
lied to tout another mans game?
None.
The government goes in for the
press agent strong. 1t hires him in
the highways and in the byways, and
when he once gets on the pay roll he
remains there for life. Congress raves
and caves about the press agent, but
he is just as hard to eradicate as the
boil weevil or the tick in cattle. He
is not as obnoxious a parasite, but
every congressman, and by the way
they all have nice young men, prefer
ably those with newspaper training,
as secretaries, is against the govern
ment press agent.
This sentiment got so strong not so
long ago that one Mr.. Joseph Bucklin
Bishop, Panama canal publicity pro-
moter got fired" by law. Mr.. Bishop
was hired for $4,000 a year to keep
the newspapers informed on the prog
ress on the Panama canal Now, no
newspaper would have believed those
figures if they were not of public rec
ord. The figures were too high Mr..
Bishop came in for a fine line of per-
sonal publicity in the senate, and
when he was fired" and made secre-
tary of the Panama canal commission,
notice was served on all departments
to cut out the press agents. Did they
do it? Well, rather not
The appropriation for the mainte-
nance and operation of the govern
ment printing Office this year was S.
100000, with an additional 100000 for
officials who draw salaries, not wages.
The government printing Office turns
out thousands of tons of literature.
SouH of it is of doubtful value, and
as whole it cannot be compared with
the splendid literary products of the
bureau of engraving and printing,
where authors are confined to 81. So,
SIS. $40, $50, 500, $500, 1000, $1,000 and
$4,000 bills, with acres and acres Of
United States, Philippine and Panama
bonds and postage stamps as a side
line.
This great mass of literature pro-
duced by the government printing Of
fee is circulated. Some congressman
get as high as 10000 copies of such
publications as farm bulletins, dairy
reports and garden dissertations.
Bourke Cochran, Herbert Parsons,
Nick Longworth and few other con-
gressional lights who live in cities
get exactly the same quota. They are
rot very useful to their constituencies,
hut they do come in handy in persuad-
ing a country congressman that he
ought to be for a certain bill in com.
mittee, particularly if he needs about
10000 copies of a treatise on the
chinch bug.
To produce this big crop of litera-
ture the government pay roll is
weighted down with few hundred
rand and ready writer's. The writer's
for the most part are newspaper men
who prefer nine o'clock rising to fol-
lowing the patrol wagons and meet
inr trains in search of items for the
local papers.
One of the most indefatigable of
this class of regenerated newspaper
men is Maj. John M. Carson, chief of
the bureau of manufactures. Mai Car
sons bureau gets out the consular
bulletins. Information on every sub
ject under the sun is sent out by the
ream aA ready for use in the paper,
To encourage those writer's who are
not as adept with the typewriter az
with the scissors and paste pot. the
major puts out a newspaper edition
printed on only one side with can be
| clipped and sent out without much OF
struggle. Maj. Carson's willing ad
! junct is E. J. Gibson, PHILADELPHIA
newspaper man, who devotes much oil
his time advertising the possibilities
| for American trade in Patagonia and
Hindoostan.
Maj. Carson's efforts are paled into
| insignificance by the energies of the
willing young workers surrounding
Clifford Pinchot, chief forester. Mr.