The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-08-07

TO business. The House members foun,
that the president could be Just as firm
lin Ri near 10 nature costume Il.
though attired in black irock coat. Ford
ney begged for Sl.a0 on lumber, theI
for Sl.35, and $3.50, but MIR TAFT wal
obdurate eNot more than $685." was
his decision, and there it stuck The
conferees went back and reported e
their colleagues and that evening the bill
was completed
But wouldn't that have made bully
moving picturey
.agenting is the latest govern
ment foible,
Not that press-agenting, in way
wasn't fashionable back in the Roose-
welt days On the contrary there were
plenty Of rising and risen journalists
who, at that time, forsook the newspaper
game proper to hold down chiefships and
private secretaryships and such Ike, and
incidentally, Of course. keep their trained
news eyes open for little pieces for the
papers, and let EN- loose at the psyche.
/ logical moment.
But after Roosevelt came Taft, and
| Taft wasn't quite so keen on publicity.
The I'D was ordered camped on at all
the departments The newspaper crowd
here at the capital began 70 grow thin
on a no-news diet, and their hungry
bowls for stuff" went up to high heaven.
Nhereupon Postmaster General Hitch.
cock, presidential manager. instituted
the official .agenting scheme
lie has attached a former newspaper.
man to his staff whose duties are TO
make a roundup al over the post Office
department twice a day just ike the
newspapsrmen have been doing since
time immemorial- collect an the news
that crops out. prepare il in newspaper
style, and hand it out 10 all the CORE
spondents. Every man in the depart
ment has been cautioned not TO let a
single story escape to anyone but the
post office press agent OF course, Hitch-
cock O. KS al the stories Of his press
agent-hence al the stuff that comes out
of the post Office department through
official channels these days Is censored.
But the official press agent, having his
chiefs confidence, unearths quite a lot
Of news around The department that
liant heretofore been let loose by The
underlings And It al helps to advertise
TIE department.
And now he census Office is to have an
official newsgatherer and dissemination.
lice, too, is an ex-newpaperman.
When Secretaries MaeNeagh Of The
treasury and Meyer Of the navy east
about for available private secretaries.
they promptly annexed two first class
les MaeVeagh and Meyer are very much
in the public prints these days, and the
treasury and Che navy came in for lot
OF advertising.
Major John NJ Carson, who used to be
one Of the leading newspaper lights here,
was annexed BY President Roosevelt and
made chief Of the bureau of information
of the department Of commerce and IA
Dor. He Is making good, not only per
sonally, but for the department z. NJ
De6raw. who used to be manager OF
the United Press in Washington. some
years ago, makes about the best fourth
assistant postmaster general they've
ever bad John F. Wilke, who got good
executive as well as administrative ex-
perience holding down the city desk on
4 big Chicago daily Is head Of the secret
service John Barrett. who Is director !
Of the bureau Of American republics, and
who never lets anyone forget that fact,
or have an excuse for lack of iuforma
ton about the other America, knows
how to handle copy from real experience.
An undelivered tariff speech Is slowly /
gathering dust in a pige0nhole Of the /
desk Of a California member at the CAPT. /
toll It's undelveryn e eloquent Of the l
conaHefiHg Of a strong temp /
tation and recognition Of the PROPOSE
ton that when conditions are perfectly
the best thing to 10 + 70
let them alone. One Of the main things I
the Califomians wanted Ia the new tariff
law was a rate on lemons Of one and
one half cents q pound. There was a time
when contamination Of this great desire
was much III doubt and the member from
the coast prepared a speech that was
a regular sockdolager II gave the his
tory OF the lemon, extolled its merits
and properly whaeked the opponents Of
the high protective rate desired Before
the member bad a chance to deliver
hi Grafton, the rate Of one and one-halt
cents a pound, an increase over the Ding
lev rate. became an assured fact The
member considered the hours he had de
voted to the preparation Of that speech
and well knew that it would, If de-
lvered. be step forward in the prog
ress Of the world. 50 far the arguments
were strongly in favor Of its delivery,
On The other hand time in the House
for speech was limited and members
Il. u 81 "a fhn
questions they asked. II was possible
that complications might arise that
would reopen the fight over the duty,
despite the fact that the arguments on
which Il was founded were absolutely
sound. 1t seemed a shame to waste the
speech. but the Calfornian's conclusion
was that. having exactly what he desired
in the line of the tariff, he could not get
more and that, as It was barely possible
that he might get less, he would lay
away the cherished product Of his brain.
There are thirteen elevators in the
new Senate office building, but only
twelve are kept running It is expected
that this is because some of the senator's
are superstiti0us They could never tell
when they were riding III the thirteenth
elevator, 50 rather than run the risk
they would walk upstairs. Whether this
IS the reason or not, it is a fact that only
dozen Of the lifts" are kept in opera
ton
It IS also certain that the senators are
wonderfully careful about their personal
safety They are not taking any chances
on one Of these elevators falling or get
ting out Of order and imperiling their
precious neeks. The machines arc Of