Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1912-06-12
GREAT TASK AHEAD
Newspaper Men Preparing For
Two Conventions.
TO MOVE ON CHICAGO SUN
Then They Must Make Quick jump
to 7altimore-How Tickets Are
Assigned and Quarters Provid-
ed for the correspon-
dents.
By GEORGE cLINToN

BY GEORGE CLINTON.
%ashington.-Moving day is immi-
nent in Washington. Very soon scores
Of members of congress, the cam
paign managers of three Republican
candidates and hundreds of persons
who are to be, merely onlookers will
take trains, regular and special, to
move on Chicago for the great Re
publican national convention.
While the Republican convention is
at its height other scores of congress-
men and campaign managers of at
least four Democratic candidates and
more onlookers than are numbered
among the hosts of Chicago specta-
tors, viii lmove on Baltimore. The
conventions this year are regarded by
everybody in Washington as certain
TO be of unusual interest. The de-
mand for tickees TO both great AFFAIRS
mas been greater than ever before and
the committeeman are being put to 1t
not simply to meet the demand. but
to discover ways and means of de-
Ginning demands so automatically as
not to give ofTense. 1t is a case OF
being asked to put at least a hundred
pegs in one hole and this is the thing
which not even the sagacious and re-
sourceful national committeeman Of the
two parties are able to do
Army OF Correspondents.
Congressman. political managers
and onlookers will not be the only
ones to leave Washington for the Chi
cago event. At least $50 newspaper
correspondents will desert the gall
leries of congress some days in ad-
vance of the Republican convention
to go to the Lake city. to report not
only the convention itself, but the
Notwithstanding preliminaries.
There will be 500 newspaper men In
attendance at both conventions.
Prior to the conventions. the ma
tional committeeman Of both parties
are extremely busy men. but there are
others who have to work also. The
correspondents in Washington have
what is called a standing committee
whose duties 1t is TO regulate the press
galleries. to decide On who is entitled
to admission and who is not, to In
vestigate in the rare cases where some
correspondent Is charged with unpro-
fessional conduct, and to do many 9TH
er things In the way Of regulation
and good government"
Mr.. Aibert's Large Task.
The chairman OF the standing COM
mittee of CORRESPONDENTS is Charles s.
Albert. To Mr.. Albert have come the
applications from all the managing
editors of the daily papers of the coun-
try asking for assignments OF seats
on the press platforms of the two con.
ventions. It is also the duty of the
chairman to confer with the other
members Of the standing committee
and to determine whether or not the
demands OF the different newspapers
have been out OF keeping with the
real news necessities in the case. II
is rather difficult and delicate Job
to determine Just how many seats the
newspapers are entitled to. When all
the applications are in, the requests
for newspaper seats are turned over
By the standing committee to the
chairman Of the national committees
on the management OF the two conven-
tons. and the seats are assigned.
Department Press Agents Accused.
Members of the house rules commit
tee recently have been investigating
"the use of press agents by the de-
partments of government" In many
of the departments men are employed
to put out information concerning the
work which the government intends to
do along certain lines. Much OF this
material is sent to Washington CORE
spondents and a good deal of 1t Is use
full, for 1t contains facts which are o.
service in writing articles concerning
the activities of the government
The charge has been made that
some Of the publicity agents of the
departments have gone beyond the
bounds of propriety and have put out
matter intended not only to defend
officials from attack. but to bring dis
credit upon people who have criti-
cised the workings of the depart
ments. The direct charge made con-
corning the pernicious publicity
activity" considered by the house
rules committee had to do with mate
rial furnished by the department Of
agriculture which. II is said. was sent
out In ranked envelopes and which
was Intended. so It is asserted, to
hamper the investigation which was
being made into meat inspection at.
fairs.
Publicity That Has Value.
The government has benefited vast
ly by its attempts to employ proper
publicity agents. and II any OF the