The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-11-11
PRESIDENTS PUBLICITY PROGRAM
PROVES SICULARLY SUCCESSFUL
Realizes Important Part Newspapers Play In Success VI
Failure Of An Administration And Governs Him
self Accordingly-His Open-Door Policy.

Weekly, in a recent issue,
carried an article by l.. Ames
Brown on the subject President Will
son and Publicity Mr.. Brown was
formerly connected with The News and
Observer in the capacity Of Washing
ton correspondent. He is now on the
Washington staff of the New York
Sun, u just at the present time is the
Suns representative with the Atlantic
feet. which is on a voyage to Mediter-
ranean ports. His article follows.
ON a Monday morning at ten O'Clock
a score or more newspaper men come
busting in the entrance to the execu-
tive officers OF the White House
at Washington, primed with the ques-
tons they intend to ask, and with
glowing ideas which they have evolved
from reading the morning papers.
1t is the time for their semi-weekly
interview with the President at which
the big news stories Of the Capitol
originate. This conference is one OF
the new institutions President Wilson
has brought to Washington and he re-
CARDS it as an important one.
They gather in the lobby to Await
q signal from Patrick Mckenna, the
Presidents dOorman. that Mr.. Wilson
has come over from the White louise
Soon the signal is given and they vile
into the Presidents Office. Mr.. Will
son is found standing at his desk n
greets them smilingly. bly, il
the number is unusually large or
small. he advances a humorous ex-
PLANTATION for his fact and then. by a
submissive gesture. signifies that the
held guns Of curiosity may be un-
limbered.
The questions come in rapid sue
Cession. First. there is: "Mr Presi-
dent. will you tell US something about
the Mexican situation" or Mr. Presi-
dent. is a reply soon to be made to
Ambassador Chinda's last note on the
Japanese land controversy" Then
somebody wants to know If there are
any Illinois appointments pending
Follow questions about the Presi-
dents position on the wool tariff, on
q the suggestion of the American Bank
ers Association for changes in the Ad-
ministration Currency Bill, as to
whether Mr.. Wilson really expects to
get down to h Panama Canal this
fall.
Mr.. Wilson is somewhat in the po-
sition OF a baseball catcher receiving
balls from all the basemen and the
shortstop coincidentally. He handles
his NIT with precision, however, ant
makes returns in every cas- where hi
thinks it wise.
In these conferences, Mr.. Wilson
reveals his character perhaps will
greater frankness han at any Othe
time in the routine of his official day
The President thinks quickly n az
~curately and always he lets his an
swers stand once they are made. II
shows himself a precisionist in tn
use of words. Also he is sOmewha
quick-tempered. At the time wheH
Secretary Of State Bryan was on tn
Chautauqua Circuit along with certai
Swiss yOdlers md such, a correspond
ent submitted this question:
Mr.. President, would you tell U
VIVA you attitude is toward the crit
cisms of Mr.. Bryan's literary effort
which nave been made in fOreig
newspapers?
The President replied hat his a
titude was that which he maintaine
var all statements made by PEI
mentS who could not mind their ow
business" His face was flushed ar
plainly he was angry.
The serious question and anSWe'
are i~nterspersed with humorous inc
dents of the Presidents making, how
ever. One Of these resulted from h
desire to evade a question as to VIII;
he wanted the Senate to do abe
hearings on the tariff. For the Pres
dent TO have answered directly wou
have suggested that he was seekir
to dictate to the Senate.
Mr.. Wilson recalled a saying Of A
temuS Ward:-Whenever / see
snakes hole, I say to myself, tina,
the snake mole and l leave it alone
Mr.. Wilson said the Senate's at
u d was the Senate's business. TT
time he was smiling.
The President shows fine skill
choosing words for his answers a.
he demands, most Of the time, tn
his qucstioners phrase their QuestiO
With nicely. Indeed. this leaning I
ward precision more than once h
given a correspondent the wrong id
- what was in the Presidents mi
and opened the way for his writ
= = story giving exactly the Oppos
impression from that the Preside