Evening star., 1914-01-28
Purposes to Organize Branch
in Every School District
Throughout Nation.
FOLK GIVES AN OUTLINE
OF EXTENSIVE PROGRAM
Secretary Bryan Addresses Members
at Luncheon, Advocating
State Primaries.

The Common Counsel Club. an organ
ization of cabinet officers. assistants, sem
ators. representatives and other leading
democrats in the government service, at
luncheon today at the University Club
set on foot plans of considerable magni-
tude for the extension and permanency of
the good government ideas for which
it stands.
Joseph w. Folk, solicitor of the State
Department. who is president of the or
ganization, announced that common
counsel club will be formed in every
school district of the United States and
that the schoo houses therein will be
used as headquarters for the clubs and
as social centers
! The subject of presidential preference
primaries was also considered by the
club, following the luncheon. and an ad-
dress was delivered by Secretary Bryan,
! the discussion being Joined in by Secre-
| tary Eedfield OF the Department of Com
merce. Louis Brandes. a Boston attorney,
and Franklin d. Roosevelt, assistant sec
retary of the navy.
Bryan Worlds Richest Man.
Mr.. Folk introduced Mr.. Bryan by say
ing:
=
world not in silver and gold but in the
affections of his fellowmen.'
A committee had been appointed at the
| last luncheon of the club to take UP the
| presidential preference primary idea ad
vanced at that time by Mr.. Folk. This
committee reported today. Mr.. Folk an
| nouncing that he has drafted a presiden-
tial preference primary law, which will
be made public after conference he in
tends to hold with Representative Ruck-
er, who is drafting a bill to be introduced
in the House of Representatives.
| Mr.. Bryan, in his address, advocated
the state plan of primaries under which
the states are to be given control of such
primaries He outlined the growth of pro-
gressive sentiment in the United States
during the last few years, giving credit
to the democrats for inspiring it, and
praised the attitude of President Wilson
toward this sentiment. in which he said it
found at this time its chief support.
Explains Extension Plans.
Explaining the proposed extension of
the sphere of influence of the Common
Counsel Club, Mr. Folk said, in part:
This plan contemplates weekly or BIZ
weekly lessons being sent to each Com
mon Counsel Club from the parent or
ganization in Washington. somewhat
day School Association lessons.
We have decided to establish Com
mon Counsel Club in every school district
in the United States. with the school
houses as social centers We shall en-
piov professional organizer, who will
devote his whole time to the work.
oont hve hundred applications have
already been received to form local Com
mon Counsel Clubs. They come from all
ha INIT
widespread interest In the idea"
Mr. Folk suggested the naming of a
committee TO draw up a permanent con-
stitution and bylaws for the parent or
eanlzaton OF Washington, and similar
constitution and bylaws for the local
clubs. Upon motion of George f. Davies.
commissioner of corporations, he was an
pointed one member of the committee.
with MT FOLK as chairman. the other
members of the committee being o,us
+. Post, assistant secretary of labor: vii
liam J. Harris. director of the census.
Samuel H. Thompson, jr, assistant at
torney general: Samuel ]. Graham, as
sistant attorney general, and Frank P.
Walsh, chairman Of the congressionaJ
commission on industrial relations
Not New Political Party.
1t has been stated that the Common
Counsel Club has been formed as the
nucleus of new political organization.
although this has been denied by its Of
/ f1cers. Mr.. Folk was asked today by a
reporter for The Star whether counties
which are known to be republican In pol
| itics. in whose schools 1t is proposed
to establish local common counsel clubs
Will not naturally object to the pro-
posed propaganda Of the Common Counsel
Club and the use of such schools as
social centers. inasmuch as the Common
Counsel Clubs members are known to
be wholly democratic in politics. He de-
clared that that will depend on the de-
velopment OF the idea
1T Is hard to find any one. nowadays. -
MIR. Folk said. who is not a Wilson and
Bryan democrat. At any rate, almost
every one is progressive