Daily Kennebec journal., 1915-09-15
PitiIess Publicity.

freSlQent WlISOH plcuSeu Hlb 1dIIH
in "pitiless publicity" He proclaimed
that the peoples business should al
ways be open to the people. A WASH
ington correspondent recalls certain
remarkable speech delivered in Wash
ington before Mr.. Wilson became
President in which that gentleman de-
clared that if he had any hobby. 1t
was the hobby Of publicity. II can
not imagine" Mr.. Wilson said on this
occasion. anything legitimate that a
man is doing that he need be afraid to
talk about. l cannot imagine any part
of the management of a party or OF
the organization of a political move
ment that cannot be talked about to
anybody at any time. cannot
imagine any portion of the public
business which can be privately and
confidentially dealt with. In other
words. l cannot imagine any portion of
the business with regard to which you
can say to one of the partners, it Is
none of your business That is the
whole present purpose Of what we call
the popular movement The popular
movement in our country is to change
the machinery of our Government
from privacy to publicity"
Just now the people Of the nation
would like to know many things about
their affairs that are in the sealed
book at the White House. One of
these is just how long the government
intends to permit the selling of arms
and ammunitions to Mexican bandits
to be turned on American citizens and
soldiers. There are 80 others nearly
as important.
The same correspondent remarks
that the replacing Of William Jen-
nings Bryan as Secretary of State BY
Robert Lansing has been something
of an Improvement from the point of
view of the press. Although not the
proprietor of a newspapers. Mr..
Lansing. it is acknowledged on all
sides. understands much better than
did his predecessor. the legitimate de-
mands of the Washington correspon-
dent for information. Whereas Mr..
Bryan clashed with the newspaper
men almost daily, Mr. Lansing gets on
with them swimmingly. No question
asked by any correspondent is deemed
by him impertinent or out of place.
This is not to say, of course, that the
new Secretary Of State answers every
query put him. or that he discloses
information freely.
The Wilson policy of as little pub
licity as possible prevails in the State
Department and elsewhere But in
the State Department this policy today
Is administered courteously and frank
ly. Secretary Lansing may or may
not relish the pointed question every
morning from ii o'clock to Ills; but
if he does not relish them, he makes
no fuss about it, and there is no dan
ger Of diplomatic break between him
and the representatives of the fourth
estate who are trying to perform one
Of the most difficult and important
jobs in the country-that Of telling the
country the truth about the interna
ional situation.
Mr.. Lansing has the advantage over
his predecessor and former chief in
knowing something about interna
tional law and in therefore being able
to speak with authority when he
chooses to speak. 1t must be said in
his favor that since his assumption Of
the office of Secretary of State he has
done a great deal to clear up misun
derstandings and thus indirectly to aid
the formation Of the intelligent public
opinion. In general. however, every
official of the present administration
from the President down, takes the at
titude that practically every portion Of
the public business is none of the pub
lies business till the Government
chooses to say something.
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