The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1915-12-09
PUBLICITY
PRACT|CED BY WILSON
PEOPLE DENIED ALL iNFoRMA.
TON REGARDING GOVERN.
MENT AFFAIRS.

bureau chief In the government ser
vice has been directed to hold bac
his annual report. and no annual re-
ports are to be made public until af
ter the president has delivered his an.
nuai address to congress. This ordel
comes on top of an order now rigid,
enforced which prohibits all govern.
ment officials, save cabinet officers
talking on public questions arising In
their respective offices. And as cab.
met officers are difficult to reach. the
lid" Is on more effectually today thar
ever before In the history The gov.
ernment's business Is not the peoples
business, save only as cabinet officers
desire to enlighten the public, and the
bulk of information now given to the
public Is written up and vised by cab
met officers before 1t goes to the news
papers.
Publicity Clicked Down.
Thus is the administration pledged
to "pitiless publicity" carrying out it's
publicity policy. Never in past his
tory did any administration stifle pub
licity as the present administration
has done and is doing. Public busi-
ness Is not the peoples business.
Rather, as the commissioner of Indian
affairs recently stated when asked
about public matter then in his
hands, THAT Is my business. II told
you, you would know as much as
do" And yet the matter inquired
about was such matter as any pre-
vious Indian commissioner would have
discussed freely and frankly. 1t was
public business but he did not regard
it so. The Indian commissioners
frame of mind is typical.
Lid on Tight.
With the lid tightly clamped down
on the entire executive branch of the
government service the public is fore
ed to look to the annual reports OF the
cabinet officers and bureau chiefs to
know what the government has been
doing during the past fiscal year and
what 1t plans to do during the year to
come. But even this source of infor-
nation Is withheld by order of Presi-
dent Wilson. Ordinarily, annual re-
ports of government officials begin To
come out about the first of October
and string along until the first of De-
cember. Thus far only two reports
have been issued on the public bust
ness transacted during the year which
ended June 80, 1915, the report of the
pension commissioner and of the COM
missioner OF internal revenue. These
are always the first reports published,
and got to the public before the presi-
dent decided to suppress all other re-
ports.
Former Methods Laid Aside.
Up to the present year. the public |
has known long in advance of Deem
Der l what the secretary Of war had /
lone in his department and what leg
station changes he proposed to re-
commend; the report of the secretary
If the navy has always been public
by or before the first Of No
'ember: the secretary of the inter-
or usually issued his report weeks
'efore congress convened so that con-
,ressmen and senator's might also
now in advance what legislation he
Intended to propose and might also
now how existing laws were operat-
ng. In fact, all reports except that
( the secretary of the treasury have
cen made public long before congress {
onvened. Everything is to be subor- !
mated to the annual address of the |
and that. it is declared, will I
cal largely with the question Of ma
onal defense i
He Almost Told.
Secretary Daniels nearly got his re-
,rt to the public some three weeks
70; in fact his report was distributed :,
nong the newspapers when along :,
me word from the White House pro- !,
biting its publication. And the ex-
anation given was that the presi- !,
mt wanted his address to congress
be the first official presentation Of :,
e navy, as well as the army pro- !,
am. But even If that be So no sat- !,
factory explanation has been offered ).
to why the president held up all
her reports, for he certainly does not :.
oppose to discuss all the affairs of =
vernment in a long series of ad-
ssses to congress.
Even the report of the chief of army =,
gineers Is held back this year and =.
until congress convenes will the a.
intry know what appropriations ~,
We been recommended for river and a.
Dor improvements. The report OF
,retary Lane was held up. along :
h the report Of the reclamation Nc
vice; 1t will not be until December
nat the west win know the amounts "a
ed for government Irrigation work
: will the country know what form J
water power and leasing legisIa- AZ
Secretary Lane will urge upon scr
gress other than such information me
mas been gathered in other ways. on
oitiless publicity" became a Joke n ner
: ago; today II is the most thor as
hly discredited and forgotten pub
policy to which President Wilson y