The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-07-29
DEMOCRATS SEEK
WIDE PUBLICITY
Maintain Campaign Bureau
In the Department Of
Commerce.

WARRINGTON, July 29.-(Speciap
The most ubiquitous form OF pitt
less publicity" fostered by the Admin.
istration is that OF the Democratic
campaign publicity bureau in the De-
partment of Commerce.
Since the passage Of the Underwood
tariff law the Department OF Com
merce has been TO the perpetrators Of
that outrage the object OF their tender.
est solicttude. Every wish OF the De.
partment has been INDUCED; every
recommendation OF Secretary Redhe.d
has met with Congressional sanction.
The reason for this partially is be-
coming more and more apparent as
the months roll on: Secretary Red
field Is the anointed champion OF the
Democratic tariff policy. He has
Communicated the bureau Of foreign
and domestic commerce (''the spear.
head Of the department" as he terms
IT. and has pressed government en-
ployes into service. With a generous
allowance from Congress, dipped from
the public purse, he is running as
busy little Democratic campaign
publicity bureau as one could wish
TO see.
Note the following items in the ap.
preparations for the Department OF
Commerce for the fiscal year 1916:
ITO further promote and develop the
foreign and domestic commerce OF the
United States $4,000; field investiga.
tons al home and abroad. $4,000; TO
promote and develop the commerce OF
the United States with South and Cen.
trail America, $4,000; for commercial
attaches, 100000" All Of these sums
TO be expended under the personal di.
rection Of the Secretary OF Commerce.
What the Secretary says, goes. Here
are the sinews for hidden" advertis.
ing. Three hundred thousand dollars
appropriated for purposes OF present
Doubtful utility at a time when econ.
omy should have been the watchword
of the Government! What could have
been done Ito further promote and de.
velop" commerce after the Democratic
tariff law was passed, it is difficult to
imagine.
The concrete result Of these appro.
priationS, aside from the money de-
voted 10 printers ink publicity. is the
appointment OF a large number OF
deserving Democrats some OF
whom have been sent TO Europe as
commercial attaches and are drawing
large salaries to study commercial
conditions which are in temporary
allegiance. Others as special agents,
whose chief function is to gumshoe
around the country. snoop into the
business of manufacturers. and then
render reports so partisan and abu.
sive as TO be utterly valuelesS for
economic purposes, even If their au.
thors had any ideas respecting the
science Of economy. The report on
the pottery industry in New jersey
and on the hosiery industry in Mont.
gomery county. Pennsylvania. are ex.
amples Of the lengths 10 which these
political pets will so in villifying the
manufacturers Of the country.
Still others are being put on the pay
roll 10 correct the methods OF collect
ing export statistics" The terrific
slump in our export trade following
Democratic control convinced Secre-
tary Redfeld that THE statistics of
our export trade are Incorrect TO an
extent sufficient to alter at times a
trade balance on mercantile transac-
tons which is actually in our favor
into one which appears TO be the re-
verse" 1t Is apparent that Mr.. Red
field received this illumination some
time after August. 1914, when the bal.
ance OF trade for that month was
over S16O00.0O0. and he sent Dr.
Frank R. Rutter. assistant chief of
the bureau to the New York custom
house to fix that little matter. The
large exports due to war orders hav-
ing. for the time being put that sub
ject in the background, DR.. Rutter IS
again at his desk in Washington.
But it Is the audacity Of campaign