Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-08-29

New York. Aug. 25.-"What is the
Democratic National Committee?"
A man representing one of the great.
est financial rating concerns in the
world walked into the democratic cam.
.paisn headquarters yesterday and
sprang that question on the publicity
men. He wanted to know whether
the thing was corporation, IL SO. how
much capital stock It had, and what
was the purpose of It's existence.
They laughed at him, asked him If
he had ever heard Of the great demo-
cratic party. told him they were an
organization for the making of presi-
dents. ..Sg
No doubt the man was either very
ignorant or unduly curious, but when
nation. what do you know about these
national committees, who have con-
stituted themselves Of late and an
nounced their intention of providing
us with chief executive? q
OF course, you understand that a
national committee consists of one
representative from each state and
territory. and that campaign COM
mittee Is selected (not elected) from
among the members of this larger COM
mittee is selected (not elected) from
faithful at large. some men being
chosen for their money. some because
of where they live. and few because
they have brains or some special know
ledge. You are also aware that a
chairman for this campaign committee
Is selected and a secretary and treas
user Especially treasurer) and that
the thing is then organized into a
series Of bureaus, such as publicity
bureau, which disseminates informa-
ton by every means possible; speak
ers' bureau which selects from a host
of volunteers a battalion of orators
and tells them when and how to per-
form: and foreign bureau which has
for its special duty to explain to the
untaught immigrant in his own Ian
guase why he should and otherwise
persuade him. to vote for the right
candidate for president.
You also know that there Is a Chi
cago headquarters which does for and
to the west much the same thing that
the New York headquarters does in
the east: and that the satellites of
these chief national luminaries are
the state Headquarters, which do the
local work, and in turn carry. the or,
gaDizatiOn on down to the committee,
and from counties to voting precincts
Familiar as you are with this wide
spread and detailed plan of organiza.
ton, which covers the country like an
octopus. and lays persuasive tenacle
voter you do not really know what q
national committee is unless you have
seen the monster work It is usually
housed upon an upper floor of a down
town Office building. and in general
plan and outline resembles the cham.
bered nautilus. or the French defense
at Verdun. In the central chamber
or stronghold. surrounded by clouds
Of fifty-cent cigar smoke, golden-haired
stenographers and checks in, from
three to seven figures. sits that man
of destiny--the national chairman.
CAT least this is the popular and hear
say impression of him. He is pro
tected by about forty-seven outer
chambers of lines OF defense in the
shape Of deputy chairman, secretaries,
assistant secretaries. clerks, stenog-
raphers and Office boys. And all of
them are needed. For against these
bulwarks bravely hurl, themselves all
of the patriots who are bent on saw
ing the party-scountry editors who
want to devote their papers to- the
cause. would-be orators, leaders Of the
italian. the Lithuanian, the Hindoo
the African. the liquor, the labor, and
every other variety of vote in the
country; chorus girls, society women,
prize fighters and any number of other
kinds. They are all laden with large,
bright ideas and all of them are in
spired by deep devotion to the prin-
ciples of the party. The press agents
say so. They admit it themselves.
And also most of them are willing and
even anxious to be put upon the pay
roll or to spend fifty or a hundred
thousand dollars of the committees
money for the good Of the cause.
Receiving. sorting and ejecting this
mass of humanity in tactful and
politicianly manner seems at a glance
to be the main job of majority of
the employees of national committee.
The two great difficulties in the work
of the president-makers is that many
of those who are on the job. realizing
that It is a political one. feel that it
would be violation of the best tradi-
tions of Americanism to work too