The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1916-05-25
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
Sideltghts and Searchlights on Public
Men and Events

Noiushith coulu see washington III
about three weeks he would probably be
so moved by the ,bueolic quiet of the
place that he would write another De-
serted Village Congress will be Of
fieially in session, the government de-
partments will be running and the
stores will be open for business, but
Washington will be very dead. The
politicians, the congressman and high
government officials and the newspaper
men will all be out to the great party
conventions. at Chicago and later at
st. Louis.
Every four years Washington expert
ences this exodus. The town has its
quiet period of Information, and then
comes the resurrection as everybody
comes back from the conventions to
talk about them.
The politicians will lead the parade
to Chicago. The various headquarters
of the Republican candidates will be-
gin moving out to Chicago next week.
Next will follow the newspaper mcn
Most of them will get into Chicago
during the week of May 20. In the
final group come the Congressman and
other officials. Many of them are dele
gates, and there is no need for them
to be OH hand until the big doings com,
mence.
1t is not very well known generally
that all the press arrangements for the
quadrennial conventions are in the
hands of Washington newspaper men.
newspaper does not necessarily have
to send its Washington correspondent
to write the convention news, but it
usually does. Consequently, the politi
cal committees have found it convent.
emit to leave all the press arrangements
in the hands of the committee Of news
pepr men which is elected annually to
boss the galleries in the national cap
itol.
The biggest job handled by this com
mittee is the seating of all the news
paper men who apply to report the pro-
ceedings Of the conventions. At the
Republican convention there will be
something over 800 seats, and there
have been over 1900 applications for
them. Consequently, the correspond
ents committe has to break over 400
hearts, but it is doing it ruthlessly.
Only the biggest newspapers Of the
country are given seating, and their
privileges are being limited.
Heretofore it has been fine arrange
ment for the owner Of some big city
newspaper to get block Of press sec
ton seats at the convention and occu-
py them himself with his family and
guests, giving sort of convention
house party, as it We're, while the work
ing newspaper men stood up or found
what seats they could get in the audi
forum. This year it is to be different
A strict limitation is to be put on those
who enter the press section. Any news
paper owner is welcome to sit in the
seat assigned to his paper, but if he does
so his paper will have to go without the
news, unless the owner chooses to do the
reporting himself. There will be no ex-
ira seat for the regular correspondent
of that paper. If the boss takes the
seat, the working reporter will be shut
out automatically.
No little diplomacy was used by the
correspondents committee in seating
the reportorial staff of THE Central
Press Association of Cleveland. This
organization signed up the three big
headliners, William J. Bryan, Samuel
G. Blythe and Irwin s. Cobb, to "cov-
err the conventions. Bryan and Blyth
are not good friends-not at all. There
fore, it was feared that if they were
placed in adjoining seats incidents
might arise that would take the atter-
ton of the convention away from it's
regular business. All was solved, how
ever, when the committee remembered
that Cobb is also on the Central Prss
staff Cobb is one of the largest (phys-
ically) newspaper men extant, and also
one of the most enutral. He gets along
all right with Bryan, also with Blythe;
likewise with most anybody. So, by
seating Cobb between Bryan and Blythe
l. III ~
other, and both will have fine time
talking to Cobb. Incidentally, Bryan
aud Blythe are no featherweights them
selves. The Central Press section of
the convention will probably be bracea
heavily.
Washington, the Beautiful.
Washington at this season of the yea
is at its best. World travellers say that
in May and June Washington is the
most beautiful city in the world. 1t is
this fact, no doubt, which brings the
tourists to Washington in droves dur |
ing the spring months. Washington. al /
ways has tourists, but in the spring |
they Overrun the town.
Few, even old Washingtenians, real
iae what makes their city so superla-
lively beautiful in the springtime. One
large reason is that Washington is the
only city in the United States where
the municipal authorities have complete
charge of the trees of the city. In
most cities the residents are response
bic for the trees, and the result is
hit-or miss system that is not likely to
be noted for its beauty.
In Washington house owner cannot
even trim tree in his own front yard.
If he thinks it needs trimming he re-
ports the fact to the District of Column
ba authorities. They send an expert
to see if the householder suspicious
are justified. If they are, the city tree
trimmers, experts, come out, and the
tree is scientifically cared for. 1t is the
same way in repairing injuries done to
trees by storms or other causes.