The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-05
The EUeni,,g Story
"Lida Lane, Press Agent"
(By Jane Osborn.)


that the office boy had handed him.
1t bore the inscription, Ida Lane,
press agent A. n. L. p. E. W.
= 24sWhat the deuce is A n. l. P E.
w. ?" he asked the boy. IF she's any
sort of book agent 1 simply can't see
her. Tell her I'm out-no, wait min
ute. If she doesn't look positively vio-
lent show her in-that is. unless she's
suffragist I don't believe I'm in
trim to see any Pankhursts today"
Timothy Bradley was running for
congress, and it was part of his po-
Iitieal tactics, no less than a phase OF
his own good nature, never to turn
away callers who asked for personal
interviews. On this particular morn
ing he was more than ordinarily
busy, for election day was drawing
nigh and the campaigning maneuVers
were at their height.
Then Ida Lane came into Mr.. Brad
ley's office.
baen selected for her work partly be-
cause of that very fact. She had
friendly, frank, unsophisticated brown
eyes, a peach skin complexion and
firm, determined, round little mouth
that made her look younger than she
really was, AS matter of fact Ida
was only twenty-five anyway.
She took the proffered chair at Mr..
Bradley's desk and then explained: Il
have lust come to Brockburgh as the
press agent of the A. n. L. p. E. w,
and after studying the situation here
l have started my campaign by calling
on you. l want to know where you
are going to take your stand on this
against us? Whatever your answer
we will gain by having it known. If
you are with US we will win your
friends, If you are against us we will
profit by your political enemies and
perhaps add to their number. We may
as well make capital over the strong
political friction that your campaign
is creating"
"WeI, just a minute" interrupted
Bradley, wondering how that absurdly
youthful mouth could be so emphatic.
Il am quite sure am for you person
ally"
He didn't intend to gay just that,
but he let it pass with a flourish of
his hand. Just to get a line on what
way l Gamble of assistance to you, let
lne ask you what this n P Y, Y Il.
association is that you represent. L
am prepared to take a stand on pre-
paredness. prison reforms, prohibition,
Vivisection and several other sections.
1 am willing to say. too, that l am not
a vegetarian, or a Mormon. or Moham-
medan, or an anarchist, or a nihilist.
or an I. w. W. Have 1 covered your
question 90
and Timothy laughed with her. He
had the comfortable. expansive feel
ing of having been extremely clever.
He was also aware that Ida Lane,
whoever she was, showed a very pretty
set of teeth when she laughed.
4 thought, of course, you knew"
she explained. THE A y. L. P. Z.
w. is the American National League
for the Political Emancipation of
Nomen=the only live-wire suffrage
f0yrr an -ys1f ION n
have imported me TO do the press
work. 1 have been searching through
your record at headquarters and L find
that you have made no statement as
to where you stand on the question
Of votes for women"
Then they've got me down on the
lists over at your headquarters What
did you find out"
"Oh, that you're bachelor of good
habits, and no family. That you are
the heir to the Bradley fortune. which
is reputed to be larger than it really
Is, though it Is quite respectable. That
you are a lawyer by profession, that
you make strong friends and strong
orable means you could to get into
congress. So far, no returns on the
suffrage question"
"Well, you see - Bradley felt
strangely at loss for exactly what to
say 81 never had just the opportun-
Fity I wanted to come out on this mat
ter. l th0ught-that is-if the wom-
en- want it why shouldn't they have
It? But hold on there, young lady,
don't take that down as an interview.
First let me give you little dope
about how to run this publicity game
the wsy it should be.
I'm the first place, a press agent
you see I've done some of that work
myself-doesn't want to waste time
writing copy. Let the newspaper fell
lows DO that. What you press agents
want to do is to start a row or some
thing and then make the newspaper
boys think you are trying to keep it
from them. They'll come around fast
enough. Now this idea of yours about
making political capital of my position
here in Brockburgh is good. What you
want to do now is to trot back to your
little office without taking a word of
suffrage issue. But in a day or So
this afternoon if 1 can-Tl drop
around at suffrage headquarters.
Somebody's sure to see me. The Of
flee of the Morning Banner is right
across the way. You must prime your
people to keep mum when the report
ers ask them about my call, and for 4
day or two We'll keep them guessing,
In the meantime, I'll drop around
every day and have conferences with
you or your big chief and read the
dope that you hand out. They will
overhear us, the first thing you know,
and there it will be the next day all
across the first page of the Banner"
1t was only o clock that afternoon
when Bradley made his first call at
suffrage headquarters. and for three
days things went on according to
schedule The reporters did follow
him to headquarters and they did
ask questions. No one at headquar-
ters vouchsafed to offer any informa-
ton, since the leaders had been taken
into the secret of the scheme that
Bradley had laid down to Ida
There was much, too, that the poll
tician found it was necessary for him
to learn from Ida about the feminist
question, and after the other organ
4 izers had gone for the evening he
found occasion to linger at Lida's desk
1 for further instruction
Suppose YOU let me go to dinner