Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-08-29
The President Makers
BY Frederic ]. Haskin

hard, and those who are not on the
payroll keep those who are, busy by
their persistent and determined ef-
forts to get on. Thus the national
committee is thrown on the defensive
early In the game, and has hard time
getting around to the aggressive fea-
lures of its work.
OF course. the thing is pretty we'll
systematized. There Is man for
each particular complaint, and he has
several assistants, each Of whom will
hold the enemy for quite while, SO
that 1t is only the most determined
and the most favorable who get any
where near the committee chairmen.
For example, If Colonel Quill, editor
in chief Of the Shellbark Weekly
Struggle. wishes to tell the chairman
of the Democratic National Committee
and what the cause can do for his
ante-room, he reaches a polite but non
commital assistant in the publicity
bureau, who sizes him up and his
sheet. and either shunts him onto a
side track or passes him up to higher
realms. according to what his PROPOSE
ton assays.
The plans for electing presidents
that are laid before the men In power
are often unique to the point Of in
icredibility. For example, a prominent
actress called at democratic headquar-
tiers with plan for placing President
Wilson's preparedness policy before
the people in pleasing light. She Of
fered to buy a big ferce-looking bull
dog, provided the committee would
give her the money, and name him
President Wilson. Owing to her prom
inence in the public prints the news
papermen would of course ask her
why she had named her dog after the
chief executive She would then ex-
plain that he was peaceful dog, who
held himself aloof from the average
dog fight but that If driven too far,
he would bite
Then there was man from Texas,
who wanted fifty thousand dollars
with which to found democratic
newspaper. SO as to keep the Lone
Star state from going republican: the
negro champion crap shooter who Of
fered to Dust all the colored voters
in his district il the committee would
furnish him with money to make
start, and to cancel the debt on the
sole condition that they vote right;
and the barber who said that the men
of his craft were against Hughes be-
cause he wears a beard, but who Of
fered to swing the shin scraper vote
If he was treated right" ~
The women are there, too. One of
them offered to demonstrate how the
tarif had injured women by wearing
a swell trousseau, to be provided by
the committee, and so labeled as to
show the baneful effect of the tariff
on the prices Of certain articles of
wearing apparel. Society women of
the kind whose husbands haven't much
except their social position, are not
uncommon around both headquarters.
One Of them wanted the committee to
pay her husbands back club dues. so
that he could once more attend the
fashionable New York organizations
and urge the young men to vote for
Hughes Another of the same class
suggested that the committee pay the
lexpenses Of series of teas and re-
ceptions which she would give at her
town and country houses. To these
exclusive affairs would be invited all
of the social climbers who had money
or influence. The gracious hostess
would tell them she hoped Hughes
would be elected, and they would fol-
low her advice out of gratitude In
return, she wanted for her husband a
position paying at least fifteen thous-
and year
But for genuine generalship and in
genuity the man with the land scheme
had them all beaten. He proposed that
every republican In Pennsylvania. for
example. who would vote for Wilson
be given an acre OF land in some west
ern state where the vote is apt to be
close. The grateful recipient would
then carry the western state for Will
son, while enough republicans would
be removed from Pennsylvania to as.
sure democratic victory there.
And all of these genuises. we are
led to believe, were turned down. Is
lit fair? Politics is the great American
sport. Why should active participa-
ton be reserved for politicians. and
the methods limited to political ora
tory and editorials? There is a great
future for party that will make one
Of it's planks politics of the people, for
the people and by the people q