East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1917-07-27
WAR ABOLISHES
POLITICAL PULL
FIRST ON CASUALTY LIST OF
"OLD ESTABLISHED Gus
TOMS WHICH HAVE MET
FATE.
Sioux City Loses Army Camp Be-
cause IL Played Game Too Hard
and Des Moines Benefits from Ac-
ton: Politicians staggered
by GEORGE MARTIN.

by GEOkGE MAhll4N.
! Omitted Press Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, July 27.-"Politi-
cal pull died a sudden and violent
death when America went to war. 1t
was in fact, first on the casualty list
of "Old-established customs which
have met a sad fate since Uncle Sam
began to battle for democracy. Care
full investigation today proved this
The politicians, congressman sena-
tors. professional lobbyists and in
fluential citizens are still stagger-
ing from the blow. But bit by bit it
is being born in upon their con-
/ scousness that washington is a great
world war capital GO into any Of
the teeming department offices to-
day and you hear men on all sides
debating frigid and squelching re-
plies to judges. county chairmen,
state and local politicians from
Maine to California and from the
I Great Lakes to the gulf explaining
to them crisply exactly what has
/ happened.
Here's an example heard in the
office of a cabinet member replying
! to a plea for a special favor. regard
less of the welfare 70 the nation
from "A certain big politician and Of
: flee holder in the middle west:
Dear Judge:-I haye your letter
concerning Blank Blank Blank !
must decline TO make any recommen-
/ dation to the Secretary of Blank con-
cerning the disposition of a matter
which is. after all his own business
Very truly yours
"DOnt Waste Time" Is Reply.
Today came letter from Cham
Der Of Commerce secretary in a mid
western city begging a once influ-
ential washington politician to use
! his influence in putting across an
aviation training camp for his par
ticuIar city The politician sat down
and wrote this reply.
Don't waste your time trying to
get politicians 10 plug for you Don't
send a lobby down here to put the
thing over 1t won't do you a bit
of good.
politics has been absolutely elm
| mated from this war Merit alone
wins Make your application direct to
the proper authority for what it is
worth from the standpoint of war
efficiency. That is the only basis on
d
"An the government departments
have been three weeks ahead of con-
gress at every jump in the road since
war began. They've forced congress
into everything it has done and they
have not time to listen to whines for
f! political favor. In peace times de-
partment heads had time to listen.
! Some of them did. But not now.
. . Ha
time in their lives they are in a po-
sition to tell congressman, senators
and professional politicians TO go to
hell. and they certainly are doing it. y
/ The selection of Des Moines as an
army cantonfnent site is another case
in point.
sioux City Wanted camp.
Sioux City was wild for the camp.
1t learned that its big lobby. its let
ter writing campaign, its personal
pleas from Senator Kenyon and all
the other frantic efforts it had made
to land the camp had been of no
avail and that St Paul had been the
chosen spot. Immediately Sioux City
set up a plot against st. Paul. II
produced exhaustive reports to show
that St Paul was the only wet" spot
for many states around and that
Sioux city was morally better than
St Paul for the troops.
Result: The war department re-
called its decision in favor of st.
Paul off for home went kilograms
from the Sioux city lobby yelling
'hurrah, we've won
But no sooner had they turned
away from the telegraph office and
hotfooted it back to the war depart
ment to hear the sweet word that
Sioux City had been chosen than they
were met with the announcement
that the camp would go to Des
Moines.
Now not only had Des Moines new
er asked for the camp, but it was
the home of Senator Cummins, who
was looked upon as not at all friend
" to the administration and who new
er lifted his voice to make a single
plea either for or against the loca-
ton of that camp. The Sioux city
ties were furious. They were inform
ed that after they had succeeded in
spiking st. Paul's guns, Secretary
Baker had called for the war boards
report on the list of available cities,
and, finding Des Moines next on the
list after st Paul had quietly marked
off St Paul and substituted Des
Moines.
These are only a few of hundreds
of instances in Americas war capital
every day which show the way the
cold and uncomfortable political wind
blows.
Help Wanted
aides clothes irnDers wanted at the