Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-07-31
COX USES TACTICS
LEARNED AS EDITOR
IN SPEECH RELEASE
Newspaper Mans Personal
ity Predominates Nominee
at Work in Office.
by DAVID LAWRENCE.

DAYTON, Ohio, July 31-Gov. Cox.
democratic candidate for the presi-
dency, and Jimmy" Cox. newspaper
reporter and editor, are merged into
one personality, but as the writer
visited the democratic nominee and
watched him work on the speech of ac-
ceptance, there seemed no doubt that
Jimmy Cox, active newspapermen, was
predominant.
Seated in his study on the upper
moor of his country home, where he
could rest his eyes on a landscape of
transcendent beauty, the governor had
spread around him patches of COPY
paper. clippings. documents and rec
ords in exactly the same disorder that
one hnds on any newspaper desk be-
lore editions go to press.
The governor was writing longhand,
IN pencil: on the rough news print
paper which is used every dav bv re.
porters. He had been writing rapidlv.
as II the next edition of his news
paper demanded his COPY. AS the
writer entered, the governor swept
aside a mountain of copy paper, and
TAXED enthusiastically about his SUBJ
Jects. He wished he didn't have to
make formal speech of acceptance.
but could make a stump speech. He
wanted to get into the fray without
the studied formalities that must ac-
company speech of acceptance. He
TOLD me he was saving a good deal of
material for speeches to be made on
the stump later on.
Confident. OF Course.
The democratic nominee gave the
appearance of happiness and conf
the result next November, but he said
good deal about the certainty which
he felt in the rightness of the course
ne had chosen Much of. his speech
VIII be in answer to Senator Hard
ing,s SPEECH of acceptance and much
seructive policies which Gov. Cox
pledges himself to carry out in the
event that he is elected.
OF course, Mr.. Cox has pledged
everybody here in the newspaper
corps to secrecy about the topics
and there's one passage in particu-
lar which he is guarding with the
utmost care. One reason why the
writer couldn't help thinking it was
Jimmy Cox, the newspaper man, rath-
er than the candidate who was work
ing on that speech, was the COVER
nor's reference to the mysterious par
agraph which he plans to insert in
his speech at the last moment by CIV
ing it to the correspondents next Sat
urQay 10 SeNQ Dy wire.
Ordinarily speech of this kind is
prepared week in advance so that
it can be mailed to all the newspa-
pers from coast to coast and thus get
the widest publicity. To hold it till
the last minute and then put it on the
telegraph wires would burden those
wires and keep other news of the
day from being distributed in it's
usual proportion. So with a speech
like this-eight columns long-the
author must finish it a week ahead of
time to catch all editions on the Pa
be sent by wire and one reason why
Gov. Cox doesn't want to put the
particular paragraph in the speech
ahead of time is his certainty that 1t
will be promptly carried back to re-
publican headquarters. Sending
speech to hundreds of newspapers
means having it pass through count
less hands
Has Something New.
There isn't much secrecy about
speeches given out in advance SO far
as conversation about them is con-
cerned, though, to be sure they are
never published in newspapers be-
fore the date of delivery. unless by
accident or MISUNDERSTANDING.
Gov. Cox has proposed something
which he wants to be the first to lay
before the country. Maybe Senator
Harding will think we'll of it and
initiate the democratic nominee.
Maybe he will not. Anyhow, the
democratic nominee doesn't want to
get "scooped" by the republican nomi-
nee, and he is holding his announce
ment till the last minute. Jimmy
Cox, the newspaperman. is respon-
sible for that caution and strategy,
and when the public reads that par
ticular announcement of non-partisan
policy which he proposes. perhaps the
reason for his action will be better
understood.
Copyright 1920.)