The Washington times., 1920-06-24
fBOOKS S
THE GHOST IN THE wHIrE HOUSE.
BY Gerald stanley Lee New FORK

THE GHOST IN THE WHITE HOUSE
BY Gerald Stanley Lee new Torn
E- p. Dptton 4 Co.
The ghost" is the American pun
lie. which the author pictures as
hovsrink In the White House In
an Intangible form, without any
organized body which will crystal-
Exc its needs as a guide TO exe.u-
tive action.
The author seeks to show the
American public how IL can attain
a body, which will not only be apIe
to voice Its desires, but, what Is
more difficult. will be able To decids
what II does want.
The book was issued just before
the national party conventions, AM
the author expresses an ambitloh 10
see the American people get the
right for once to vote for cAndl-
dates whom they would have picked
n they could have gotten their cryS-
talIized desires into the conven-
tions. ,.
"Unloss the more common run Of
our typical politicians see throuli
themselves before the conventions
come. and see that the people $50
through them. and see II quick,
their days are numbered" says one
OF the early paragraphs"
THE people are new people
since the war. Out of the crash OF
empires. out OF threats in every
mans door yard, the people are
praying to God.
And they are voting to God. too
Since this was written one OF the
biz conventions has done its work,
and the people haven't any better
chance OF voting for the man OF
had
The author thinks that the reason
Industrial questions are making so
much trouble now is because the
employers and employees are organ
lied and make a goat OF the public.
which Is not organized.
He would organize the public
through what he calls the Air Line
League, with q cumulative organi-
zation such as was employed by the
Red Cross for speedy action during
the war. This would be done by
picking out nifty key men. and hav-
ing each OF them pick out nifty
whom they know, and so on until
there were representatives in every
corner of the country, who would
gather data on the needs and de-
sires of the public and forward
them to a central clearing house.
which would in turn sift them out
and send word what to do.
Capital and labor fight, he thinks,
because they don't understand each
other and don't understand the
power OF the public. He would
have the merits Of the case thrash
ed out as a farmer might thrash II
out with his hired man. Then labor
would get what was due 1t. and
employers would get what was due
them and the rest would go to the
public and everybody would be
happy. or course there wouldn't be
any profiteers or any spectators or
market corners or Wall street
money syndicates grabbing the
heart out of the watermelon. Just
as soon as capital and labor be-
came convinced what was fair to
each other and to the the public.
everything would be lovely.
? Mr.. Lees book Is written in short
staccato sentences and at the be-
ginning looks like a clarion call to
100000 people to get up and do
something. Just what is to be done
and how is left rather foggy as
you finish page $40. Years ago
London Punch published this dimin-
uendo: ...-.
THE so AND so MUST co.
1.-THE So and So Ought to Co."
Wont the So and So please go
Mr.. Lee has one ambition ex-
pressed on many pages. however.
which seems to have enjoyed par
tial fulfillment. He wants to speak
to 100 1000, 900 people through his
book. 1t reached its fourth print
ing the frst month.
Why He Left.