The Washington herald., 1920-08-30

Now that the campaign is really
under way, d fellow cannot go down
to the depot any more and enjoy
watching the trains go by. Special
trains or separate cars bearing can
didates are so thick-or will be
within a few weeks-that all other
business. such as moving passengers,
wateTmelOns and spike -tUothed har-
rows must go on the siding. The
republic must be saved by the hu-
man voice. as is the custom every
four years. and the rear platform
of a train is the only place from
which it can be saved according to
HOylc. Hence, everyTody's doing it.
1t has been the fortune of the
writer to have made few cross
country tours with gentlemen who
pursuant to the expressed wish of
that of President and Vice Presi-
dent. Hence. this piece is to reveal
little Of what goes on behind the
scenes on a campaign special
To the man on the station plat
form campaigning on a special ap-
pears to be one grand jOy-ridc for
both the candidate and the folks
who accompany him. But, most
cmphatically. it is not. That is. not
after the first week or two. Then
the trip becomes simply one local
delegation after another and as
Daragus soup, bluefsh. fiIet Of beef,
ice cream, speeches and handshak-
ing to no end.
In the beginning. it costs money
to send candidate on tour. 1t
cost 81 mile to move a train
from one town to another four years
ago and this year 1t will cost more.
And. after hearing some of the
speeches that have been delivered
by local chairman from the rear
OF trains l have ridden. I'll say
ITS worth the money to have it
move on, sometimes
A special campaign train usually
consists of five coaches. There is
baggage car which is given over
largely to storing presents such as
fig trees, tame onion plants. carved
wooden ships in bottles. collapsibIe
washing machines. mussel shell
covered notices and flags, which are
shOwered on candidates at every
stop. Next is a day coach in which
the porters idle away their dayS
and shoot little craps. and in
which local delegations ride when
more than half a dozen of them
crowd on. Then there is the can
dtdate's private car. where he re-
treats from local delegations and
presumes to think. One car is given
over. to the newspaper men. and
nnally there is the rear car. which
Is used chiefly for speaking from
the rear platform. Sometimes there
is special diner. where the can
didato, his friends and the war cor
respondents eat together. and. again,
the war correspondents dine alone
Before the train starts. a schedule
is made out at national headquar-
ters for the candidate and he is
assured that this Is the final rout-
ing The train then leaves, and
the national committee and every
member Of the party throughout
the land starts in to revise the can
didate's itinerary. Before the train
Is out of the yards on the first
days journey, anywhere from twen-
ty to 500 changes have been made.
After that. it seems. thousands OF
persons work night and day chang
ing the schedule
Most candidates start out by de-
claring that they will not make
more than two or three speeches
a day. and, ordinarily, they don't
exceed this more than twenty. On
one trip that Senator johnson made
when he was running for the Vice
Presidency. he made twenty-four
speeches in one day. He also made
a lot of speeches about the men
who made out that itinerary which
never got into print.
Anyhow. the train gets under way
and, having a weeks supply of
laundry ahead, everybody is happy.
The candidate thinks of the votes
he is going to get; the newspaper
men think of what fine ride they
are going to have on expenses: and
even the porters are happy at the
prospect of a Joyous two months
tour. Sometimes this happy feel
ing lasts as long as two or three