The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-03-29
WASHINGTON IS
CLEARING HOUSE
Of ALL POLITICS
Washington G Correspondents
Great Factor in All
Politics.
1eopyright. 100, By rhe washlngtoI


the actual work of the preliminaries to
the great impending national cam.
paign is being done in the states, It
falls out that the National Capital is
clearing house of information as to
Progress and results, as well as a cen.
ter Of interest. This is true, natural
~, because the administration OF the
government is located in Washington
.i'ld li!S:i1sfr.cfc because cfar- Soma.
tcr and Representative In Congress is
4 potential political leader.
Washington is the distributing point
for news about policies and politicians
largely through the medium OF the
corps of Washington correspondents
recognized as a semi.offIcial BODY
with a standing before Congress and
the executive departments that is
unique. There are some two hundred
odd OF them whose names are borne
IN the Congressional Directory ano
whose professional conduct comes nm.
der scrutiny Of The committee on rules
Of the Senate ard the speaker Of the
House of representatives.
To obtain enrolment in the list OF
correspondents entitled to admission
10 the press galleries of the House aud
Senate, the writer's muGt conform TO
specified rules of professional con.
ruct, infraction OF which entails gust.
ing from the galleries ard dropping
from the published list. which is avail
eble to all departments OF the govern.
nent-
Correspondents must be engaged in
The work of sending daily telcgraphic
dispatches to newspapers in tho first
place. They must agree not 20 take
PAN in any att :mpt to influence lcgis.
lat.tn nor to be connected with fur.
npshing news to corporations having
Business before congress or to stock
ling concerns. They are held nc.
epnrtable for the accuracy OF their
dispatches and may be criticized from
the floor of the House or Senate with.
ont recourse except through their own
writings, and may be hailed for coll.
TEMPT before the bar of either house.
For the most part, the correspond.
ents on the list are men sent from
their home offices, who have gained
Experience in the politics Of their
states and are familiar with men and
measures.
Both the great political parties main.
tain national headquarters in Wash.
inston. The custom has been to es.
tablishi branch headquarters here dur.
ing the presidential campaign only
But when the Democrats came into
power for the second time in 1916 agc
realized that they would have to :igh:
10 retain power in. 1920, the national
committee moved5to. Washington and
settled down in permanent organiga,
tion with publicity department on
duty
The Republican national COMMITTEES
Immediately followed suit, and both
committees are housed in the same
-effice building. The secretaries and
publicity STATS are constantly OH duty
and the chairman are in and out OF
The city. but available all the time.
The advantage OF having headQuar.
ters here is more readily to keep in
touch with national affairs and legis
lation and with the men in Congress
who represent the going concerns
OF politics in their own states. The
party power in the national admins
ration must keep elbow TO elbow al.
ways with the workers in the field and
the executive IN office.
Both great parties have branch
headquarters in Chicago and in New
York. 1t IL often remarked that tho
chairmen of the two national commit
tees spend the greater part of their
time scommuting between New York
and Washington and Chicago" and a
cartoonist once pictured a national
chairman passing himself on the
New York Chicago trip"
At this time all the candidates
ayowed and prospective, for the presi
dental nomination in each party
maintain headquarters in Washington
TO which come reports from the work
ers in the field. The publicity agents
OF the candidates are diligent TO give
out Information concerning the prog
ress of the campaign, which receives
fair and generous treatment from the
octrespondents.
It is a notable fact that the news
parer men on duty at the National
r<E ital are called upon, as the general
l,ile, to maintain more non-partisar
attitude toward candidates and pub
lie affairs In general than the writers
who ale in the thick OF the battle and
the heat and passion Of the hour. Al
this time, especially, there seems q
disposition TO give all the candidates
"a square deal" although newspapers
may have individual preferences.
The topic Of most general political
ihtcresttn Washington Just row, over
shadowing the discussion OF the mer
its or handicaps Of individual candi
dates for the presidential nomination
is whether President Wilson is 10 be
a candidate for denomination ard re
electIou The subject Is rendered de
ba.able by the fact that the Pre5ideu,
has RETAINED from announcing, as he
could at any time, his positive deter
minatiott not to be candidate. Be
4 cause he has not done so. the political
gossips have continued to talk about
the Possibility of another term.
Everybody who is in any way close
TO White House circles is a5reed upon
the individual opinion, without author
ity to so announce that the President
viii NOT accept third nomination. II
Is 2 fixed belief, conviction and moth
ing 10 the contrary will change the
feeling OF those who hold it.
They realize that the President IL
debarred by circumstances from max
ing an announcement OF his declina
ton at this time. It'would, they say
serve TO throw the Democratic organi