The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-08-18

help to make up the summer com
plex; but the conference leads by
several lengths.
AS IL does not begin for nearly
three months, IL will hold the center
of the stage altogether for a long
time. counting both the preliminary
thinking and the event itself.
How are all these weighty doings
to reach a hundred and ten million
Americans and four hundred million
Chinese. or such Fraction OF same as
worry about pubficsaffairs?
What facilities for getting more or
less the whole truth are to be Of
fered TO the anxious millions of the
British Empire, Of France. Italy and
Japan?
Germany and other countries that
do not take part will nevertheless
be interested. What kind of infor.
nation are they 10 receiver
Mr.. Hughes up to the present has
been handling his own publicity, and
handling It with amazing success. You
never can tell in advance about these
Americans in new offices. When
Hughes came to Washington every.
body thought he would be a complete
failure at the great publicity game.
Interviews Unequaled.
He has earned his position most
legitimately. AS far as 1 know, there
has never. even in Roosevelt's time,
been anything quite to equal the regu.
lar newspaper conferences of Messrs.
Harding. Hughes and Hoover as de-
vices for keeping the correspondents
informed about the questions of the
day.
The other members of the Cabinet
confine themselves in general to Civ
ing out the news of their own DEPART
ments without any special discussion
OF principles. To this statement an
exception can be made In the case of
Mr.. Daugherty, who makes amusing
and anecdotic but not too serious com
ments on various persons and occur
rencs.
The November conference offers a
special problem to Mr.. Hughes. He
VIII not have time to handle the rou-
une news himself, and moreover, he
could not prudently talk every sday to
several hundred correspondents of all
nations just as he now talks to two
or three dozen men whom he knows.
III he could find just the right man
70 work under him on the whole pub
licity aspect Of the conference a de.
clded advantage would be gained. II
such man is not appointed the work
Will drift into the hands of the State
Department bureaucracy without
bright promises Of a satisfactory re.
suit.
In addition to the actual delivery of
news and explanations. there is the
problem OF arranging a comfortable.
ana interesting life for from two to
three hundred foreign correspondents
The AnoaTinan a.
strongly that such arrangements
should be made for their visiting con-
freres. and they do not think that ar
engagements made through the routine
state Department officials would
make FOR free and active comment.
Paris Method Bad.
In Paris the method of getting the
news was babd. There was too much
propaganda and too little of the indi.
viduahty that newspaper work re-
auires IL 1t is to be in truth a Fourth
Estate, contributing power in the
solution OF great questions.
Obviously II is absurd to suppose
that three hundred newspaper men
can be present at the meetings where
real decisions are made. Their &C.
cess to what is actually happening
Will have to be worked out In some
other way. a.
No doubt they xilIsbe admitted to
SOME OF the meetings, but tuese meet
ings will in the nature Of the case
not be as important as the small ones
In which half a dozen men quietly
WELD the power.
The whole problem of this funda-
mental aspect of the approaching
conference is in its embryonic stage.
IL seems likely that the meetings will
be held in the audience chamber OF
either the House or Senate office
building. but beyond that probability
nothing has developed. The Admin.
istration has no plan.
With all the experience on Paris 70
guide us IL seems as II some idea
ought to suggest itself. Any genius
who Is around loose with the right
plan in his head has the chance to
DO a service to Journalism and to
the world.