The Chicago whip. (Chicago, Ill.) 1919-19??, 1921-08-20

lily-WillIt lltkti III mt 7tnlN
The supposed scandal in The speak
ers' bureau, which is supposed to have
led to Johnson's downfall, was aired
in story which appeared i'll the Chi
cago Whip, Oct. D, 1920. 1t is here
with reprinted;
Huge Waste of Money Charged.
Rumors of willful waste and use
less expenditure of money by the
managers OF the Separate Speakers
Bureau of the Republican National
Committee, with headquarters Al the
Auditorium Hotel, are ahoat in Chi
cago and various other sections Of the
country.
The Speakers Bureau has been con-
Quoted by Col. Henry Lincoln John
son. National Committeeman from
Georgia, and Perry w. Howard, OF
Mississippi. 1t is charged that these
officials have spent several thousands
of dollars, much OF which was spent
for unnecessary long distance tele-
phone calls, and in bringing their
friends from voteless states IN the
South to advise voters in Northern
and Western states how they should
vote.
1lNcIl
1t cannot be charged against them,
said prominent Chicagoan, that they
have failed to give their various
friends and lodge members from
Georgia and Mississippi, the prefer
ence.. The speaker said that he did not
know that there were so many leading
colored men in the South undiscoV-
cred. until the present campaign be-
NaI hot hp
management spent hundreds OF dol
lars to send to Georgia and Missis-
sippi for clerical help that could easily
be obtained in Chicago at high de
gree of efficiency.
1t is also charged that whenever
the committee desired a man 10 speak,
they found it necessary to send south
in order to obtain this speaker, who
in MANY instances was inferior to
speakers who could have been secured
in the CITY of Chicago and vicinity al
much less expense. A case in point
is cited where a man III tennessee
was notified to make a speech III East
St Louis, ILL.,, when it was known III
advance that he could not possibly
make train connections necessary to
put him at the meeting in time. Speak
ers could easily have been sent from
Chicago to this meeting. II Is SAID
that the Tennessee man arrived on
the scene after the meeting was over
but he received his voucher just the
same
One man from Ohio, editor OF a
prominent paper, said he could not un-
derstand the National Committed
point of view in selecting men iron
Southern states, who themselves we're
not capable of conducting a campaign,
but who did not know the method OF
procedure incidental thereto. lie
asked how "voteless' men, who never
voted, could tell men who were ac-
customed to voting, how TO vote. lie
said that if the colored vote went to
Harding it would do so in spite oil the
acknowledgement OF his colored di-
rector.
Loyal Adherents Ignored.
1t was stated several weeks ago by
A man who claims to speak tor the
Iohnson-H oward coterie, that no Hi
nois man who had been known as
Thompson man would be given any |
recognition, regardless OF his ability, |
in the conduct of the campaign. 1t |
seems that so far this program has |
been religiously carried out. II IS |
claimed that the management OF the |
bureau has been so faithful in carrying |
out this program that whenever It be
came absolutely necessary to have |
speaker on short notice, the officials
themselves, leaving the routine bust
ness of the headquarters TO take care
of itself. took the trip and filled the
engagement and never omitted to
draw check to their own order from
+be budget of the bureau.
Another Editors Views.
Another prominent newspaper man
in speaking of the situation said he .
was not surprised at the failure OF the
bureau to properly function, claiming |.
that the men themselves at the head :
of it were political parasites, and
closed his summary with this homely .
statement: "You cannot put hungry :
hound 10 watch lneat-house.'
Budget Now Overdrawn. .
It is learned from reliable sources
that the. budget is now oVerdrawn, 4.
and that the bureau has been practi-
cally cut off by the National Commit
Tee from financial support 1t seems .
to be mystery TO many where this
money has gone, and what benefit it .
has done the Republican party. 1t
has been charged that fictitious
checks have been drawn for speeches
that were never made, and that the ;
money has found its way into the I
pockets of the "big" men OF the COM !.
bination. This charge however. from I
all evidence that has been obtained,
cannot be substantiated