Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-09-27
THE PUBLICITY BAND.

lhE ttpIttitA DAM
The Harding Administration has
taken leaf from William jennings
Bryan's Book of Experience, "If
you don't toot your own horn no one |
else viii do it for you." the Peerless |
one informed an attentive audience |
several years ago. No bipartisan
critic will deny that he put that theory
into most excellent practice. But the
present administration has gone Mr..
Bryan one better. Instead of confin-
tng its activities to blowing umpah! en-
the bass horn, or sounding the Party
OIL on the b fiat cornet--which Mr..
Harding once blew so assiduously-it
b using an entire brass band of pub
hcity to hold the attention of visitors
before the Main Tent of Passing
Events.
Let a Cabinet member be invited to
make a few remarks at a gathering
OF the Ancient and Honorable Clan OF
Street inspectors, and days before the
event every newspaper office in the
Country receives a carefully prepared
copy OF most carefully prepared
spe h. one member in particular
has been known to frank his personal
speeches through the mails. although
fhe most charitable of men could not
designate them as official business"
All of us are accustomed to the pub
hcity-seeking habits Of Congressman
and Senators in general. who load the
mails with speeches which were never
made under the Capitol's dome. but
h is a little unusual for men just sp-
pointed to office to begin to boast of
what they are going to do before they
have had time 10 hSehg up their hats.
Yet this is exactly what certain newly
appointed officials have been guilty of.
Comes NJ. William J. Burns, detec-
tive extraordinary, and one of
Americas foremost writers, e judge
b. the number of magazine articles
and film scenarios which have carried
his name as author, co-author or coll
lab Jrator, and tells how he is going to
rejuvenate the Secret Service Bureau
OF the Department of Justice. Mos,
Americans have had the idea that
their Secret Service was a first-class
one; that it ranked high in efficiency
not only with Scotland Yard, but also
with that most excellent French ser.
vice, which contains, possibly, the
highest trained detectives in the
world. But no. All of us have beer
wrong. according to the sounds which
come from Washington. II we may
Judge by the beating of the publicit,
drums in the Nations Capitol. oul
Secret Service has been on a par viii
the constabulary forces of HogwalloT
Junction-but just you wait until /;
good Republican, or at least the frien,
u a good Republican, gets his han'
m; then you'll see some sure 'nougl
sleuthing.
MIR. Burns presented his views I
ar Associated Press man recently, an
the interview, as flashed over tn
writes TO Wilmington, gives every on
. feeling of security. The nation i
NJ last safe, and we can wind up tn
clock at night and put the cat outsid
and blow out the lamp with the knowl
edge that God is in His Heaven, an
Mr.. William ]. Burns, formerly of tn
Burns Detective Agency. is sleuth
ing the night away. 1--WE are goin
a. teach our men to get results" sal
Ar. Burns. We are so glad to kno
- The populace had thought thu
the Secret Service got results in wa
time when it foiled the machinatior
Of the German and Austrian spie
but evidently all were mistaken.
"Slipshod investigation. making dii
ooveries only by chance, is going
stop. Men who cannot be taught
b. effective win be dropped That
nne, Therell be no more slipshs
Investigations like there were und
Nessrs. Wilson's, Taft's, and Roos'
velts occupancy of the White Hous
All that is in the past. We ha'
achieved normalcy.
Federal investigators are going
learn right away that they are n
to fash their shields for their ov
amusement. and they are going
in@rD-uA~t the real object Of their b