Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-10-06

UNIQUE WASHINGTON CLUBS.
BY Frederic j. Haskin

| representatives of every type. Near
ly all are arrest people with causes
to foster or interests to serve. 1t is
perhaps natural that they fore
gather to discuss their pet theories.
Perhaps the most novel club in
Washington Is The Farm Hands
Club. This is not a regular club in
the sense of having a clubhouse and
the usual club activities. 1t merely
is a luncheon club. The members
meet at a special DON set aside for
them in the City Club. Since the
rise of the farm bloc in Congress, the
farm organizations throughout the
country have sent their representa-
tives to the National Capital to fur
ther legislation in the interest of ag-
riculture.
The national farm organizations
such as the American Farm Bureau
Federation, the National Board of
Farm Organizations, the National
Grange and kindred societies all
maintain offices here. These have
staffs of experts on farm subjects
and their interests all lie along the
same line.
The Farm Hands Club is made up
chiefly of these. Its manner of or
%ganization is unique. 1T has no dues
and the qualification for member
ship is some knowledge of or inter-
est in farm affairs. The initiation
fee is a speech.
Each Tuesday the Farm hands"
sit down to lunch. After the last
course is served the chairman an
nounces the topic of discussion for
the day. He then will call upon the
man sitting at the end of the table.
That man will speak for two min
utes on the subject assigned. Then
the next man will speak, and so on
all the way around the table. If d
member desires to bring a guest he
may do so. If the guest desires to
,aome a member he may do so
merely by being introduced to the
company and making a brief speech
on a farm topic. Thereafter, when
he attends the luncheons he is ex-
pected to speak when his turn
m
The value of these discussions is
the wide variety of information in
terchanged in a short period. Usu-
ally about fifty members attend a
luncheon of the Farm Hands Club.
They will include the representatives
of the farm organizations, scientists
of the Department of Agriculture.
marketing experts of the Depart
ment of Commerce, perhaps one or
more members of the Federal Re-
serve Board, Edward H. Cunning
ham, the dirt farmer" member of
the Federal Reserve Board, is, of
course. a member. Economists, edi-
tors of farm papers and bankers
from farming communities also at
tend the luncheons and are mem
bers.
Therefore, it will be seen that
when such a subject as wheat, sugar,
livestock or any Others agricultural
topic is assigned for the days dis
cussion, the members will hear from
each other the views of persons rep
resenting nearly every ramification
of the industry. 1t has been said
that it would take an Investigator
two weeks to go from place to place
to assemble the data he may obtain
in about an hour by listening to the
brief talks of The Farm Hands.
Not infrequently, a real farm hand
sits at the table. Indeed, most of
the members have, at some time in
their lives, been actual farm hands
and some of them now have farms
which they maintain in addition to
their work at Washington. 1t is al
ways interesting to hear what the
man who has just come from the
farm has to say about conditions. He
frequently will have some very
trenchant remarks to make about
the work his representatives are do
ing at Washington.
Another small club of special in
terest is called The Penguins. 1t is
the liberal club of Washington and
1t. too. is made up largely of peo-
pie who have congregated at the Ma
tional Capital because it is the seat
of Government. Political-minded
people. some of the type known as
parlor bolshevists, literary and ar
tistic people, make up the member
ship of The Penguins. 1t has its
w club rooms and it is lot pos
sible to become a member of this
organization merely by making a
speech. It's luncheon table, however,
Is not far different from that of The
Farm Hands. Every day there gath
er at the Penguins anywhere from
a handful to perhaps fifty members,
some of whom, spend about two
hours in discussing political, literary,
artistic topics owe the lunch table.
Its membership is decidedly catholic.
While it includes some of most rad
ical political liberals in the country
1t also has on its membership lists
bankers and business men of the
most reactionary type. Their argu-
ments enliven many a luncheon ses-
sion. Both men and women belong
to The Penguins.
1t was at this club that the move
ment to release the ~so-called politi-
cal prisoners was started. The mem
bers, being liberal politically, took
exception to the continued imprison-
ment of men who had been incar-
cerated for expressing their opinions
during the war. The General AM
nesty Committee, the volunteer body
which was organized to carry on an
agitation looking to the release of
the political prisoners, holds its
meetings at The Penguins. In addi-
ton to being the greatest conversa-
ton club In Washington, the organ
lzation also provides n lecture for
It's members one night a week. These
talks cover n wide range of subjects
and are always informative and en-
tertaining.
one may hear at The Penguins
famous men talk about subjects
which they rarely discuss from other
platforms. For example,, Charles
Edward Russell, known throughout
me world as a political reformer and
q man who probably has neves. made
a speech to the public save on a