Evening star., 1923-12-11
PARTIES MAnEUVER
FOR RADIO CONTROL
Favorable Broadcasting Ger.
tain to Be Big Feature OF
Next Campaign.
BY ROBERT It. SMALL.
>,s1Disno,ob 20 Tho sto-

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
NEW YORK, December 1.-THE
directors of the big wireless broadcast
ing stations of the country are expected
to be called into conference soon TO dis
cuss the part that radio Is to pay in
the forthcoming presidential campaign.
That the radio is to be q big factor
is admitted. That the radio might also
be misused to the advantage of one
candidate over another also is admitted.
So the problem the broadcaStinE sta
uonS must meet is that of maintaining
6 strict Y non-partisan balance between
the contending forces in the campaign.
The successful broadcastng OF Presi-.
dent Cooiidge's first message to Con-
gress. with millions of persons listen
ing in all over the country, has called
the attention of the political managers
anew to this most modern means of
communication, which may even thus
early in its career bring about COM
plete reorganization Of the usual cam
paign tactics.
May Snyc Speaking Tour.
With the radio facilities Of the coun-
try at his command. it would not be
necessary for President Coo idge to
leave the White House to reach the
people with such messages as he cares
TO deliver during the progress of his
campaign for reelection. 1t is not re-
participate publicly in the campaign for
his denomination, but once the nominal
tion Is assured, he may make very
aggressive campaign against his demo-
cratic opponent.
Some of the older political leaders
have he'd that the state primary laws
work a hardship on a President of the
United States seeking denomination.
They have contended that aspirants op-
posing a President could go into the
-f.N nj
appear before the people, 1t wou be
undientied, they added, for q President
10 stoop to that sort UJ de.eSate hunting.
Now. however. with the radio Always
available, a President may max what
amounts to "a swing around the cir
Gle" without ever leaving the confines
Of his secluded study in the Executive
Mansion. The radio has become a po-
tential political weapon. It's poSSlolli-
ties apparently are unlimited.
There is no thought as yet though.
that wireiess progress has thrown the
old-fashioned political spei binder COM
pletey into the discard He will be
abroad in the land as usual next year.
The Coolidge hackers, it is claimed, are
going to put at least two thousand
speakers into the fed for great edu-
Cational Campa ign.
The night for the wiIelCss will be be-
tween the principal candidates for the
presidency and so between the oppos-
ing forces in some Of the state cam
paigns. 1t win he the difficult task of
the wireless managers t. avoid all
charges Of favOIitisfn and partisan ad-
vantage to one candidate over another.
In the bid for radio facilities Pres
ldent Coolidge naturally will have an
advantage over all other candidates.
His official position Civ ) him that
position OF favor. The radio people
always are glad to broad cast any
thing 4 President may say publicly,
and as a candidate for denomination
and reelection everything that Mr..
Coolidge may say from this time on
will be watched for It's political sig
nifcance
Ordinarily it may be easy to divide
the air among the politicians by Civ
Ing the demQcrats one wave length,
the republicans another and the pro-
ISIS their respe places In the
ether.
But in a nation wide broadcast, such
as that given President Coolidge's
:. n1essag ge last Thursday, 1t is neces-
Sary TO employ most of the high
wave lengths day in and day out. 1t
would not be possible for these sta
tions to handle two speeches at once,
and as reEblican and democratic
Candidates are likely to be making
what they consider extremely impor-
tant speeches at the same time dur
Ing the coming campaign, the mat
ter. of 5roadCISting ia aCilities Is likely
to become one of serious controversy.
The radio is opening up untraveled
lanes to the political managers and
will give them new things to worry
about .
Be that as. ii may, the campaign of
1924 will go down in history for its
radio accomplishments and possibly
its tangles.