Evening star., 1924-03-16
"FOR' AND "ACAINSTnWACE
HOT BATTLES IN CAPITAL
Interests Of All Kinds Represented to
Protect Selves-Covernment
Also Aided, However.

| knocked of his feet by the answers,
which puncture the argument like a pin
stuck in a toy balloon. AS the CONVERSE
ton proceeds the stenographers file in
| and place at the visitors elbow great
sheafs Of mimeographed press releases
on the subject Of catfish. and the in
terview usually concludes with a last
! ring for the stenographer who appears
with copy of Congressman Hanks
latest bill for the abolition Of catfish and
hearings on the same measure.
Prepared for Publicity.
| Publicity is one of the chief objects
of Washington headquarters for any
! organization, and for this they are well
prepared. If the secretary is not a
j former newspaper man-and he usu-
| ally admits he is-then the head
quarters is equipped with a highly or
ganized publicity personnel. 1t is
amazing with what rapidity a national
headquarters can prepare its material
for the press. When Congressman
Hank speaks innocently on a measure
! opposed by some organization with
| Headquarters in Washington. he barely
takes his seat before the mimeograph
machine in a downtown office building
begins to roar and splutter as it pro-
crces articles showing up Congress-
| man Hank as nothing less than mis-
| Informed moron. And with the sheets
from the mimeographing machine stn
wet with the ink, they are placed in
| envelopes and rushed to every corre-
I nd ~
| while scores more are dumped in the
| mail. On the other hand, should Con-
| gressman Hank speak favorably on a
| pet measure of this organization, the
! mimeograph machines roar and whirr
again, as they turn out copy giving the
text OF the congressman's speech, with
| lengthy statement by the secretary
| for the national association for ETC.,
ETC."
Always Ready for Hearing.
| Whenever a congressional hearing is
held on q subject which concerns in
any way the association with head
| quarters in Washington the secretaries
are there to testify with their convinc-
| ing figures and enlightening statistics
pro and con, and the congressman may
well shake their heads in wonder and
| d1smay when they read the record for
| more thorough deliberation For the
remarks of a national secretary are
convincing and indisputable. the con-
gressman thinks, until he turns a page
and reads the remarks of an opposition
national secretary.
The associations keep their eyes
peeled for allusions to their organiza
lions In the public press. Should a re-
! porter Inadvertently suffer his article
TO reject upon some national organiza-
tlon's pet project, the editor of the pa.
per is at once presented with a request
to correct the reporters erroneous
statement and this correction, of
course affords opportunity for favor
able publicity.
Seekers of Information.
| But national associations, b.,d
quarters do not confine their ac,ivt-
ties to preparing press releases. When
d group OF hardware manufacturers
organize, for instance, and establish
headquarters in Washington they
90 SO with the idea in view of keen
ing informed of everything the gov
ernment does concerning hardware.
MANY national organizations in Wash
1ngton publish magazines for their
members, dealing with subjects of in
terest only to their members. The
national headquarters in Washington
becomes the clearing house, not only
Tor Information from an outside point
1 hpt
ganization as well.
| Washington has been selected be-
cause it is the ideal location for z
national headquarters, and the in
| creasing number of associations and
societies which come to Washington
bear this out
Government Gets Aid.
| The headquarters here are not only
advantages to the members, but to the
| government as well. A government
department, for instance, which de-
| sires information or wishes to adver-
tise information on a certain subject
finds well informed source for OBJ
| tanning facts and a well organized
| medium for its use in any national
headquarters. While many Wash
| ington headquarters are established
with the sole purpose of conducting a
| lobby, the lobby is usually for a good
| cause, and the congressman suffers
no disadvantage of remaining unin-
formed on any subject
This is the day for organization,
and it is the unorganized group which
! suffers. Those who have selected
| Washington as the site from which to
| direct their activities have done so
| with the object of keeping themselves
represented in a spot where those
who arc unrepresented are lost