The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1928-01-13
GOSSIP At YOUR
STATE CAPITAL
Governors Own Press Agent
Reported on Pay Roll as
Asst. to Director Of Budget
BY K. T.. POWELL

lively easy by an innovation OF
Governor Angus W. Mclean. among
( those now being mentioned lin Il
few home parers) for the Demo-
crulir Presidential nomination.
which puts he electric bath tub
| business in the shade.
The present luxurianL state Of af-
fairs, to hard working newspaper
nien. has not be2n achieved over
night. 1t has come about gradually
and how, When His Excellenry
! first came to town. now three years
ago he wasn't long in telling news
irarGruiCn that he wouldn't stand
for rllmorS such as Tom BOSt wrote
when the Salary and Wage Commits
sion got to work.
So. after three years Of dealing
with the ncwSpapcrmcn through MS
secretary. personally and through
such "<pOlicsmcu' az the late Par
don tommiSaiOner--nJw Judge Sink
= Governor Mclean has acquired at
, the Mansion first rate press agent
/ who gets all the news. asks most all
thr urrcStinnS, and then turns out
! the "StUry" Favored to please the
States Chief Executive. or course
the newspaper boys can change these
"hand-uutS" if they want; that j..
when there's no other work 10 Ec
done and the propaganda itself is
! not tGO r;IW.
Whether it bc concerning his all
but avowcd candidacy fer the Pre-
Sidrncy. the Communication 0L some
moor devils death sentence or the
c~crticn # sign boards along the
State roads social matters are i'll
cluicd. tuU--thiS 'dirertor OF pub
lie information" is on the job. NO
Item about governor is too small 10
mention and even casual readers f
the State papers lately have noticed
that the press agent. aS is his buSl-
ness, cOntriveS To keep the Mclean
goings and doinGs prominently be-
fore the public.
! This way of communicating the
iln>inrS> of the state to the people
,nr the Stale probably never occur
rcd to any previous c5ccutive. CraiS
kep; oxen house and so did Beckett.
iGoycrnur Morrison wantel To soc
Them but was unfortunate i'm the
selection Of priyntn secretary VINO.
more ofirn than otherwise. irritat-
I'd ncw>palErm"n. Yet Mr. Morrl-
son claShing now and then with
Scrils.S. ncvcr suggested to them. in
/ directly. that he could have neWS
Of himself and his office prepared
better than Raleigh correspondents
can write.
In 80 far rs worma"ship is con-
rrrurd. Mr.. Mclean could not nave
secured a better man for the lHh.
iNikc Dunnngan, formerly Of Char
lGt,r and Durham. is !hc new adj
ministralion press agent and hr Is
rs capable aud popular aS amy news
;,,nInrmam in the State. lie has tue
sY,rir tlairr for tho job and the
proximity 10 tho throne iS.hnS it Is I"
touy man who haSU worked i'll kal-
c;..h over Il year. intriguing. The
,.rm,.n$atiuu is reported here TO hc
attractive enough aud II portion "f
! if comes out Of the State. Dun
ra=au Is on tho pay roll rs an assist
amt To the director Cf the budget.
Mclean is the director.
! NewSpapcrmcn have been slow TO
Determine the real reilSnu Tor lie
employment of nunnagau ana inc
substitution Of his work for the con-
rrrrrur arrangement which prevail
ird at first. lu these conferences
iGovcruor Mclean met the news
iuapcrmru and either answered, Or
iaS oftcn-- avoided answering. 91fS-
ItinnS about public matters. Now IL
tbn Governor is called on the 1clr-
rhonc about Il matter and he cares
Itn notice the question. his press
agent prepares the administration
vrrsion of n story and takes 1t
;down to the newspaper correspond
,Cnt$.
One opirion bcrc is that all TINS
hokun being printed about Mclean
refusing TO attend the Jackson day
dinner. aud about his being groom
cd for Il favoritc sou endorsement
when the next State convention
mccIs, is to keep his name before
the rcoplc so that il Simmons sud-
denly drops cut he will he halt wa!
through his campaign for the Sen
late. 1t has been widely reported
over the State that he was one ol
the invited speakers for The Jackson
uuy affair. alnug with McAdoo.
Smith. Reed. Walsh aud Kltchle'
Many people have swallowed thlS
story when. as Il matter Of fact, 1t
is uIl wet 4 womau's dry organl-
zalion. joining bands with Scnat"r
Simmons and some others i'll the
death battalion opposing Governor
Smith, did ask Mclean to attend Il
dinner of theirs preceding the jack
son day dinner. He declined ana
. court Correspondent broadcast the
story as though there were some
thing il. =, even suggesting thai