Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-15

working long hours In Washington this
Summer organizing the presidential
campaign of 1928 1t Is too hot to
attract the public to campaign speech
making. It Is never too hot nor too
soon to be formulating the plans for
the campaign. Hot office rooms In New
York, Chicago and most Of oil WASH
ington, are the site Of the organizing
work. These headquarters offlces are
the back stage Of the big show, where
preparations are made for Americas
great quadrennial production, the great
est political show on earth. Here the
plot Is conceived, the scenario written.
the actors allotted their parts, the
scenery and costuming planned and the
acts rehearsed The language OF the
theater or the circus well describes this
work, for from the headquarters Of
the two big parties q mammoth, spec
tacular and educational entertainment
Is launched.
Each party will use thousands Of
campaign workers, hundreds Of orators,
scores of money raisers. tons Of htera-
ture, hundreds of press agents, many
bands of music, and no end Of buttons,
pictures, signs and devices to catch the
public eye and ear. For the smallest
campaign meeting at Podunk Crossing
next Autumn, there will be supplies OF
all these things. Right now they are be-
ing designed and made, written and re-
hearsed, or otherwise considered and
prepared in one Of the national party
headquarters. Four million dollars Is a
reasonable estimate Of what each party
will raise and spend through Its ma
tional committees between now and
November. Hardly a dime Of 1t had
xrk ne SrSxaa
named the party candidates.
No wonder there Is perspiration and
some confusion around the newly rent
ed national campaign headquarters Dr.
Work for the Republicans and Mr.. Ras-
kob for the Democrats have each a
four million dollar show to stage. and
they started without any material to
work with except the star performers.
chosen by the conventions. and a
declaration OF principles called plat
form, which was hardly specific
enough In detail to be called plot or a
scenario.
Among the things which each man.
ager must have, and put TO work quick
~, are 40 State headquarters and
enough regional headquarters to CO.
ordinate the State groups quickly, a
speakers bureau, publicity bureau. an
organization bureau, woman'S division,
finance department and a general
policy committee or directorate. The
last rs likely to be an executive sub
committee Of the partys national COM
mittee.
Headquarters Must Be Established.
First off, the new national chairman
must have set of Offices, and the
needs Of the campaign and its branch
organizations viii require three or four
hundred rooms. about half Of them at
the national headquarters city These
rooms must be furnished, and clerical
help, Office machinery and supplies
secured for each department, to be
ready almost the minute the executives
OF each department are chosen. The
very problem Of telephones and type
writers Is serious one.
While this very first work Is under
way the new headquarters is already
crowded with callers. Endless streams
of party workers call and expect to be
told exactly what Is to happen next
October In their home precincts. Hordes
of statesmen are on hand. struggling for
orders for every article needed, and
many will never be needed. Every one
who calls wants to see the chairman
himself no less. and Is likely 10 be
indignant Ii put off. And one of the
Nightmares Of campaign headquarters
is the fear Of offending somebody. No
body must be offended, for every vote
counts.
The national chairman simply can
not begin to see his callers, for ne Is
busy with matters OF policy and with
the selection of his executives. He has
conferences where the date and place
for the notification ceremonies are
chosen and the subject matter for
the speeches on those occasions dis
c,issed. He has meetings and confer
ences to choose the chairman of the
National Speakers Bureau and tho
branch bureaus. He must select his
publicity director apd. perhaps. the
chief assistants, and the branch Office
directors. His financial aides are OF
prime Importance and the money rails
| Ing plan must be among the frs. things
settled Meanwhile the women's ac-
tivities must be placed In competent
hands. and in THIS sphere the chance
of hurting some ones feelings Is per-
haps greater than elsewhere. Who Ii
mere national chairman to determine
the correct importance and precedence
OF the ladies In this great work?
Many OF LIE executives VI ttiia kiuW~
ing organization will be non -salaried
| volunteers. which does not make them
any easier to work with under the pres
sure of time and the disconsforts OF
hot weather. They cannot be bossed
about too freely. For the salaried posi-
tions there Is the difficulty OF finding
capable people and OF rejecting the
| incompetent who have some political
pull behind their applications, For
these headquarters Jobs usually are
well paid. II paid at oil. and much de-
sired by many peo>ie, Yet the cam
paign manager knows well enough that
II these applicants we're half so clever
as their applications indicate, they
would not all he among the army OF
! ths unemployed, except at campaign
] times.
every one Of the departments Of the