Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-07-19
PRESS MEN TO
WIDEN field
Drive For Associ
Members In Hands
Of Chairman
BY p. E. Montgomery, President

by L. T.. Montgomery, President
Ahe executive committee OF the In
/, tefnatlonal Press club, consisting of
r. 4. Montgomery, president; DIR.
,Sohn Ashton, vice president; II. A.
lShannon, secretary-treasurer: al
frlnce and Ed Williams, met az the
office Of the United Printing com
pany at Mercedes Saturday morning
70 discuss plans for charging the ac-
INVITES of the club and the accep-
lance or rejection of a proposition
submitted the club by BENJAMIN A.
lNlimot Of Mission and Los Angeles,
putting the organization on a
pane Of paramount Importance to the
Valley.
Nationwide Publicity Desired.
While the international Press
club was originally organized as a
run club, there was from the begin
ning an u-ndercurrent of desire TO
make this association of publicity
purveyors, the greatest asset Of the
valley, from the standpoint Of the
broadcasting Of actual and potential
country, over the United States,
through the medium of the press.
publicity of a nationwide char
acter has long been sought for, by
various business interests of the VAL
ley and several sporadic attempts
nave been made to raise large sums
OF money for the purpose OF carry
ing page advertisements in the ma
~tlonaily circulated periodicals. Lit
tie or nothing came Of these efforts.
Inc funds were dissipsted in various
efforts, all of which were futile. AS
a consequence, no national publicity
was secured.
Club Plans Outlined
\ The present membership Of the
international Press club is approx
imately %, with a number Of appli-
cations not yet favorably passed on
4y the membership committee. There
will probably not be over forty or
fifty voting members in the club
"A any time in the near future.
The executive committee engaged
the services of Mr.. Ii. A. Wilmot,
originally Of Los Angeles, and who
successfully launched the Los An
geles Press club, pulled it out Of
a $4,000 Indebtedness and left them
with a $4,000 balance in their treas
ury, to put on an associate member
ship drive for the club.
II is believed by the executive COM
mitteee that a sufficient number Of
associate members can be secured,
to put the organization on a sound
basis financially, and make the club
the outstanding agency IN upbuilding
the Valley. The funds Will be eX-
pended IN fitting up club rooms
where visiting newspaper men ana
other notables can be entertained
and in bringing on nationally known
celebrities monthly, to address the
rluh at IT'S rpyular meetings.
The invited guests, who will have
all of their travelling expenses paid
by the international club, Will prln-
cipally be newspaper men Of nigh
standing. They Will be entertained
and shown the entire Valley while
here. At times, other notables than
newspaper men will be invited 10 adj
dress the club. The various cham
bers of OF the Valley will
ne asked to cooperate with the news
paper fraternity in bringing down
these highlights in publicity circles.
No definite conclusion has been
reached Is yet as TO the location OF
the club rooms. but several places
have been placed in nomination for
the location.
Realizing that publicity stories in
the nationally circulated perlodi-
Gals will accomplish more than dis
play advertisements, and the fur
Their fact that these stories may be
obtained through the expenditure Of
a comparatively small amount Of
money, the international Press club
members have set about getting
the desired results through the rather
unusual method outlined above.
Had il not been for the power of
the press in broadcasting the vir-
mes Of the Valley, il would still be
To- vast wilderness Of cactus and
mesquite that it was twenty years
ago. There is room for a million
happy and contented people in the
Valley, or five times as many as it
now has within its confines.
Through the activities of the In
ternational Press club. il is hoped
through extensive publicity. 70 ma
t~eriaily assist in the upbuildlng
Of the community within a few
years to a place originally planned
for it by destiny.
As a sort Of postscript to this ar
ticle, the men who will be invited TO
become associate members of the In
s~Aprnational club, will all be hand
picked and passed on by the member
ship committee. They may consider
themselves honored in being asked
70 take a hand in this splendid work
81 constructive publicity being ar
ried out by the club.