Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-13
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

1t isn't generally realized, but a good
deal OF Washington'S external prosper
thy, as manifested by its physical growth,
| Is due to the incessant expansion of
| propaganda in the National Capital.
| Mr.. SheareriS missionary campaign on
behalf OF warship-builders has the lime
light and is going to monopolize it for
many days to come. But anybody who
thinks that propaganda for a big Navy
Is the only kind of subsidized education
| that is carried on sleeplesSly and SYSTEM
| atically is woefully misinformed Mr..
Coolidge only two months ago, in one of
his magazine articles, called attention to
the intimidation of Congress in which
"fanatical minorities' are engaged.
The former President truthfully said
that their activities "have come to be a
well recognized industry" Declaring
| that House and Senate Gin their hours
of timidity become subservient to the
opportunities" of these pressure groups,
Mr.. Coolidge, asserts that 1.-The President
comes more and more to stand as the
champion of the rights of the whole
| country" The sage of Northampton, in
thus depicting the Niagara of persuasion
| which drenches Washington, might al
most have had Mr.. HooverS drive
against the big Navy mercenaries in
mind.
One Of the reasons why the Capital
is filling up with skyscraper Office
buildings is the fact that every con-
ceivable form of organized American
life nowadays feels the urge to MAIN
tain national headquarters in Wash
ington. The range of their respective
spheres of interest is unlimited. They
are concerned with what wes think and
what we drink. They deal with our
fQhlI1f1nn
Of them in the telephone directory runs
to many pages. It shows a spread Of
energies which embrace sugar and shoes,
Bibles and bricks, teeth and textiles,
veterans and vegetarians, klans and
kindergartens, widows and windows,
tea and temperance, milk and man
ganese, bankers and bottlers, priests and
Professionalism short, inclusive OF nearly
everything under the Yankee sun.
Practically without exception the object
Of these multitudinous associations,
societies, leagues, unions, committees,
councils, declarations or whatnot Is to
"high-preSSure" Congress Of Govern
ment departments for this or that-pro
or con, as the case may be. Thousands
of men and women make their living as
members of this grand army OF bally-
hoo. They occupy acres of office space.
The mails are choked with their mimeo-
graphed messages. Day by day, and in
every way, they are making this a
Government by propaganda.
n X X
Never In Federal history, probably,
has there been such comradeship be-
tween Government officials as prevails
between Charles j. RhoadS, commits
sioner of Indian affairs, and j. Henry
Scattergood, assistant commissioner.
Brother Quakers and brother Philadel-
phians, they occupy not only the same
office In the Interior Department Build
ing, but sit at the same desk. When
Jmebody toddleS along and asks the
commissioner or the assistant commits
sioner what his opinion on given mat
ter Is, the invariable reply is that 1--WE"
think thus and so. When RhoadS' first
sa, .ry check came along last Spring
naturally being bigger one than Scat
tergood'S scrap of paper-the commits
sioner proposed that they pool their pay
and divide it $3.50. The motion was
not seconded.
Senator Shortridge, Republican, Of
California, has had the Craftsmanship of
the naval affairs subcommittee on the
Shearer case wished on him Just about
the time he'd begun to fiirt with the
idea of q little vacation on the coast.
The lanky lawyer from the Golden Gate
has been sticking around washington
necessarily since the beginning, Of last
Winter, and particularly throughout the
broiling Summer. AS member Of the
Senate finance committee he had to
swelter through the endless tariff hear-
angs conducted BY Senator Smoct end