Evening star., 1936-05-20
OFFICIALS BUYING
new DEAL Dummy
Airy Nothings Fill Book on
Sale Today in Publicity
Ceremonies.
BY CARLISLE BARGERON.

SanA1cAE DhnOLnONs
The street vendor Of a sealing wax
that makes it impossible for the
strongest man" TO rebreak china
ware which the wax has mended is
still seen In the smaller towns. But
when he issues the challenge for any
one in the crowd to step up and see
If he can undo the work Of the wax,
he usually has a confederate in the
crowd to do this stepping up.
But the New Dealers in the pro-
motion of their Convention Book to-
day trusted to luck. Ceremonies were
arranged whereby at noon rs Gov
ernors and mayors throughout the
country were to publicly purchase"
the book. It was planned to have
photographers in each instance re-
cording the event and other officials
looking on. In Washington, Commis-
sioner George E. Allen was the GER
emonious purchaser.
If any one had stepped up from the
crowd, however, and asked to have
a look at 1t, he would have found
it contained hardly anything at all.
that it wa simply dummy. Indeed,
the thing that was sold to the
Governors and mayors today was
something which the advertising
solicitors have been using in an effort
to get advertising for it. AS a result,
about the only genuine stuff it con-
tanned was the excellent binding and
good photograph of Jim Farley.
DIR. Beard Contributes.
It did have this rare contribution
to literature under the name of the
eminent historian Charles A. Beard,
and entitled The Constitution"
History repeats-and I am becom-
ing him. Hollow, outworn tradition
alism shook a trembling finger at
him"
In a way, 1t sounds like some of
| Boards New Deal writings of recent,
it was pointed out, but then it really
had nothing to do with his article.
A lot of words had to be put in under
his name in the dummy to show the
prospective advertisers what the mag
azine, about the size of Fortune, and
gotten up like it. would look like.
Similarly. there was another article
by Hendrix Willem Van Loon, which
started off,
II am aware that some wise-cracking
columnist will probably say that good
old jackson no doubt realized that
every red -blooded American citizen
considers himself a committee Of one
anyway"
1t is doubtful, OF course. il Van
Loon would ever say anything like
that, though he might
Other Catch Names.
Other names used in the dummy
over this sort of stuff are Roswell
Miller, j. Hancock Reeves and Earn
est" K. Lindley. Ernest K. Lindley
Is with the New York Herald Tribune
and was Mr.. Roosevelt's campaign
biographer But he really hasn't any
article coming up at all. it is said
j. Fred Essary of the Baltimore Sun
Is to write one, however, sketch
OF Jim Farley and so is Walter
Lippman. Strangely enough. Mr.
Essary's colleague. Fred r. Kent, Il
not to contribute
| A handout by the Democratic Ma
tional Committee said:
| This simultaneous sale was ar
ranged to give the public an idea OF
the beauty and value Of the volume
which contains articles by responsible
ofhcials explaining the work per-
formed by most of the important
agencies Of the Federal Government
as well as biographies and other con-
tributions by well-known writer's"
Manifestly. however, the committee
hoped the public didn't ask to take
a look at the volume" In its present
state.
1t is new wrinkle in campaigns
just as was the $50 dinner which
the New Dealers gave a few months
ago. Each party has heretofore turned
over to a committe in the convention
city the concession Of putting out a
convention book. The Republicans are
doing that this time. But the DEM
ocratic National Committee Is han
ding this innovation personally and
with view to raising campaign funds
Pages up to $500.
Although it can't possibly have q
comparable circulation, its rates are
as high as those in some of the
national magazines. For the inside
cover page $500 Is being charged
and each ordinary page costs 81, 900
The inside back cover costs $4,000
Already some 100 pages of a 800
page magazine are said to have been
sold. An effort was made TO get a
list Of advertisers with a view to
checking reports that the advertisers
are firms who have business with the
Government. The list was fatty
denied. The list. was desired also to
check reports that some advertisers
while paying for the space have not
| supplied the copy.
The list. it was explained after
the reporter had finally traced II
to its lair, is not available for publi-
cation. Naturally, those advertisers
who appear will become public when
the magazine is issued, but that will
| be another time