Evening star., 1936-12-20
U.S.. Workers Like Santa Role,
VIII Continue Driue for Needy
Gifts Still Coming in for Star-Warner
Bros..N. B. C. Campaign, So Organi.
cation VIII STAY on the Job.

Government employees in Washing
ton put Uncle Sam in Santa Claus
suit last week and liked his looks so
well that the old gentleman will have
to stay dressed up until Christmas.
To keep the record straight, this
Santa Claus role was strictly family
affair. 1t all developed when Uncle
Sans workers in the Nations Cap
ital came to him to explain that
they'd discovered q lot Of persons in
Washington who were about to be
forgotten this Christmas, and said
they'd like to help out.
This was something new to Uncle
Sam. He'd heard about people who
wanted him to play Santa Claus with
political plums. Of course, and he'd
been asked to dig down into his pock-
cts to keep people from starving. But
never before had he met . situation
quite like this-his own workers beg
ging for an opportunity to dig into
their own pockets SO that every needy
person In Washington would have q
joyful holiday.
The old gentleman, concealing as
tonishment as well rs possible, agreed
to the plan. And when his workers
had him dressed up and had given
him q pack to sling over his shoul-
ders, they began to I'LL 1t with thou
sands Of gifts.
Gifts still Coming In.
Friday was the big day set for the
collection Of these presents. As the
week end rolled in, however, the gifts
continued to come in, too, so Uncle
Sam said he'd keep on playing until
everybody had had a chance to con-
tribute.
And that is the tale Of how the
Federal Employees Christmas cam
paign in cooperation with The Eve
ming Star, Warner Bros, N. B. G.,
Metropolitan Police Department and
Association, sprang
into being and was forced to con-
tinue.
To those who like their stories put
in a. more literal fashion, however. it
should be explained that the Federal
Employees Christmas campaign, in
which every department and virtually
every bureau, commission and miscel-
laneous agency Of the Government
united with The Star and its affiliated
agencies to see that no one in Wash
ington is forgotten this Christmas,
was continued yesterday by unan-
imous consent Of all cooperating
groups.
Organized for First Time.
This year, for the first time, Fed
eral employees were completely organ
lied in behalf of a Yuletide campaign
to take care of the Capitals needy.
When, at the request of numerous
in the Government, ar
rangements were made to include the
Federal departments and bureaus in
the Christmas drive, Harry r. Daniel,
head of the Public Relations Bureau
of the Department Of Commerce, was
designated as chief co-ordinator of
Federal workers.
With les than two weeks in which
to organize, Daniel asked for volun-
teerS to take charge OF groups through
out the Government and response
was immediate. All departments and
virtually every Government bureau
and agency appointed persons to take
charge of collections.
Cabinet members, falling in with
the spirit Of the occasion, personally
Endorsed the campaign in statements
published in The Star.
BY Friday-the day set for contri-
buttons to be taken up and sent to the
Earle Theater for distribution by the
Parent Teacher Association in Coop
Grafton with the Metropolitan Police
thousands of toys, articles of food
and clothing and approximately $70o
in cash were received.
Gifts filled the lower lobby of the
Earle Theater and overfiowed the