Evening star., 1937-08-21

"HE lOng-Sunerlng taxpayer mas
undoubtedly heard great deal
in recent months about the
"A numbers of publicity men and
women hired by the New Deal to sell
its policies to the public. The extent
OF RooseVeltian propaganda, indeed,
has for long time been known to be
vast and to exceed anything the like
Of which our country has ever seen
before. But not much in the way
Of specific figures has been published.
The American Mercury for September
Is at hand, however, with a leading
article on the subject. The Mercury
says frankly that in attempting to
make an investigation of the extent OF
New Deal ballyhoo it early discovered
that only full-length volume could
do justice to the subject. Its article,
therefore, only skins the surface.
Nonetheless, it contains some very in
teresting figures.
For instance" it says, nearly 100,-
900 pieces of franked publicity are sent
out by the Government every day in
the year-a figure twice as large as
that prevailing before 1888. Excluding
editorial expense, the total cost for
printing and distributing promotional
material under the Roosevelt regime
has been estimated at S2l7,453 ,O43,
divided as follows: Lost postal reve-
nues. $ll8,849 ,O20; paper, s24 1882 sol;
printing, $74, ,37l ,422 (these figures in
clude not only periodicals, but news
sheets, bulletins, circular letters, an
nual reports, charts and other forms
OF information For the three month
period ending September 80, 1886,
Government releases totaled 4,794,
and 7,l39,457 copies were distributed to
an equal number Of DR.. Roosevelts
'ill-nouriShed' wards The New Deals
mailing lists now include approx
mately 1900 900 names, most of which
are docketed for publicity purposes
In addition, the Government Printing
Office possesses a juicy catalogue of
l ,404,666 names, supplied from 1910
mailing lists Of executive agencies.
How many private lists are maintained
by New Deal politicians no one knows.
The Post Office Department, under
the adept stewardship Of James A.
Farley, mailed more than q billion
pieces Of Government material in 1885
alone (total. weight, 1922 ,585, ,952
ounces) at cost Of almost $34 900 00O
In l3 Of the Government agencies
at Washington" continues the article,
the actual pay roll for press agents
OF the New Life is some 81 100000
year, or 500, 900 month, or Sl40 an
hour. ="
Continuing, the article takes up the
reason for all this official self -adver-.
tisement. Its findings are somewhat
discouraging. Propaganda, it says, as
practiced by Roosevelt and his admir-
ing appointees, is mo longer sub
division Of Government, it is Govern
ment itself. That is to say, the ma ior
ambitions and objectives Of the New
Deal are SO constituted that they can
be attained only through the medium
Of propaganda Such forward looking
schemes as proletarian settlement, Fed
eral housing, rural electrification,
agricultural control, social security,
judicial reform, and so forth, have
not proved their efficacy in this coun-
try-or, indeed, anywhere else on
earth. They exist primarily in the
minds Of the supermen who are at
tempting to create them. Hence, for
DR.. Roosevelt to forge ahead and in
sure himself permanent post in the
Nations political structure, the Amer
ican public must be convinced of the
soundness Of his schemes before the
Government can actually set about
regulating the private life of each Of
its down-trodden children"
Well, that is plain speaking, but
then the Mercury has made no secret