davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1940-11-10

mass was hardly calculated to in
woke the favor Of people whose
minds were full of reverential
thoughts-but somebody thought 1t
was a good idea.
These are a few of the incidents
that illustrate what happens when a
group has more money than it knows
how to use. They apparently thought
that the processes of marketing pro-
prietary articles were identical with
those requisite for the conversion
of opinions. OF course, such ap-
peals to the already converted are
valueless.
I do not mean to say there were
no clever men in the Willkie camp.
Russell Davenport is a great maga-
zine man. Getting out a maga-
zine is leisurely enterprise. They
spend weeks in composing their
articles, and they consume pages in
presenting their stories. A political
campaign is a different sort of ami
NAL There it Is a case for quick
decisions. Every situation must be
grabbed and handled before it gets
stale and trite. Incidentally, there
is as much to the art of letting
things alone as spraying the coun-
try with them, and that is where
the publicity expert comes in.
Publicity Manhandled.
In this hasty survey of what was
wrong in the Republican outfit,
there must not be read any intima-
ton that they did not have a good
crew of newspapermen. know most
of them. We have worked together
and against each other in past
years and I still bear the scars Of
some of our journalistic rivalry.
They know their business. Why.
then, was the G.. o. P. publicity
manhandled? Simply because there
were so many persons in authority
over there. We used to call them
trained seals" when they cluttered
up our work in the old days.
If a fellow was building a house,
he would probably leave 1t up to
the architect to say what material
should be used, and not have boss
carpenters, rooferS or men of kin
dred, but not identical, arts change
the specifications. But in Mr.. Will
kie's headquarters every important
person was consulted or butted in
it is unnecessary to go further
in this analysis.
Once I really was scared. That
was on the occasion of a jostling
at New York railroad station
when one of the Presidents aides
and the newspapermen were blocked
from rejoining the President on
their train. Somebody had given or
ders that nobody could pass, and
the policemen carried out that order
literally.
A colored policeman was hurt and
charged his injury to the Presi-
dents secretary, Southerner. The
papers printed the story and there
were mutterings about race preju-
dice, etc. We knew New York was
Evening star., 1940-11-10

Of President Roosevelt by barring
Government employees from becom-
ing delegates to the national con-
vention, though it was promulgated
as measure to prevent the political
exploitation of people on relief.
However, it evolved and evolved
until it impigned on practically
every campaign activity.
Campaign organizations are &C
customed to function on credit. They
do not have any great sum of money
on hand and so the custom had
been to borrow from the banks what
was required and pay up as con-
tributions came in. But the Hatch
Act classifies all loans as contribu-
tions and no contributor is allowed
to give more than $4,000. That sum
would pay for perhaps 10 minutes
of radio time. That is only one
of the restrictions. About every time
the publicity man wanted to do
something of consequence he was
confronted with the law by vigilant
WIN jail SCIlICllSC
for infraction of the act. Every
time an enthusiast wanted to pro-
duce or pay for campaign moving
picture, or an advertisement, he was
legally squelched.
Many Subterfuges Used.
There has been nothing since
prohibition days that equaled the
evasions. subterfuges and camou-
fages that resulted. Du Pont checks
turned up in the North Dakota
State campaign fund, on the theory
that State committees are not part
of the national organization that
ordinarily helps support them.
Checks from the Connecticut State
Committee appeared on the books
of the Nebraska committee, though
never before was one State willing
to divide its war fund with an
other Rich folks gave IS OO0 aDiece
Evening star., 1940-11-10

close-we thought 1t was closer than
the tally count proved. We also
knew that an untoward incident In
tight campaign might be disas-
trous. Our minds reverted to the
rum, Romanism and rebellion
speech that cost Blaine the presi-
dency. If the Harlem wards went
against us it might so diminish Mr..
Roosevelt's city vote that it could
not counterbalance Mr. WILKES an
ticipated upstate majority. Per-
haps We were needlessly alarmed,
but political headquarters is a
nervous place.
Strategy Backfires.
Then some bright mind in the
Republican camp conceived the idea
that the flame ought to be famed,
so out they came with a raw and
flaming broadside calling on the
Negroes to avenge the insult by
voting for Willkie. That worked
with reverse English. The colored
voters were more furious at the
blatant effort to nsxe the incident
a campaign issue than they were at
the incident itself. The hurt police
man proclaimed that he would vote
for Mr.. Roosevelt and the excite
ment subsidized. Those Harlem wards
all went Democratic by huge per-
centages.
Mr.. WILKES peak was probably
just after he received the nominal
ton. He had been skillfully built
up, he was picturesque new figure
and the story of the barefoot boy
who had risen by his own efforts
with appropriate trimmings caught
the popular imagination. His ac-
ceptance speech was a disappoint-
ment-not that it was particularly
Evening star., 1940-11-10

take away the taint Of stuffed
shirtism.
A human bromide? Certainly,
that's what the occasion demanded.
Such a one would not only have
had the support of the Roosevelt
haters-any Republican candidate
would get that-but of nearly all
the sedate conservatives and doubt
less a lot of people with no clear
economic creed, or who were dis
turbed by the third-term tradition.
This ideal candidate would have
conducted a dignified campaign.
redolent of economics, calmly, but
sternly, determined on the ulti-
mate limit for national defense. He
would not have flown in the face
of another deep-rooted tradition
that of respect for the presidency
and in his statesmanlike speeches
there would never have been a
damn" or hell"
Backers Too Wealthy.
Now to get to the procedure that
followed Mr.. WILKES nomination.
In the first place. the Willkie sup
porters had too much money. This
led them to a spending orgy that
frightened the country, already un-
easy at the plutocratic backing of
their candidate. I have heard es-
Inmates that the aggregate cost Of
the minority party campaign, State
and national was $4,000, 900. Word
went over the country that their
billboardS alone represented an ex-
penditure of over $2,000,O00 and that
the total amount of advertising COM
missions was upwards of half a
million dollars. Doubtless there is
some exaggeration, and perhaps
some of the commissions came back
as campaign contributions, but it is
no stretching of fact in the state
ment that twice as much money was
spent in the effort to elect Mr.. WILL
kie as was blown in in the cam
paign of any other presidential can
didate in our political history.
They had half a dozen big adver-
tising agencies on their advisory
staff. and 1t is the creed of these
people that anything can be accom-
plished by display. Certainly, if
you spread Thingummy's soap on
100000 roadside billboards you can
make Thingummy household word,
but when you do the same thing
with a candidates name you are
going to cause more people to curse
the DETACHMENT of the landscape
and the obstruction of their view
than to feel a desire to vote for
the candidate.
A housewife interrupted by a
stranger ringing her doorbell is
more likely to resent the disturb
ance of her bridge game or the burn
ing of the biscuits in her oven than
to listen sympathetically to argu-
ments to convince her she should
vote for Wendell Willkie.
Leafiet Idea Valueless.
Leaflets dropped from balloons to
a muddy city street are more likely
to lie in the gutter than to be picked
up and read or, if read, to make
converts.
Thrusting campaign pamphlets
into the hands of worshippers at
the church door as they came from
Evening star., 1940-11-10
WiIIkie's Thin Skin Kept Him
On Defense, Says Nicholson
Continued From First PageD

N~ NCOntlnueQ FROM FlrSt PagcD
centralized form of control Mr.
Flynn believes that political strategy
demands the presence of authority
in the fleld-hence the five regional
headquarters we set up finally.
1t was smooth sailing after we got
started, but it was nerve-trying
when the columnists were jeering at
us as incompetent, bewildered mala-
nroits, and contrasting us with the
1eweled and high-geared establish
nent across the way
Some of the criticism was, of
course, on the level; more was the
result of old intra-party feuds and
personal anirnosities. 1t was of no
Importance beyond the circumstance
of the implication that we were
'rFarleyites" bent on treason to Mr..
Flynn and sabotage of the job we
were doing. This seemed to afford
aid and comfort to the enemy.
Mr.. Flynn, whose sense of humor
is as great as his capacity for work
and he did a perfect job, in spite
Of the existing handicaps of money
and time-laughed at it. His plan
of regional Offices did not interfere
with his direct contacts with the
workers in the field. He had his
being in jungle of telephones and,
II he ever slept, it must have been
between calls. He had perfectly
rNYr1Y11pfn rOjnt1Irn tho u-l0n1n
litical landscape, and was less dis
turbed at the ups and downs while
the ballots were being counted than
any OF us.
First Job Was Feelers.
It was our initial job to feel out
the minority party candidate. We
did this through a series of criti-
cisrns of Mr.. WILKES speeches.
Presently we had him and his lit
erary braves belaboring Boss"
Flynn and Illuminating at "Smearer"
Nicholson. 1t was as simple as that.
In three days we had learned that
he was thin-skinned, so we kept the
other fellows answering when they
should have been attacking. 1t is
the mark of the amateur in politics
>permit his fire to be DETECTED
from his main objective and I am
quite sure nobody voted against Mr.
Roosevelt because his national chair
man was the boss of the Bronx.
There were a few f1urries, like
the episode of the presidential secre-
tary and the colored policeman. The
opposition took care of this for us
by trying to make out of it a big
issue involving racial hostility. AS
soon as it appeared that the Re-
publicans had made the affair po-
litical Harlem rallied to us more
strongly than ever. The policeman's
declaration that he was voting for
Mr.. Roosevelt was, to put it mildly,
helpful.
Really the Hatch Act was our most
serious hurdle. That curious law
was appraised in the beginning as
an effort to hinder the denomination
Evening star., 1940-11-10

bad, but because the buildup had
caused people to expect something
phenomenal. His subsequent speeches
did not help until mid-October.
Then his stock went up-at least
the various polls so recorded-until
they were proclaiming a majority
electoral vote in sight for him. They
pointed out that President Roose-
velt's percentage vote was down to
the danger point.
Presently the President went on
the air-and away went the barom-
eter upward. We at headquarters
knew it from our field reports, even
Evening star., 1940-11-10

though most Of the alleged polls
refused to admit it, and most OF
them still had the Willkie flag up
when the ballot count told the
story-449 electoral votes for Roose.
velt.
Evening star., 1940-11-10
Variety Club to Elect

The Variety Club will elect officers
at a luncheon at 1 pm. tomorrow
in the Willard Hotel. The clubs an
nual banquet will be held there Sat-
urday, with Harry S. Brown as gen.
eral chairman.
The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08
POLITICAL CHAFF

Another party leader in line for a key place in the impending Dem ocratic National Committee reor- ganization is Joe Davies, former Ambassador to Russia and Belgium. An able politician of many acquain- tances, Davies is slated for Ma tional Treasurer to replace Oliver Qudle, close lieutenant of Jim Farley. . Smart Republican Ma ticnal Chairman Joe Martin ex- Eeets to do @ lot Of master minding n tEe forthcoming campaign, but very little public speaking. People don't want 10 hear me, he says. They are interested in the candi- dates I'll stick to the background where 1 belong, doing the organiza- ticnM Work.' Pension cZar pr. F.ancis 1ownsend is turning from veteran members of Congress for hep and leaning on younger men Two of his chief lieutcnants new are Representatives Lee Geyer, ib- efal California first termer, and Robert Seclest, 35-year-old Ohioan.
 Copyright, l9lc, by United Fea- tura Syndicate, mc.)
The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08
WILKES SPEECH

That acceptance speech Wendell Willkie is writing is one of the toughest jobs he's ever tackledl It can make him CT break him.
 Willkie has got to crack two oi the hardest political nuts ever hand ed a COP standard bearer: h e power issue and foreign policy.
 Even under normal conditions the power issue is pure INT, par ticularly in the West, which is strong for public power. For Will kie, with his Wall Street and util- ity background, the handling of this issue so it doesn't explode in his face is doubly delicate.
 Perhaps even more difficult is the question of foreign affairs and it's closely related problem of com- pulsory military service On the latter, Willkie has never declared himself and the Republican plat form also is silent. He is going to have to clear his own ground-and clear it clean. With a bill before Congress and members of his party divided, he will have to give some kind of categoric answer
 Roosevelt has declared for uni versal training although SC far he has not expressed a view on the pending bill. But his leaders are for it and it's generally considered an Administration measure
 On foreign policy, particularly on aid to the British, the Presidents record is an open book And so was Willkie's until he was nomin- ated. Since that moment not one word has come from him on this all-important topic, though he has talked daily on various other mat terS.
 It's understandable that he would ponder it so carefully. There are certain to be brickbats whatever he says Not only is the country split on foreign policy, but so also is his own party.
 It didn't leak out at the time, but when Willkie visited Washing ton early last month, the COP isolationists, led by Senator Van denberg. tried to corral the new candidate and give him big iso- lationist sales talk; warning him to pipe down on aiding the Brit ish. But Willkie sidestepped the bloc and they didn't get a chance to put on the pressure.
 Meanwhile, Willkie hasn't given the pro-ally group who were among his strongest convention packers, any comfort either. But he cannot very well keep up this silence be- yond his acceptance speech. NOTE-Regardless of what Will
The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08
Washington Merry Go-Round

when the Government is trying to get industry to make heavy capi- tai outlays for defense purposes.
 Taking an active part in this be- hind the scenes was Blackwell Smith, youthful acting General Counsel of the Defense Commis- sion and one-time General Counsel of the MIRA. Smith was a militant foe of anti-monopoly laws while working under the Blue Eagle, and even more so during subsequent years as New York corporation lawyer.
 NOTE-Since Smith returned to Washington, Arnold has discovered that, although an officer of the Defense Commission, he discussed a private case in which his firm is interested with members of Ar holds staff.
The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08
PAYING PATRIOTISM

Meanwhile Arnold is very much cn the spot. He has been deluged with demands from members of congress and independent oilmen that he proceed with his antitrust
The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08
for this qualified worker.

COOK-HOTEL CLERK - Man, single, age g, high school gradu- ate. Experienced as short order cook and fry cook, also hotel desk clerk. Call for ES 151
The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08
GOVERNMENT FIN BUSINESS

ollo ing g recent Merry-Go- Round disclosures on tin, u can now be stated that plans are aioot tC set up a government corporation undet the ktC to buy tn ore ai- rect from Bclivla tor smelting n the United States.
 This was necessary to tive the Bolivian5 assurance Of a PERMA- NEN1 agency to take their orc. They would De reluctant tc aban- don their former market in Eng land for a market in this country that might wash out at the enl ot the war.
 The Bolivian government will be asked to buy all the tin proiuc d by it's private mines, thus estab- fishing a complete government mo- nCp2ly over sale of the ore. This is necessary to give the United States assurance Of a steady flow of tin from Bolivia.
 With these two assurances, it will be economically feasible to establish smelling plants in this country, thus put an end to the anomaly of having the worlds larg- est tin user dependent upon for eign countries to haul tin ore across the ocean. smelt it in Liver pool, and haul it back again.
The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08

kie says, running Senator Charles McNlry is isolationist and prC-public power He intends to say so in his acceptance speech late this month.
The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08

Subscribe to The Daily Alaska Empire-the paper with the largest paid circulation.
The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08

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The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08
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 suit. They got wind of it and want to know why he's stalling One influential Western Senator called in person to obtain an ex- planation.
 When Arnold told him about the Defense Commission objections, the Senator blew up, You mean to tell me, he shouted, "thac we've got to bribe big business to be patriotic? Why should we allow the big oil companies $150,O0c,O ,Oo0 Ill unJustllied profits in order to get them to cooperate on the national defense program?
 If they don't want to cooperate without being bribed, let's make en issue of that. Tine public would like to know about it"
The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08

TURN your oId gold into value, cash or trade at Nugget Shop.
The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08

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The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08

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The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08
w A N T "A D
 OR M MATIoN

In case of error or if an ad
 nas been stopped before ex- piration, advertiser please noti- fly this of,Ice CPhone 374) at once and same will be given attention.
 THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE
The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08
MISCELLANEOUS

LOARD AND ROOM, 2l3 7th St. Phone Red 211.
The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08

Count live average words to the Ane.
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 Minimum charge ...5Oc Copy must he in the office by 2 rclock in the afternoon to insure insertion on same day. We accept ads over telephone rom persons listed in telephone directory.
 Phone 374-Ask for Ad-taker.
The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08
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The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08
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The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08

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The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08
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Another shipment of GALES due August l7th. That great big 646 cu 1t refrigerator built to the flcor with meat keeper, vegetable container under plate glass, pottery set, etc, for only
The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-08-08

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Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-29

Of the Washington club, also viii
take one of the refugees, she said,
and the Montgomery County club is
arranging the care Of another.
The federation at its convention
this summer undertook the project
Of caring for the children Of Sorop-
timists in countries in the war zone.
More than enough homes have
been offered for the children, Mrs
Bennett said. She is now trying to
arrange to have twin girls, Is years
of age, placed together. but, other
wise plans for their care are virtu-
ally completed.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-29
Gov. 0'Conor Opens
Four-Lane Bridge
Over Susquehanna
MiIe-Lone Line Of Cars
Waits to Cross New
$4,000, 900 Spon
% the Associated Press.

- the Associated Press.
HAVRE DE GRACE. Md, Aug
2s.-The new four-lane, $4,000 00C
bridge across the Susquehanna River
here was open to traffic today fol-
lowing dedicatory ceremonies at
tended by Gov. O'Conor and other
State officials.
A line of cars more than a mile
long waited for the bars to be
lowered so they could be among the
first to pay a 20-cent toll and cross
over to Perryville on the opposite
shore last night after Mrs. O'Conor
concluded the brief dedication ex-
ercises by shipping a black and
orange ribbon stretched across the
traffic lanes.
More than 1000 persons surround
ing the speakers platform heard
Gov. O'Conor declare that he hoped
the bridge would be toll-free before
many years.
Hopes for Toll Concessions.
while it is fact that tolls must
be charged Tin accordance with the
terms of indenture executed under
the preceding administration I look
forward to the day, which I trust
will not be far distant, when this
bridge is toll free and when no
charges will be made to the travelling
public" he said.
Particularly am I hopeful that a
way can be found, in the light of the
studies to be made during the ensu-
Ing year, for concession to the resi-
dents of nearby counties who are
e compelled to use the bridge to a
great extent for their everyday
needs. In other words, I think
there is a distinction between the
general travelling public-which hap
pens to use the bridge occasionally
as part of an up-to-date highway on
an extended trip and that portion
of the neighboring counties which is
required constantly to use the bridge,
possibly daily, in connection with
the earning of a livelihood or to
obtain the necessities of life"
Road to Be Ready Later.
Mai. Ezra Whitman detailed a
long list of delays in construction
since the mile-and-one-half- long
span was begun in 1888.
The Roads Commission chairman
said the single lane of the new Phil
adelphia road, between here and
above Elkton, would be completed
about October IS. He said both lanes
would be ready for travel by jan
uary l.
Col. Maurice E. Gilmore, Public
Works Administration representa-
tive. also spoke briefly.
The bridge is As feet wide, with
two lanes for north and two for
southbound traffic. 1t had 50 piers
and contains 1922 tons of steel
equivalent to 324 railroad carloads
or train 8 miles long.
81 Months to Complete.
The span, designed by the j. E
Greiner Co., took 81 months to COM
plete.
The Governors car led the way
across the bridge, followed by a
string of cars that kept the cash
registers ringing in their small
modernistic-design pay stations.
officials of Cecil and Hartford
Counties, joined by the bridge, anc
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-29

was learned that the one designated
for them had brother who was to
be assigned to Montgomery County.
Md, they agreed to take both rather
than separate the refugees. The
children are and 8 years Of age.
Mrs. Jean Bennett, president Of
the American Federation of Sorop-
timist Clubs, told the Washington
organization yesterday that arrange
ments have been made for 80 chill
dren to arrive in New York on the
same ship in the near future.
Miss Marjorie Webster, member