Evening star., 1941-11-04

~N'HH"'H@T' WdS :
Henry McLemore. time when tho
statesmen we hired kept their hands
on the wheel of the Ship OF State
until old age or lack of support by
voters forced them out OF ONCE.
Then. and not until then, did they
sit down and put on paper for sale
to magazines the things they kneY
about the operation of the Gov
-
eminent.
But those days and that type H
statesman are one with Tara, mearfs
ing they are gone with the wind.
Now the Ship of State has to roox
along as best it can, because tia
hands that are supposed to tend
the wheel are too busy working ct
typewriter, knocking out stun
straight from the Washington feed
box and, as I said before, at so much
per feedbox special.
The statesman Of today, II he 70
lucky enough to have a hustilng
literary agent, works on the same
principle as the horse handicappefs
From his close association with lead~
| ing political stables he gets the ins
side dope and sells it to magazine
editors for release to the public. -
This is strictly on the level. All
you have to do to know that it IS,
is to buy the magazines on the stands
or read their advance advertise
ments.
President Roosevelt has beeA
going great guns in a national
weekly. Under his own by-line, he
has been telling all, cutting loose
with stuff that never was revealed
at his press conferences. When be
decided to explain his stand on vital
matters and really let his presi-
dental hair down. he didn't call in
the reporters who have worked long
and faithfully with him. He con-
tacted a magazine and found out
how much the stuff was worth. 81,
Harry Hopkins is another who has
suddenly found the gift of writing
magazine articles. His inside stuff
on his visit to Moscow is either run
ming in a magazine or is about to
start running. When he got back
from his Russian trip he didn't
gather the newspaper and radis
boys together and give them the
low-down on how Stain looked.
what he talked about, how the
Kremlin was decora ted. or hoE
Stain felt about the Munich pact.
No sir. That stuff he kept TO
himself. That was the sort of stuf
that could be peddled, the sort Of
stuff that was worth a grand or
two on the open magazine market.
Childe Harold Ickes is In more
magazines than Clarence Burlington
Kelland or Kathleen Norris. Every
time the chickens on his farSl have
an off day and he doesn't have
enough eggs to warrant his driving
in to Washington and peddling
them to the smarter grocers. he gets
out the trusty portable and knocks
off a revealing piece for the magac
zines. His last one dealt with the
acute shortage of petroleum and
after what has happened to the On
shortage, we editorially suggest that
he make 1t into serial length mys.
terry story and provide us with some
sort of satisfactory ending. Who
kidnapped the tank cars? Who re-
turned the missing petroleum? Who
shot Pelley? -.
Secretary of the Navy Frank
Knox is another who wields a fancy
pen. The Secretary is close
mouthed man who believes that
Navy Department secrets should not
be divulged except in magazines
with large calculations and which
pay fat fees. -.
These are just a few of the i'm.
portant Washington Pen and Type.
writer Society. Wendell Wiukie likes
to make his views on important
subjects known through the maga-
zines, and so do Senators La FollettA,
Nye and Wheeler. Mayor La
Guardia is another who has barred
his mind at so much per bare.
A college boy can't have much
trouble selling magazines now. All
he has to do is to put his foot in the
door. shake a magazine in the face
of the one who answers the door,
bell and say: =.
Maybe we are at war and maybe
we aren't. Wouldn't you like to
know! You'd better buy some Of
these magazines and find out.
Washington is not giving informa.
tion for nothing now T.
Boy, get me copy of the Police
Gazette! -.
I want to find out how we stand
with Japan. -
distributed By McNausht Syndicate, Incl