Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-08-14
New Deal
Press Agents
Are Plentiful
PegIer Suggests Dressing
Them DistinctiveIy
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

Aiiibiiiif NNNt ~ ~ Univ VI SlioON-
ing war or I'm time of cocktails
or other ceremonial banality, the
idea being that the statesmen
on the Hill might take fright or
umbrage at the sight Of so many
clanking warriors, and cut off
all military appropriations TO
prevent putsch.
The wisdom of this pathetic
decree has been debated in
formally in the services. with
only "A few officers holding that
soldier should wear the habit
of his trade in peace as well as
IN war.
Most of them prefer multi for
several personal reasons which
apply not only in the capital
but everywhere else.
One is that the officer in uni
form has no privacy in public.
but may be badgered by any
bore who has a cousin. serving
AZ Fort Smelling and regards
that fact as bond Of interest
with a professional man of arms
who is weary Of talking shop
and only wants 70 read detec-
tive story or look out the train
window
Another is the idiotic. useless.
expensive and uncomfortable az
lection known as the Sam
Browne belt adopted from the
British i'm the first World War
and never abandoned by our
army. lest a decision 10 do so
wound the feelings of Gen. John
j. PcrShing.
4 S long as the old gentleman
"A lives, officers Of another
generation will have 10 wear
this heavy harness which serves
no purpose but 10 torture the
man inside IL and needlessly con-
sumo 50 many-theuSand units OF
leather and brass which might
be- put 10 better use.
But ] find myself straying
again from The theme of my
piece, a symptom Of senility
which occurs more often these
days and which | trust YOU viii
remind me Of. hut kindly. please.
Ny thought for the dav is that
If u is possible that Congress
would he impressed by the very
large number Of officers on desk
duty in Washington were they
10 60 in uniform. il would he
a very wise idea 10 insist that
all government press agents, re-
CARELESS Of their official CLASH
fication or guise. be required TO
wear some distinctive garb TO
identify them 10 the statesmen
and the people.
There are so many OF these
now that no man IN the govern
ment has any idea of their total
number.
They have crept into the
woodwork Of the national capt.
tai during these last eight years
and a bit. quietly. one by one,
on the recommendation of this
or that bureau chief and all OF
them. IL goes without saving are
hrcad-and-butter Socialists. at
least and some believing
CollcCilNlsts
IT Is not merely a question OF
numbers and Of the gross
aggregate expense Of keeping
them in Jobs on salaries ranging
as high as $4,000 a year.
Equally interesting is the fact
that they include horde OF
tenacious and cunning parasites
who have developed a remark
able skill in discovering quiet
hiding places on the pay rolls
and spotting new ones in adj
vance when some developed
instinct warns them that new
administrator is coming in,
bringing his own apologists. or
that an appropriation is about
10 be cut.
Like creatures Of the wild.
they have developed a protec-
tive coloration. which is 10 say.
the appearance Of statisticians.
Librarians and quiet geniuses
and an art Of disguise on the
books whereby n diSgruntled
eX-journaliSt may be listed as
an executive assistant or re-
search secretary whose job
actually is 10 ballyhoo his chief
and the general philosophy OF
the Now Deal. whatever il is.
Their recommendations are as
various as their number is great.
but the basic reason for hiring
is usually not one Of public in
tcrcSt but the individuals desire
for tolerably easy and secure
Job involving only mild exer-
tionS.
An example for purposes OF
illustration is one who has been
drawing sd a day in the role
Of "consultant' on the books for
writing departmental publicity
releases. but admittedly il is
1 impossible even 10 guess how
many there are when the term
/ press agent is never used and
euphemismS arc.
1T IS my theory that If all the
u members of this corps Of both
gendcrs were made n wear a
distinctive uniform. not neces.
Sarily unattractive like that Of
orphans or pauperS in an
English town or gaudy like
( those of the station master and
poStman in prewar Continental
I-,,-.ts, rAt,r,Ylue md the raA-