Evening star., 1960-10-05
Parties Battling 1t Out
In the MoiIrooms, Too

III U6 NOIll
Abraham Lincoln-the one
on the Accent postage stamp
may win the election. Or so one
would believe from watching
the battle waged between the
Republican and Democratic
mailrooms at campaign head
quarters here.
Each day smart young
lawyers and their helpers sort
and analyze nearly 10000 letters
received daily. Sweet old ladies
stuff replies and literature into
perhaps 100000 outgoing en-
velopes.
Senator Kennedy and Vice
President Nixon examine sam
pies of the mail, answering some
of it personally and laying down
guide lines for aides to handle
the rest. The candidates pick
UP ideas for speech topics and
campaign gimmickS from a few
of their correspondents.
Mail Check
Diving into a typical days
mountains of incoming mail at
both headquarters. one finds:
A bottle of "circus liniment, "
made according to a 4O-year-
old Viennese prescription,
guaranteed to make the sore
ness in Vice President Nixon's
knee "sllde away"
Questions and opinions about
taxes, religion, Russia and
farm price supports.
Money.
Offers from young matrons
and elderly invalids to help
round up votes.
A song declaring that John
Fitzgerald Kennedy means
victory, peace and liberty"
AssortmentS of optimistic
and pessimistic appraisals of
the election outlook, as seen
by party professionals and
eager amateurs.
An offer from a dad of 10"
to knit Mr.. Nixon a pair of
socks If he wins the election.
Button Requests
Requests for campaign but
tons, posters. bumper stickers,
pamphlets and speech reprints.
Slogans, ranging from Mix
on Nixon" to experience not
expeDience-the latter con-
trasting the "R" for Republ-
can to the ID" for Democrat.
Congratulatory m essa G S.
normally far outweighing what
is known in the fraternity as
drop dead mail"
Requests for speakers.
Demands for jobs.
Gripes, like one letter to Mr..
Nixon complaining: You're
too perfect. you never make a
wrong move. Just for once do
something foolish or indiscreet.
But don't go too far, don't slap
any gangsters on the back or
engage in street brawls with
drunkS."
Policy Pointers
Pointers on policy, about
equally divided between take
the gloves of" and put the
gloves back on"
Advice on campaign tech
niques. including a brainstorm
envisionlng a relay of Repub-
licans rolling giant ball from
coast to coast as a symbol of
how the Nixon campaign is
"snowballing."
Both parties have set up eff
cient-though hectic-systems
to handle the food of mail. but
mistakes are made. Several
members of Congress were in
structed to report to their local
party committees for campaign
ing orders. An 11-year-old boy
asked the Democrats for litera-
ture. and received instead an
application form for appoint
ment to West Point.
Operation Leaders
Mostly. however, the opera
tions work smoothly. Mrs.
Dorothy Miller is in charge for
the Republican National Com
mittee, Roger Samuelson for
various COP. campaign head
quarters, and David Hackett
and Miss Margaret Stewart for
the Democrats.
Mrs. Miller runs a mail room
at party headquarters, 1926
I street NV. Mr.. Sameu1son
services campaign headquarters
for Vice President Nixon and
Henry Cabot Lodge, and for
Volunteers for Nixon and Lodge,
from a mail room in the base
ment of the Solar Building
1000 Sixteenth street NV. Mr.
Hackett and Miss Stewart over
see three mail rooms at 1106
Connecticut avenue NV.
e. The Republican National
Committee estimates it receives
about $4,000 pieces of mail on a
typical day and other COP
headquarters say they get about
1000. Democrats submit q
rough overall daily estimate oi
5000 pieces.
1t is difficult to estimate &C.
curately the volume of out