GENERAL PRESS BUREAU HAS SPREAD THE EXPOSITION'S FAME
F THE great Lewis and Clark Bxpol
I is a success if through this means
thousands of people from all parts of
the untryvcome to make their-homes In
Oregon, to cultivate the land, to raise
crops and to contribute their share to the
progress and "wealth of the state, the Gen
eral Press Bureau of the Exposition -will
be in a large share responsible.
Through this bureau the people of the
United States and of other parts of the
world have had their eyes operied regard
ing Oregon, her resources, her latent
"wealth and the Exposition she Is to have
in commemoration of one of the greatest
explorations. Through the bureau hun
dreds have been made aware of the at
tract! ven&ss of the Oregon country and
the Oregon climate. Columns have been
"written about this subject, columns have
been printed, which, if pasted together,
would reach around the world. Not only
has the country in general been awakmed.
but the--people of the state have been en
ticed to greater and more profitable en
thusiasm, their pride has increased, they
are alive to the fact that Oregon Is the
greatest state in the Union, and that her
era. of prosperity, wealth and might has:
but commenced.
The Press -Bureau has been under the
di reel ton of Henry E. Reed, director of
exploitation, and he has done his work
well. The Immediate labors have .been un
der the direction of Frank L. Merrick,
whoeo management has resulted In a
world of-good for the Exposition and for
Oregon. To a mind unfamiliar with the
details of the work, the labors of the bu
reau appear stupendous. With a few as
sistants Messrs. Reed and Merrick nave
accomplished an almost unbelievable
amount of meritorious labor.
At the request of The Oregonlan the fol
lowing articles, from the pens of the men
who know most about the subject, have
been prepared descriptive of the work of
the General Press Bureau:
Value of the General
Press Bureau
Exploitation of the Lcrrla and
Clark Exposition nnfl State Is
Object of Its Organization.
BT HENTVT E. REED.
Director of Exolotutlon.
IN the two and one-half years that the
division of exploitation hag been in
operation the scope and purpose of the
Exposition have been made known In
every civilized country in the world. .Not
only that, but through the medium of
the Exposition the western part of the
United States, and especially the Pacific
Ccaet country, has been exploited as
never before in Its history. Eastern
knowledge of the Coast region has been
comparatively limited until within the
past few years, notwithstanding the ex
tensive advertising -which California has
ahrsys done.
Aa.apt illustration of this is found In the
fact that California, with all her marvel
lous resources in her favor, did not gain 1
as rapidly in population In the 20 years
ended with 1900 as Kansas did in the 10
cars between 1870 and 1SS0. "What the
Coast region wanted for many years was
some chance to put its advantages prom
inently before the people, and to keep in
terest" centered in it long enough to get
travel started its way. The Exposition
furnished the opportunity, and every com
munity west of the Rocky Mountains that
has Inducements to offer investors or
home builders is taking advantage of It.
it is conceded by commercial bodies
throughout the Coast region and by all
familiar with the course of events, that
the Exposition has given them a long
desired, chance to make themselves heard,
and has also stimulated their home com
munities to greater endeavor. In Oregon,
for Illustration, not a single community
was systematically advertising Itself when
the Exposition Company -was organized
three years ago test January. Now all
parts of the state are up and rustling.
Objects of Exploitation.
In all Exposition exploitation four main
objects are sought to be accomplished.
These are:
First To procure tha participation of
the states and territories of the Union and
of foreign countries.
Second To procure the participation of
the United States Government so as to
give the Exposition a National character.
Third To create a general and wide
spread interest In the exposition and a
desire on the part of the general public to
see it.
Fourth To stimulate local and general
attendance at the exposition during Its
continuance. Foreign and domestic exhibitors were in
terested through an independent bureau
of exhibit exploitation, which was main
tained at St. Louis throughout the Lou
isiana Purchase Exposition under the di
rection of Colonel Henry E. Dosch, the di
rector of exhibits. The success that at
tended Colonel Dosch's efforts is attested
by the statement that within the past SO
days It has been necessary to construct
one large building and to add two wings
to another building in order to provide
space for all the desirable exhibits that
are offered.
The interest of the United States Gov
ernment was enlisted and its participa
tion brought about by a committee of
Portland cltlcens who went to "Washing
ton, D. C, in December, 1S03, and stayed
there almost continuously until the act
was put through the following ApriL Aid
ed by the powerful influence of President
Roosevelt, the committee Induced Con
gress to appropriate 1475,000 in cash, which.
with the exhibit already collected and
ready for installation, made the equiva
lent of an 03.000 appropriation. In addi
tion, the coinage of souvenir gold dollars
was authorized, from the sale of which
the Exposition has realized a small profit
State Participation.
State participation has been brought
-about by the vUit of special commission
ers representing the Exposition to state
capitals -diirinc the sittings of the legis
fflajsnftpfta son&k, portku.-dI kaeoh.
lature. Prior to such visits the individ
ual members of the Legislature received j
personal letters, explaining the objects of
the Exposition from headquarters at
Portland, together with an abundance of
illustrated literature, so that when the
special commissioner arrived on the scene
he found the ground already broken for
him, and the Legislators informed re
specting the subject he had to bring for
mally to their notice.
Regardless of the sending of letters or
printed matter to Legislators, the com
missioners have found it advisable in
every instance to confer first of all with
and enlist the interest and co-operation
of the Governor of the state, the leaders
in the Senate and House and the chair
man of the appropriations committees of
the two houses. The support of these
officials obtained, it has been a relatively
easy matter to get appropriations; with
them opposed, any argument would prove
unavailing.
il states that have been canvassed
showed a decided disposition to regard
the Exposition as a business proposition,
pure and simple. Thus. New York. Mas
sachusetts and Missouri, which have ex
tensive business relations with the Pa
cific Coast, readily made appropriations,
while Virginia, which has only a senti
mental connection by reason of being the
birthplace of both Lewis and Clark, did
not grant any money at all. though it
courteously passed a resolution indorsing
the Exposition. The states that have so
far voted to participate officially are New
York, Massachusetts. Pennsylvania, Ore
gon, California. "Washington, Idaho, Utah,
Montana. North Dakota. Wyoming and
Missouri, with Connecticut. Illinois, Ne
braska. Wisconsin and Arizona yet to be
heard from. The total state appropria
tions to date are nearly SSQO.000. which sum
13 likely to be increased to 11,000,000 -when
all the returns. are In.
In amount of state appropriations Port
land will exceed Buffalo by about $100,000.
and it will have about the same number
of state buildings as Buffalo had. In the
past two years special commissioners of
the Exposition have visited every state
and territory in the Union twice, and in
some special cases three and four times.
While it has not been possible, for one
reason or another, to get state buildings
or exhibits from all the states, full ad
vantage has been taken by the commis
sioners of every opportunity to exploit
the Coast Country and the Exposition. In
the performance of their duties these com
missioners have traveled over 75,000 miles.
Newspapers and Railroads Friendly.
In all the work of making the Exposi
tion known throughout the United States
special effort has been put forth to culti
vate and hold the good will of the news
papers and the railroads. This was
adopted as a policy to be followed at the
very first meeting of the exploitation com
mittee, held on September 4, 1902. Of all
the agencies that can be employed In
operations of this character, the rail
roads and the newspapers alone can make
or unmaxe an exposition. From the very
JLbeginnlnB both of these -forces hare TeejJ
exceedingly liberal to the Lewis - and
Clark Centennial; and they have probably
done more to encourage It than for any
previous Exposition.
When the railroads were first , ap
proached two years ago respecting their
plans for Portland, they replied that as
soon as they were through with the St.
Louis Fair they would turn their atten
tion in this direction and exploit the Lewis
and Clark Centennial In every possible
way. This promise they are now keeping
by display advertising which they are
publishing in the leading daily newspa
pers and magazines, and by the publica
tion and distribution of illustrated fold
ers and pamphlets giving full Information
about the Exposition. For these folders
and pamphlets the general press bureau
of the Exposition furnishes the data, the
photographs, cud In the majority of cases
the half-tone cuts for the illustrations.
Some of the railroads, as well as certain
newspapers and magazines, prefer the
photographs so that they may make cuts
of the screen suitable to the quality of
paper they use.
Newspapers, whether published North
or South, have cheerfully accepted the
syndicated articles and the regular
service of the General Press Bureau.
Not only that, but they have called for
special articles on the Exposition, as
well as topics of general interest to
the West, such as agriculture, horti
culture, hopgrowing. scenery, irriga
tion, fisheries, mining, etc. Thus, the
Press Bureau now and then finds itself
engaged in work -which Is more or less
Immigration in character, but the ar
ticles on the subjects mentioned are
In demand, and the publication of them
helps the country, which Is one of the
main objects of the Exposition. The
newspapers are more Interested in the
Lewis and Clark Centennial than in
any Exposition ever held, for the sim
ple reason that the tributary country
is new and their readers want to know
about it.
Most Effective Publicity.
The Exposition has sent out about
3,000,000 pieces of printed "matter and
written thousands and thousands of
letters, but we find that the most ef
fective method of exploitation is the
old standard, straight out from the
shoulder, newspaper publicity. What
ever may be said for other forma of
exploitation, whatever else may draw
attention or create Interest, it Is the
newspaper publicity that puts the trav
eler on the train and starts him for
the Exposition City.
Its cheapness may be illustrated by
citing as an- example that the General
Press Bureau recently reached by one
syndicated article, 1.750,000 -readers of
21 prominent newspapers in the East,
among them such papers as the New
York Times, the Pittsburg; Dispatch.
Pittsburg- Chronicle-Telegraph and the.
Kansas City Star. The total cost of
the article material, labor, postage
and photogTkjms, all included was $10.
To reach- the msh number of readers
- aia tfcs-ahe ajot t jsr&tfc) JoMer
;f ... 1995,
ever issued by the Exposition company
would cost over $20,000,' and would not
be one-tenth as good.
The disposition of the newspapers
toward the West at this time, and their
willingness to publish all good matter
offered to them, gives the Lewis and
Clark Centennial an advantage that has
never been enjoyed by any previous.
Exposition that of being able to ad
vertise itself and the country it con
cerns for a nominal amount of money.
On the subject of newspapers, let it
be said that the Portland papers are
and have been the loyal friends of the
Exposition. Upon them devolves the
task of creating and keeping- up the
local enthusiasm and stimulating: the
local attendance so essential to ths
success of the enterprise. They have
constantly exploited the Exposition,
through regular and special editions,
and have done a vast amount of valu
able work without recompense or
promise or hope of recompense.
An Exposition employs many side
lines of publicity, all of which contrib
ute to the general result, but it is not
necessary to go into details hero re
specting them. Among- them may be
mentioned newspaper and department
store contests, which have been part
of the advertising plan of nearly every
Exposition held in the United States in
recent years. The General Press Bu
reau has started a number of these
contests along the Coast and in the
East, and is receiving- most gratifying
results from the resultant publicity.
President Goode and Director Wake
field of the admissions division have
made liberal provision for admissions
covering these contests, and the big
stores and big- newspapers all over the
country are taking hold of them. The
Influential Boston Herald devoted two
pages of a recent Sunday issue to an
advertisement of the contest It has in
augurated to send 30 New England
school teachers- to Portland this Sum
mer. The attendance of an Exposition be
yond the 500-mile line of the Exposition
city is almost an unknown quantity,
but it looks as If Portland will set
aside precedence this year and draw
a considerable .percentage of its at
tendance from the East It is certain
that, attracted by the low rates which
the railroads have put into effect, the
Eastern travel to the Pacific Coast wilt
be larger this year than in any previous
year.
It is now that the Eastern people are
beginning to talk of their plans for
their Summer vacations, and conse
quently it is at this time that the ex
ploitation division of the Exposition is
doing its heaviest work. Regardless
of the travel this year, the Exposition
has put the Pacific Coast on the map
of the -United State?, and has redeemed
the promise made when stock sub
scriptions were solicited a little over
three years ago that the country would
be better advertised and made better
known and better understood by, the
warm -man. ybt pciers. -
How the Publicity
Work Is Done
Thousands of Newspapers Are
Furnished Wita Articles De
scriptive ot the Exposition.
BY FRANTC L. AIERRICK,
Manager General Press Bureau.
THE publicity campaign of the
Lewis and Clark Centennial Expo
sition was begun througa the newspa
pers on an extensive scale four months
ago, when the General Press Bureau
was. organized as a department in the
division of exploitation.
As an Exposition is held" primarily
for the purpose of exploitation, the de
partment of publicity is one of the
most important branches of the admin
istrative work of an Exposition. The
best results are obtained by the read
ing notices and Illustrated articles pub
lished In the newspapers of the coun
try through the medium of a well-organised
press bureau. Upon this de
partment falls the task of advertising
the Exposition Itself to Induce attend
ance, and the vast work of exploiting
the locality in which the Fair is held,
thus assisting in accomplishing the pri
mary purpose of the enterprise.
Newspapers Supplied Weekly.
The scope of the Lewis and Clark
Press Bureau is as broad as that con
ducted in connection with the World's
Fair at St. Louis. Flv tnousand news
papers are being supplied every week
with matter concerning- the Exposition
Portland and tha Pacific Northwest!
This matter is being- Jlberally printed
and the results are obvious. After four
months ot steady and often strenuous
labor by the Press Bureau, the people
of the entire country have been made
acquainted with the Exposition, and
have had their eyes drawA toward Port
land and the Pacific Northwest.
Since the inception of the bureau
more than 175,000 words have been
written- The articles in which these
words have been incorporated haye
been duplicated something- like 70.000
times. When it Is taken into consider
ation that a large majority of these
stories have been printed by publica
tions ranginar In circulation from 1000
to as high as 250,000 each (the latter
being- tauoh newspapers as the New
York Sunday Hrald), and that sta
tistics show that each newspaper is
read by an average of five persons, one
may comprehend the far-reaching in
fluenza of the Press Bureau.
Thirty Thousand Columns.
The result of th four months' work'
is shown by the large numbor of cllp-
ninm received- Th ta ft nnnOvao r
j&Huaa ot. SMttsrjitiated ocaaot bej..
ascertained- as Jtha-clipping force-is tar
behind its work, land it Is impossible trt
obtain copies of everything printed. It?
is estimated, however, by the clippings
on hand that at least 30,000 columns?
have been printed about the Exposition?
in papers outside of Portland during the
nast four months. Recently one morn
ing's mall brought clippings of 3tories
ranging in length from a column to a
full page, but none lees than a column,
which were printed- in prominent news
papers of the East, having a combined
circulation of more than half a mil
lion. These were only one day's' re
sults from syndicate articles and did',
not include the -numerous short items'
and notes.
Besides furnishing- tna newspapers)
with matter, the department hasf
-worked in conjunction with the rail
roads. Texts for the numerous folders,
pamphlets and display advertisements
which the railroads are putting out have
been furnished, accompanied by illustra
tions. The railroads are co-operating to
a sreater extent than they ever did for
any other exposition- Many of them are
issuing folders devoted exclusively to the
Lewis and Clark Exposition to the num
ber of 100,000 each. Advertisements,
which carry mention of the Exposition
are being placed in all of the leading
-magazines and newspapers of the- coun
try by the railroads.
Popular Voting Contests.
One of the first moves made on the
opening of the bureau in November was
to Interest newspapers in popular voting
contests and to offer suggestions as to
how they could be conducted. At the
present time more than 5 contests have
been inaugurated and others are being
started every week. The last paper was
the Boston Herald, which intends to send
20. New England schoolteachers, to the
Exnosltion. giving them week's visit
and paying all of their expenses, includ
ing railroad fare, hotel bills, etc In
Fresno, Cal., both- of the daily papers
are conducting such contests and the
rivalry thus caused is keeping the Ex
position before the people of that locality
day In an day out. This kind of pub
licity is most effective as the paper prints
daily, several columns, and frequently a
half page, about the attractions of the
Exposition and the standing of the con
testants. And then again there is a
local interest created by almost every
one In the community working for his or
her favorite. The Boston Herald in
augurated its contest by printing a two
page illustrated article about the Expo
sition, and inside of a week there will
hardly be a person in New England who
!z not aware of the scope and features cf
the Lewis and Clark Exposition.
Early in the campaign circular letters;
-were addressed to the advertising man
agers of large department stores through
out the country inviting them, ta inaugur
ate similar contests during their stay at
the Centennial, In return for which the
stores were to make liberal mention- of.
vthe Exposition In their, display advertise
ments in the daily papers. Several firms
have started these contests on the sug-