National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-11-10
REPORTERS AND EDITORS.
some PccuIiaritIes aud characteristics of
These IntereatlnE AnInnIa.

A few days ago promised to tell you
something more about reporters. You have learned
already what easy times they have; but often
those who have the best chances in this world do
not seem to appreciate the fact and sometimes n
reporter gets this way and thinks his salary ought
TO be raised. So he spoke to the editor about IL.
Editors are very liberal men, Many Of them do
not think any mere Of dollar than some men do
Of their lives but they know &c the reporters were
paid too much they would save their money and
buy the paper, and then the editors would have to
be like the Chinese-they would have TO go. So in
sefprotcction they obliged to keep the salaries
Of the reporter ut 5000 or 5000 year. They
hate to do this but self preservation is the rst law
OF editors as well OF nature. Many editors pre-
serve themselves SO well that the reporters never
buy them out
But editors are kind -hearted. Mr.. Dana, of the
New York Sun, once heard that horse which had
been very fast, but which everybody thought
played ont, was going to be sold out at auction by
his master. SO he sent around and bought the
poor horse for 5000. The next summer he put
him in the big race, just for fun everybody said.
There were great many noted horses in this race,
and men bet large sums OF money on them, Mr..
Dana's horse only bringing 81 In $50 pools but he
won the race and all the money that was bet.
This is called "paralyzing the pool-box" So
you see that the fairies are kind to those who do
Once young man who graduated at Harvard Col
lege, and was a SPLENDID scholar in base ball and
rowing, came to a large Western city and hired
out to be reporter. The next day the editor sent
him TO an inquest He came back at night with
enough manuscript to mako book
The editor gave this to an experienced reporter,
and said: :" Cut that down to stickfull" Amer
awhile he went over where the experienced re-
porter was sitting, and said: a. How did that new
duck manage the inquest2" "Ob," said the ex-
perienced reporter, "he got evcrythipg-except
the verdict" Aud then the other reporters that
were sitting laughed heartily but the editor lei
drop few words OF tropical warmth and dis.
charged the new reporter-who was very much
surprised 10 see that the paper continued to come
out regularly AFTER he had left It to its fate
New reporters always tell everybody that they
arc journalists" but the old ones call them deck.
hands. New reporters always think they know
everything, and in some Offices It Is customary 10
put dish of salt on new reporters desk This
Is delicate way Of telling him he is too fresh
Reporters never like to hurt anybody's feelings.
once an editor In Cincinnati hired a reporter In
Chicago to do some work for his paper. After O
while the reporter forgot to send anything about
| an important matter, which made the editor very
angry. SO he sent dispatch to the reporter, say.
ing: "You are discharged. Why did you get lief,
on that? Answer" When the reporter read this he
laughed to himself, and said: "I wonder If that
old plum thinks he can get the best of me?" SO he
wrote the longest kind Of an answer, explaining
all about the matter, and closed by saying he had
been discharged, because he disliked to be con.
nected with a paper that allowed itself to &c,
scooped. It took $50 words TO say this and as Il
was sent by telegraph, tho Cincinnati editor had
pretty big bill to pay. But 1t taught him never Il
nsk for explanation by telegraph again. and thai
Chicago reporters were very liable to keep VI
with the procession-Hdftod Post.