The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-02-15
Printers Circular.l
Newspaper Reporters.

In talks and writings concerning Journalism
the reporter has long been overlooked; even
the intelligent general public habitually under
estimates the Importance of reporters. On INC
great city dailes the reporter is OF as mucn IN
portance as the editor-in-chief; w1thout ms 40
sistance the forger of the editorial thunaer-
bolts won Id be at loss for his most scathing
material. News from the four quarters OF the
globe is flashed to him by the telegraph wires'
scaling mountain ridges and diving under
ocean depths of the doings in his own city
the wires are mute. What is of interest to the
vast and influential bodies of municipal tax-pay
ers must be nnearthed by the reporter beforelt
can be commented upon blythe editorial wheels
that GRIND. but it is the nimble reporter who
brings grist to the editorial mill.
How great power the reporter really IS Ia
journalism was manifested in New York city
some years ago-it was long time slhce'
James Gordon Bennett was still alive, ana SO
was Horace Greeley, but both were old men' II
silyered heads aud boards make age. LII was
when A. A. Low, the then president or the Ne"
York chamber of commerce, had returned Ifoin
a European tour. great complimentary
banouet was given Mr.. Low at the Fifth Ave-
nue hotel. His honor, the mayor, was there;
SO was Judge Brady; in fact, all the big guns
of the bar, and all the famous editors, except
the elder Bennett, who never went TO dinners.
After all the magnates were seated, the report
ers were admitted-there weae fourteen OF
theu-all were taken to a long table which
was not set for q dinner, though admirably ad-
apted for writing purposes. The WATERS troop
ed in with the viyands, but ignored the report,
ers, who bore the slight until the courses mad
NV, DOR thew
arose and tramped silently out of the banquet
hall in Indian fle Horace Greeley, Manton
Marble, Jones of the Times; Hudson, Of the
Herald: Brady, of the Mail; and Brooks OF
The Express, saw the departure: Mr. Greeley
LAUGHED and said: odd if the boys amt serv-
lag 5em just right" The guest of the even
ing looked up in dismay; he was prined
with long speech that he wanted well re-
ported.
returned from the bar room of the hotel, Whefe
they had whied away the time in sampllng zee
water, and perhaps something stronger. NO
sooner had they got back to their table than
walters were sent to them with wine ana
cigars. Both were Indignantly rejected, we
are here to work, not to drink and smoke, .
said the fourteen in chorus. The chairman OF
the committee of arrangements came to apollo
gise. he was heard in grim silence. He said
special dinner should be provided. I'VE are
| here to work, not eat dinner" answered the
/ fOunI6eQ. 10 WOIh dppakOho'y
pencils flew over paper; the speakers glanced
nervously at the wrifersr; they seemed to sus-
pect their diligence; perhaps they thought 1t
was not deserved at all.
Next morning confirmed their suspicious;
the poor, snubsed reporters had got oven with
the millionaires, judges and lawyers, The
Tribune had no reference whatever to the an,
ner; The Herald had twenty lines; The World
apoiogized that the Low dinner was crowded
out: in The Times there was stickful die
tated by the editor, who smelt mouse and
hurried to the office from the dinner to find not
| line of it, just as he expected.
| All the reporters were severely reprimanded by
| their chiefs; one of them-him OF the Herald
| lost his place, for the elder Bennett was mer-
| CHESS master: he dismissed men for the verlest
| tribes, but his shrewd managing editor re-en-
| gagged all the valuable ones as fast as they were
| discharged by the memorable proprietor. who,
| in the last decade of his active life did not
know his employees with perhaps five excep-
tions, by sight.
| However, the poor. in-purse reporters discom-
| flied the millionaires, and from that distant
| day to this the reporters have not been snub-
bed at any of the grand public dinners given
| in New York.