The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-03-30
INFORMATION FREE AND FAST
An Actual Dialogue Grswtne Out Of the
Meesing Of - Reporter asd Drunmer.

cigars In your expense accountY' reporter
inquired of u commercial traveller. on tho cars
on the way to Hartford
NO" said tho drummer. we are permitted
to include nothing In our bills except car fare
and board and lodging-and not fare for parlor
cars. either. although We do sometimes ride
that way and average II UP In other ways.''
Reporters get u vroat many passes. don't
they 2" the drummer inquired.
No: as a rule they have no right to take
pass. believe that out West even the great
newspapers permit that sort Of thing but In
the Eastern cities II reporters try to desdhea6
In Theatres and on boats and cars. they do %
at tho risk OF being caught. and perhaps dis.
charged. On the other hand. in about half the
places OF entertainment that reporter is SAINT
to his admission is gained with ticket. which
has been sent to the office as an intimation that
the persons interested want a notice In the
papers. These tickets come by the Dozen but
| only those are used that give admittance to
something which the editors think ought to be
| reported. Tho tickets to balls and pcnics by
| social clubs. and lodges. are thrown away unless
the anair Is in some way important or peculiar.
The general idea is that reporters are to be en-
We'd because they 80 to 30 many entertain
mens. but 1t must be remembered that what
they do is their business. 1t GROVE irksome it
| Is by no means always in accordP ACC with their
| tastes and inclnations. They taxe In the tedi-
GUS and dreary things along with the good.
| They move among strangers. To make n busi-
ness Of anything is work. and work. while 1t
may sometimes be pleasant. is seldom graded
up to the level Of positive fun"
| often meet reporters in the towns stop
at. and some of them envy the amount OF
Sightseeing travelling man enjoys" said the
drummer Well. ! can't help seeing the
Chaudier Falls. or the Battle Monument. or
the East River Bridge or independence Hall
when I go to the cities where those things are.
but have never seen Central Park in New
York. or Druid Hill Park in Baltimore. or the
Geological Gardens in PHILADELPHIA. or. any.
strike town take my grip in my
it's only % Sundays or holidays that -" /
get chance IAN to q" any Sightseeing
n Wrte ettsn or n play p"ssr or Calling on
the girls withthe clerk OF u hotel than am to
poke around alter sights: You say reporters
ut the best hotels. but otherwise are allowed
the same expenses rs travelling man. Now.
ago. the head o! the house called me into the
office and asksdme II knew that my expenses
Sss s Sss bes s ,Ea 20 Sy
led Tfas Sas maze mace
on that. and I'm mailing money, at it.
I've Ssi%ply ssnsed ,rst,class
he %sifepoi,an q Aston Hoase % and now
goto the Occidental get Just ~ good board,
put up on back streets. and walk on ingram
instead OF velvet. Last time Invent to Hartford
hs s9a a% f tell s.s
other about the hotels and we Know where to
60 to in towns we have never visited. We get
at the So houses. oray about s12 for a weeK
when the regular pfie is sls No. we don't say
and looking over our samples. or they see our
letters sent on ahead oy the houses We travel
for. Any ono who knows ANYTHING can tell .
We get lower rats" the drummer contin-
ued. because we kesIfn!ly two.thirds OF the
wasn 'S Ne s shs 1ssp sDs and the
rest Of the public proM&s the profits. It's Just
With he rsroads Y9a ake ,dIs
falo. and don't exagrrate when I say that
four in every six Of ths, passengers are certain
Very keen, Merchants 80 many travelling
veil pos m boto lots
We are paid e:her on cSHmission t or With t's sal
fs Ssay all ns fyho hail from New
as two per cent. and us hisa as twenty, per cent.
Dry goods pay two per cent, because the prices
High commissions like twenty per cent, are
paid on new articles whicf,re just being in
|
are lowered. Pm getting seven per cent. on a
line Of new goods my house wants Introduced.
It's an incentive to work had II You depend
the same way ii don't dos we'll this Year ar
as did in 1889; my sa lo,, WV not be kept to
~ work on space, said the reporter If
you go on talkin g interesting stuff and can
bnts rand Of sna s a. the
is in type shall SCI s. Tor Il. \ Il makes hall
more. and shs man who edits may H1i9 ea. It Il
down to half column. On the aaats- zeit,n0
to or that % to w
It is printed = not. It We'd to To- 'I b
said that practically the same ~ cusEm obtsined
whsreon II reporter was ASSUMED y write Rnii
u, column about something that l,as to take
wrote the half column about how ,nd Why II Il
spd !. does not take place SET pnida no Iats
and spSos earn about s45 week. S,ieh ' Is q
Bigger sums and il is true that once q while
reporter makes $50 or 800 in wee but $45
nb Sol, the than
not pay Tor Ruthless errands. Reportef in the
Ws.k In the b. @ eites they get it,s
as IS week when they are learning th4Susi-
pubs ami
hard however much or little they get. ra-
porter finishes his tasks before o'clock Athe
morning no has to be on deck again h 81,
o'clock: IL he finishes after o'clock. he bust
begin again at noon: The Boston rerotsrs
very much astonished at, the sudden trAas.
formation in their habits.
You speak about their being assigned told
this and that. Don't they 60 out and hunt n
news ?"
Only the department men do that II
| City Hall man hunts for news in the publ
buildings. the Wall street man hunts for Wa
street news; tho Police Headquarters map I'm
the most hunting OF all when any real new
comes up These men have to hunt for it f.
two reasons: First. people not trained to tn
business do not bring 1t to the reporters be
cause they don't know Il when they have &c
It; secondly because officious persons ARC M
TO try to hide news, although That is an almos
nows. He can feel II in the air M you feel
draught In y room. But those hunters are |
tho small minority The great majority com
and there by the city editor. who has got
diary OF present ana future events. Wheneve
he reads or hears Of something that is to TAX
place he puts 1t in this hook. n the city editC
sends reporter to ball. and the rsporte
L.. t.-lxA