The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-26
INTERVIEWS AND INTBRVIEWBRs,


A Rev. John Snyder, a preacher of st.
Louis during recent visit to New York,
met Hon. Roscoe Conkling at dinner-tabe,
and had a little conversation with him He
was so elated over the matter that he wrote
an account of it to the extent of a column
and half for the Globe Democrat, in which
he made Mr. Conkling say a number of things
that have attracted no little attention. IF Mr.
Conkling did say them, they were so clearly
the confidential talk of social hour that Mr..
Snyder's publication of them was gross
breach of courtesy, not to say of decency.
The Post-Dispatch took Mr.. Snyder severely
to task for his report, particularly as he had
been somewhat prominent in the current
cheap abuse of the Interviewer for the
press, in which some shallow people indulge.
Mr.. Snyder felt called upon to respond to the
criticism, saying, among other things:
'1f any of my friends shall imagine for one
moment that have outgrown my horror of
that miserable system of personal espionage.
that reckless habit of personal misrepresenta-
ton which marks the trade of the modern in
terviewer, | shall be very sorry that [ in
trusted to your columns my impressions of a
conversation, the spirit of which | strove
faithfully to reproduce. [ am quite sure that
Mr.. Conkling would not take exception to a
single statement make, nor to my publica-
! ton of the impressions which those state
ments made upon one who had none of the
customary reportorial motives for misrepre-
senting his views"
ba o. ba +o1, +o1o h, al
Mr.. Conkling Mr.. Snyder's letter, and here is
the answer:
''NEw YORK Feb %, 1884.
Answering your telegram authorize you to say
that person, whose name | did not catch, was
brought by member to my table at the New York
Club, where was eating my dinner on Sunday and
introduced "a clergyman who wished to make my
acquaintance. Some casual talk took place, merely
social, without thought that the talked to
reporter or anybody but clergyman with very ia
vorabe opinion of himself The pretended inter
view must relate to this incident and is erroneous
"RoscoE CoNKLrNG."
We reprint Mr. Snyders card and Mr.
Conkling's telegram to point moral, Here
is this canting sniveler talking of his horror
of the miserable system" of interviewing,
and of the RECKLESS habit of personal misrepre-
sentation which marks the trade of the
modern interviewer" asserting that he had
none of the customary reportorial motives
for disappearing" and yet the very first
time man Of supposed prominence talks to
him over a lunch table he turns himself into
miserable interviewer, and succeeds in
writing himself down both an ass and tyro at
the business. He confesses he took no notes
either long or short hand, and without train
ing for the work, proceeds to write out from
memory column and half report of a con-
versation more than week old, affecting to
give the expressions of Mr. Conkling in haec
verba.
The incident is worth noting both by the
public and by the press The 'interviewer,"
under proper restrictions and actuated by
proper motives and obeying proper instruc-
tions, is not only most valuable
adjunct of newspaper, but is a most reliable
servant of the public. The interviewer"
who abuses his trust betraying the paper upon
which he is employed and the public whom he
serves, is the rarest exception, The reporter
has no motive for Misrepresentation. On the
contrary, be has every motive for fidelity, ac-
curacy and honesty. On these traits his use
fitness, his situation and his future depend.
The reporters" and the professional ''inter-
viewers" who abuse their trusts are speedily
found out, the mari; of Cain is put upon them,
and theS-are regarded, both inside and outside