The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-02-05
STEALING A MESSAGE.
Sharp Practice and a Great Jour-
nalistic Feat.
How Three Able and Enterprising Jour
nalists Secured an Advance Copy,
and How Fourth Stole 1t
From Them.

One of the important events of the
,ear to Newspaper Row in Washing
ton is the annual appearance of the
Presidents Message. This is never fur
nished to the press to appear in print
until after its presentation to Congress.
Many times in years past the cor
respondents have exercised the utmost
ingenuity in their efforts to get it, by
hook or crook, SO as to print it day or
two in advance. Two or three times
they have succeeded, much to the an
noyanee and chagrin of the different
Presidents who have fallen victims to
journalistic voracity. OF late years it
has been so scrupulously and systemat-
ically guarded that it very rarely gets
out ahead of time. An advance COPY
will at any time command large price,
and this has more than once induced
ireachery in the Government Printing
Office. In no other way is 1t possible
for it to reach the public prematurely.
Before Grants time the sharp news
paper men had succeeded now and then
in getting a message before the day of
its delivery. They tried their skill on
Grant, who was not ''up'' on such mat
ters, and successfully, too They out
generated the General. His first mes
sage became the prey of the Row, and
people knew all about it before Con-
gress met. But they did not fool him
second time. He said nothing about
It. but the next year he guarded his
message so carefully that none of the
correspondents were able to get the
slightest trace of it. The night before
the day of its delivery the President sent
messenger along the Row and invited
number of the leading correspondents
to call at the White House the follow
ing morning. OF course they were all
toere at the appointed time. President
Grant entered the room with a bic roll
Of manuscript in his hand and twinkle
u his eye. 1t was perfectly safe to
give out the message then, as there
was not time to make any possible use
OF it till after its delivery.
swell, boys" said the President,
you outflanked me last year, but |
don't believe you will do it again.
Here's the message. You can all sit
down and copy it if you want to- y
Nobody wanted it then, as it was al
ready in the hands of the Associated
Fress, and would be promptly furnished
70 1heir respective papers. But they all
laughed and declared it an excellent
loRe' All of Grants subsequent mes
sages were guarded with equal care,
ana to the end of his Administration he
was as good as his word: not one of
.nem had the edge taken off by prema-
Hayes. pi"' =" ~ 0n
NOV now the unsuspecting and guileless
hayes was taken in by syndicate of
esh1erprSing journalists was told to me
sne other evening by one of the guilty
aio. these were the representatives of
'ae New York Times, Chicaoo Times
sa anu Cincinnati Enquirer. if was in
.n ls9' The boys had been nosino aronnd
~ @n'n ~ more than usual zeal, irving to oct
oIi .he scent OF the messace. Far SeU1
etal days everybody alone tba Porv 9u ,rna
on the qui vive. There : Seemed hSo* ~ "as as
an iadehnable idea that somebody wo,,1d W IA
get 1t ahead of time, and each of 0e the
correspondents hoped to stick a featbar baT
sa,t = fiS Is professional cap BY proving him
sen lle smartest of the lot. The mes
SO sage would be delivered on Monday. and and
" 70 Saturday no one, as far as Know WV
a;.s aas made any headway. Half a dozen
ciasrent y m combinations, each consisting q
u me representatives of three or fong7
ha hSaaueiy-separated journals. had been
,a,a'5: ,aau ~ work all the week. iealousv
Sahaaolng S'hn.l each syndicate from the other
Gor nnaI tl'diings, if any, had been obtained
Tboaa TgSb,ilallstie S rivalry was at white heat.
muas nTose VINO did get stolen copv of the
s,i s,ai'IIa-eoVeted n document were success
H. i. y the merest accident. 1t appeared
thae ,.ss lne New York Tribune man was
nro, sno oaly who really struck a lead that
in,I,l i3,olllsed to pan out rich. He had care
ra., ,n.y nlrsed the scheme, and was on tba
sss se,s point of securing a ma@niticent i1 elnt
;on' Sroop }. AS such feat is termed in
ia.hallstic io'na phrase-when the other fel-
haasass ms stumbled upon the scent and
s'enang the New York Times 'coraay oorros