The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-05-31
Twelve Pages.
AN EXPLANATION TO THE PRESS ASso,
CITATION.

In the matter of the entertainment o
the Texas Press association during dril
week, it is due the drill management ant
the local press that an explanation OF TIT
apparent discourtesy now complained o.
in certain quarters be made. A Telegram
TO the drill board announced thai the
members OF the Press association woulo
arrive in Austin at G3O O'CLOCK
Wednesday morning. The drill board
sometime before the drill week had ap
pointed about thirty of the most repre-
sentative citizens of Austin a reception
committee TO meet strangers at the trains
give them such general directions as they
needed, to look after the care of all dis
tinguished guests. The chairman of the
subcommittee Of this general com
mittee that had the direction
of affairs at the trains for Wednesday re-
ported at the drill board Office Tuesday
night, for instructions as to the attention
to be shown the Press Association. He
was directed to meet the members of that
association at the train, have their car at
tached to the train running to the drill
grounds, and that breakfast and
other meals for all the represent
atives of the press would be
served them free of charge in the drill
board restaurant on the grounds. The
train did not arrive IN Austin until after
0 O'Clock, when the procession was formed
and on its way to the capitol. The chair
man of the reception committee was then
estopped from carrying out the pro
gramme assigned him. He could then
only furnish each member with a "press"
badge that entitled him to free admission
anywhere and everywhere on the drill
grounds. The gentlemen secured
dinner up town, after the CAPT
tol dedication ceremonies and
at their own expense, though every
thing was free to them on the drill
grounds. They were also informed that
tents would be secured for them on the
drill grounds, where they could freely en-
Joy taste of soldiers life. This was done
because the hotels were crowded and it
was the desire to keep the gentlemen of
the press all together and not scatter them
about over the city in private houses.
Possibly all these arrangements were
not understood by the gentlemen, ut oil
events they left that night for San An
tonic. The enormous crowd and the
pressure of work upon the drill board, re-
ception committee and the local press
forbade that attention to the gentlemen
of the association that otherwise and
under more favoroble circumstances they
would undoubtedly have received at the
hands of all. Those representatives
of the press who were stationed in
Austin for the week, had, in their res
pective papers, only words of the highest
commentator of the treatment received
from the drill management, and had the
Press association remained over n little
longer until it had been possible for them
to have received the attention
mapped out and intended for them,
we candidly think there would
not have been hint from them of any
cavalier treatment The matter is greatly
to be regretted, but upon second thought,
these gentlemen must admit that neither
Austin nor the drill board was responsible
for it, 1t was simply an unfortunate
combination of irreconcilable circum-
stances.