Wichita eagle., 1889-09-06
MEN WHO ARE POWERFUL.
NEWSPAPER CORRESPONDENTS AT
WASHINGTON.
They Seldom Abuse Their Privileges, How
ever-John Miller, Famous News Gath
erer-Some Incidents in a Reporters Life
at the Capital
Especial Correspondence

at the Capital
Especial Correspondence.
WASHINGTON, Ono of the most
powerful men in America walked down News
paper row few minutes ago, AID IS begin
writing about him is standing in the door OF
his Office, not far frc1n mine, lecturing his
Office boy for some extraordinary dereliction.
You have never heard this powerful mans
name, and outside the city Of Washington
there are not hundred persons who know
him by sight He is a little fellow, who
wears flannel shirt and airs 50 modest that
he looks anything but the great man he Is
Yet if there is warrant for the aphorisln that
the men who make the greatest impressions
on their times are those who IN largest meas
ure influence the thinking OF their fellow
men, this newspaper correspondent, now en-
gagged in reading the riot enactment to his
office boy, is assuredly one of the master
spirits of the age. He cannot order out the
army and navy, nor discharge Office holders,
nor pardon criminals, nor veto private pen
sion bills, but be can and nightly does spread
broadcast the nnorsels OF news on which pub
lie opinion feeds and drinks.
The Washington correspondent is man
of power, because he stands between govern
persons on the one side, and the unlocking
public on the other. He is a man of wide &C.
auaintance, keen observation, great expe-
rience Better than all, he has much indie
pendence. Though he must in his daily work
cut his cloth according to the political mode
Of his paper, aside from the general course
which he is expected to pursue great freedom
of action is left him. He has the confidence
Of his managing editor. His copy is but little
edited in the home Office, he receives few
orders from his superiors. Very often, in
stead of following policies laid down by his
paper, he inoculates the home management
with the inspirations by which policies are
adopted.
Tho first business Of the Washington cor
respondent is TO transmit the news. But
news may be ''colored." news Of a certain
sort may be made much of, other news may
be Belittled or entirely suppressed. The
great power of the Washington correspon-
dent has its source largely in this privilege
OF his 10 mix opinions with facts. II he does
ais duty well he is more than a mere re-
-torter of occurrences-he Is an editor Of
news who writes over d wire, mirror of
opinion an analyst of men, a commentator
who incidentally illumines facts which might
otherwise be devoid Of color To the eve of the
average reader.
The work of the ideal Washington corre-
spondent reminds me very much of the good
pressnan who has in hand a job contaihing
wood cut illustrations The lines of the en-
graving-the back-are cut by other hands,
and cannot be changed. II the plate is run
raw and untreated through the press it is too
strong in color here and too light there. In
one spot the ink is thick and black where it
1 h. 4
CURED it prints gray" and uncertain The
skillful pressman takes that engraving in
hand and transforms it without touching one
Of the lines. He ''underlaysn the plate with
thin piece of paper to make the surface di-
rectly over it print stronger, or, in another
place, cuts out a small section from the tyIn-
pan to give lighter, more delicate shading.
If there is villain in the picture plenty of
ink is left upon his somber face, and if there
Is a maiden fair and prosecuted, how the soft
ness of her eyes and the graceful nesting Of
her brown curlS are brought out in all their
graceful tenptingnessl Like the pressman,
the slallful Washington correspondent lover
laws" and ''underlays" and "cuts away" to
give tint and tone to the daily pictures which
occurrences paint for him in outline.
A sample of the manner in which the
Washington correspondent exercises his pow
er An incident in one of the departments
of such nature that it can be construed into a
reflection upon the dignity and efficiency of
a high official falls under the notice Of a
member OF the corps of correspondents who
doesn't like the official involved. Without
mistaking the facts, but simply by colorinS
them, he makes of the incident some very
unpleasant reading for the person chiefly in
terested. But before sending his copy to the
telegraph Office the young giant concludes he
had better set to work other agencies within
reach of his hand. The copy is manifolded
snd sent out by means of the office boy to
dozen or more correspondents OF metropol-
itan papers, friends and neighbors of the dis
coverer All or nearly all of these make use
of the news item, rewriting it or not, as their
fancy dictates. Next morning see what q
display of power our modest little CORE
spondeut has made. When daylight dawned
In Boston it found three or four lightning
presses turning ont by the thousand papers
containing the story of the department Off
cial who made blunder. Hundreds of news
boys gathered up the papers and carried
them TO all parts Of the city Trains BY the
score spread the story all over New England
At New York daylight broke upon a SINH
lar scene, and again at Philadelphia, Fits
burg Cincinnati, St. Louis, Chicago, ST.
Paul, Kansas City, and on to San Francisco,
Portland and Seattle At the command of
the little nan in a flannel shirt on Newspaper
row, st a wave of his hand in the direction
of an Ethiopian Office boy, this snow storm
OF intelligence was spread on millions of
fakes from ocean TO ocean. Probably the
department etiicial was not much hurt His
pride may Lave been wounded, aud his enc
mics at home may have seized upon the Incl
dent, trivial as il was, TO laugh 10 destruc-
ton his ambitions for 4 seat in the house or
senate. But if the manifolded item of news
had been one 10 blast his reputation, TO ruin
him beyond recovery, 1t would have been
just the same.
This is q power beside which that welded