Wichita eagle., 1889-09-06

| by president or senator seems nfinitesima1
! 1t is a tyraut's power. Luckily it Is not
welded by tyrantS.
Newspaper men are not, as a rule, revenge
! full At any rate, private animosities ara
rarely or never permitted to defraud their
readers of honest and accurate reporting of
! facts. But newspaper men are human, and
# private score can be paid off in strictly
professional way--as IN telling the story of
SONS public mans dereliction or blunder,
which his constituents and the people in gem
eral have right TO acquaintance with-then
the man who reaches the country's conscious
ness via telegraph wire becomes indeed a
| terror.
If a newspaper man has personal score to
pay he can well afford to bids his time. He
need net force matters-the whirligig OF
time will bring him his revenges in the Or
binary course of his business. Chandler will
get his ear pulled, Blackburn will have
trouble with duelist, Ingalls, will make a
sore in Voorhees, on which salt and vinegar
may be rubbed, Ipgalls himself will be up
braided by the wife Of cabinet minister,
and thus in one manner or another viii cor,e
TO eacn moment in which ne wishes all
newspaper writers were his friends.
Newspaper men are resourcefuL If cir
cumstances are such that they cannot with
propriety and with loyalty to their employ
ers write unpleasantly of a statesman who
has treated them unfairly, they have still
recourse. An instance Of this is had in the
case of a New York paper and certain
gruff, bluff senator from the west of the same
party. For years the name of this senator
has not appeared in the columns of that paper
save when it was absolutely essential to the
complete publication of a roll call. Nettled by
this neglect more than be could possibly have
been by the sharpest criticism, the senator
has time AID again sued for peace. The Of
tense, however, cannot be condoned.
If a statesman is unfair to the correspond
ent of a paper in his own party it would
appear the atter's hands were tied. But moi
so. Though, perhaps, he can say no WORD N
! self defense or retaliation in his own paper
he has many friends who represent papers
of the other party, and who are only too glad
to take up the cudgel at the first fair opportu-
nifty The Washington purveyor of informa-
| ton for the public is man of so much power
that the prudent statesman will not unneces-
sarily offend him.
There is one newspaper man in Washing
| ton, a quiet, industrious worker, who wields
tremendous influence upon the opinions of
his countrymen from ocean to ocean He Is
John Miller, a reporter for The Star, man
who has head and face SO like the accepted
portraits of our Saviour that many artists
have asked him for sittings
Miller is one of the best reporters in Wash
ingtou He knows everybody, has been
many years at his work, is generally Fixed
and respected Congress meets at II O'Clock.
The Star takes copy up to o'clock. How
Miller manages TO get SO much matter and
such accurate and well written matter
through the grist in these three hours is one
of the mysteries of newspaper work in the
capital. What he writes is seized upon by
many special correspondents, by press asso-
Citations supplying news to thousands OF
Journals, and spread broadcast throughout
the country. As Miller sees and hears things
on his hurried rounds the country is likely
to see and hear them next morning.
There is no fierce rivalry among the news
gettei-s of Washington. AS rule, they are
willing TO help one another. The whole fra
ternity of correspondents is divided into CO
ferries. Representatives of New York, Bos-
ton, Chicago, St. Louis and ST. Paul papers
go in together. There being no rivalfies
among them. news is exchanged without pos
sibe harm and with assured advantage 10
each member of the coterie So much of
this easy method of getting news is practiced
that cheats" of Importance are very rare in
deed. Newspaper men complain that the
methods in vogue here induce personal indf
ferenne and laziness, and it Is one Of the ira
ditions Of the profession that few men have
enough native energy and industry 10 with
stand the enervating influences OF dozen
years in Washington. Il have been long
enough in the capital" said Mr. A. ". Ly-
man. formerly Washington correspondent f
The New York Sun, and one of the best men
of the row. Il feel that l am getting in the
rut, and am glsd have enough perception
remaining TO see it aud enough energy left TO
get out Mr.. Lyman has purchased news
paper at Helena, N T.
have already mentioned that Washington
correspondents are accommodating one 70
another. This is particularly true in the
midsummer or duh season. AT this very mo-
nleut know OF five prominent papers, each
Of which keeps here an expensive bureau,
whose work Is being done, temporarily, by
one man The other niea are away On vaca-
tons. Two papers in a certsin large city,
one Republican ana the other Democratic,
have been represented for two or three weeks
by one man. HIS chief an1iety IS lest he in
advertently mix his political items and send
them a-wrong.
Sometimes newspaper men ike to play
Jokes on. one another. In the grand stand at
the baseball grounds the other dsy sal two
correspondents. Presently the representative
Of a Chicago paper came in and SIT down n
front Of them W-inkir,g SO his companion,
one Of the men in the rear row exclaimed,
JUST LOUD euongA 10 be overheard by