Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-10-24
hheut interviews.

Until recently, says Frank A. Burr in
LippincOtt, Mr.. Blaine has been one Of
the most difficult men in the country to
interview, and even now will only talk
for publication with his most intimate
friends in the profession, and then almost
always insists upon revising the inter
view. Alexander II. Stevens was equal
ly particular. Time and again while Mr..
Blaine was engaged in his hardest politi-
cal struggles have tried to get a few
words for my papers upon the results he
had accomplished. remember that
only two years before ne was beaten for
the Presidential nomination in 1880, and
then became the Secretary of State in
Garfeld's cabinet, / was a guest at his
house in Augusta. He mad just won one
of the most bitterly contested State cam
paigns in his political career. l asked
him for statement of the situation, and
some little story of how he had won the
battle. Senator Hale was present at the
moment. Mr.. Blaine turned to me quick
ly, and said, pleasantly:
"Oh, interview Hale. He can tell
yoLSr J about it. do detcst being quoted
in the L,wspapers in the form of an In
terview."
Two years laser, when he was assailed
about his South Amarican policy, one OF
the most important INCIDENTS of his re-
markable career, he at once sought the
form of an interview and two long ones
were printed in nearly every newspaper
in the land. He wanted to reach the
general public, as we'll as the statesmen
of the country, and he acknowledged
that the only way to do it successfully
was in a conversational form. Since that
time he has always sought the interview
when attacked upon any important mat
ter which he desires to answer. No
greater tribute could be paid to the
efficiency of this class Of newspaper
work.
General Grant was the best man to in
terview l ever met. He would only talk
to a person whom he knew well, and then
he could tell you exactly what you wanted
to know in fewer words than any man l
ever made an inquiry Of. He was very
pleasant to newspaper men in whom he
had confidence, but when one came about
whom he did not know or trust you
couldn't get a word out of him with
crowbar. lie never cared much to talkfor
publication, and never did to any extent
upon public matters except to John Rus
sell Young, who, by the way, is one OF
the ablest and most successful interview
ers of any time. He alone among scores
of daily toilers with the pen of this day
is equally able as an editor, cores
pondent, descriptive writer or Taper OF
sap from all sorts of fountains of infor-
nation. -
Roscoe Conkling was the only public
man ever met who never would be in
terviewed for publication upon any sub
iect whatever. He once told me that he
would rather have a mad dog set upon
him than have newspaper man sent
after him for talk. Two or three times
in his life interviews were printed with
him, which he never intended should go
beyond the privacy of his room, and he
never forgaye the men who quoted him.
He had one able correspondent dis
charged from the Herald for publishing
a talk with him which occurred at the
breakfast table, and Mr.. Bennett di-
rected that he should never again write
for his paper.