The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-08-29
GREAT MEN AND THE INTERVIEWER.


was given up Youth's Companion
GREAT MEN AND TIE INTERVIEWER
Until recently Mr.. Blaine has beer
one of the most difficult men in th,
country to interview, and even nov
will only talk for publication with his
most intimate friends in The profess n
and then most always insists in revis
ing the interview. Alexander H.
Stephens was equally particul. r.
Time and again while Mr.. Blaine was
engaged in bis hardest political strug-
giles, have tried to get few words
Tor my papers upon the results he had
accomplished. remember that only
two years before he was beaten for the
Presidential nomination in 1880, and
then became the Secretary of State in
Garfield's cabinet, / was guest at his
house in Augusta. He bad just won
one of the most bitterly contested
State campaigns in his political career.
l asked him for a statement of the
situation, and some little Dry OF how
he won the battle. Senator Hale was
present at the moment. Mr.. Blaine
turned to me quickly, and said, pleas
antly,-
"Oh, interview Mr.. Hale. He can
tell you all about it. l do detest be-
ing quoted in the new spspers in the
form of an interview
Two years later, when he was assa.l-
ed about his South American policy,
one Of the most in portant incidents of
his remarkable career, he at once
sought the form interview, and two
long ones from him were printed in
nearly every new aper in the land.
He wanted to reach the general public,
as well as the statesmen of the country,
and he acknowledged that the only
way to do it .ccessfully in
conversational form. 81 ce t. at time
he has always sought the interview
when attacked upon any important
matter which he desires to answe..
No greater tribute could be paid to tie
efficiency of this class of newspaper
work.
General Grant was the best man to
interview l ever met He would only
talk TO person 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 news
paper men in whom he had confidence;
but when one came about whom he
did not know or trust, you couldn't get
word out of him with a crowbar, He
never cared much to talk FOR publica.
ton, and never did to any extent upon
nublic matters except to John Russell
Young, who, by the way, is one of the
ablest and most successful interviewers
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
Information.
Roscoe Conkling was the only pub
lie man ever met who never would
be interviewed for publication upon
any subject whatever He once told
me that he would rather have mad
dog set upon him than to have news
paper man sent after him for a talk.
Two or three times in his life, int r.
views were printed with him, which
he never intended should 90 beyon,.
The privacy of his room, and he never
fofgave the men who quoted him. He
had one able correspondent discharged
from the Herald for publishing talk
with him which occurred at the break
fast-table, and M Bennett directed
that he should never again write for
his paper.
David Davis could not be interview
ed. While he was justice of the
Supreme Court it would not have
been proper, and after he became a
United States Senator he always be-
lieved himself to be on the high-road
to the esidency, and was afraid to
talk, lest he might injure his chances
for getting there. I never approached
him bat once and that for the story of
how Lincoln was nominated in 1860
told hun that l had already secured
the recollections of two of the men
who then operated with him, when he
drew himself up and said, very seri-
ously,-
"There are only four men who know
the history of Mr.. Lincoln's nomina-
tion, and any one of them would be a
fool to tell it,
Charles Sumner was by no means an
easy man to be led into a talk upon
public matters. After the passage of
the treaty of Washington l once inter
viewed him as to the meaning of the
damage clause of that instrument He
was exceedingly dignitied, although in
his own apartments, with his dressing
gown on. He spoke with great de-
liberation and to the point. | could
readily remember everything that he
said,-although he was talking on a
very important subject.
Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll, like
General Gordon, of Georgia, is just the
kind of man that journalist likes to
meet for business purposes, Both are
fine takers and say original things.
If the subject is very important, Col.
onel Ingersoll will write it out for you
while you wait. He does dislike to be
misquoted, aud he says that inter.
viewers 30 often miss the mark that he
prefers TO do the work himself when
he will talk at all.
John Sherman is difficult man to
interview; but he does not seriously
object TO it. In fact he is very pleas.
ant to writer he knows. But despite
his great ability, he is not fluent, and
it is very hard to get from the very
best work with him anything more
than cold statement of facts.
Senator Edmunds can never be in
terviewed upon any subject Hi,
chum while in the Senate, Senator
Thurman, nicknamed the "Old Ro
man" was very much like him.
General Ben Butler is a capital sub
| ject for the interviewer He likes that
form of addressing the public. He al
ways talks with spirit and originality
Any man to whom he will speak at al
can always get good story from him
| that ia fnlI Ot maat hut ha nSuall a