New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-05-31
MR. WATTERSoN AND NEWSPAPER IN
THPVTETC


MIR. Henry Watterson, discoverer and sole
custodian of the Star-Eyed Goddess and author
of famous series of Letters TO Politicians"
has Just returned to Louisville from an editorial
prospecting tour in the Southwest. His obser-
vations OF the political and industrial outlook
in that region have convinced him anew Of the
bomdess resources and energy Of that section.
Yet the soul of him is bowed with much vexa-
ton. In mis- travels Mr.. Watterson was natu-
rally beset by the omnipresent interviewer, In
quest of his opinion on the current topics of
social and political controversy. His reported
utterances, variously advocating the renomina-
ton of MIR. Cleveland and oonsigning him TO
eternal oblivion, "hedging'' on the silver ques-
ton and declaring against free coinage, have
occasioned interested speculation among those
of his admirers who are best accustomed to his
racy and original habits of Thought and speech.
Mr.. Watterson, however, Indignantly disclaims
any intent to urge retrograde action on the lines
of Revenue Reform or to make two negatives de-
stroy one another in an unafflrmative sentence,
and blames it all on the lucxless interviewer
writing in his own person and directly in
his particular behalf" Mr.. Watterson inveighs
against the reproduction from memory OF the
opinions OF the interviewed. elf the devil"
he says should make flying trip to America
and should register in his own name at one of
our hotels, he would not know himself at all
as reported in the morning papers and would
need two philadelphia lawyers and Chicago
sporting man to re-estabish his character on his
return home" This is sweeping indictment
Of the guild of which Mr.. Watterson himself
= -, rod
that the "best intentioned and the most in
telligent reporter cannot take down the thought
of another, except by the photographic pro-
cess, with any hope of exactitude," and that
even then the printed copy should be revised
by the party most concerned, fastens an I'M
warranted stigma on the eXpertness of some
of Mr.. Watterson's own associates 1t would
also imply the necessity for complete change
in newspaper methods and return to weekly
instead of daily publication. While the enemy
of mankind, if he behaved in the civilized way
indicated by Mr.. WattersOn, might be surprised
at what he read in the papers the next morn
ing, his surprise would more probably he due
to tho accurate registry in cold type of his own
loose talk than to any shortcomings on the part
of the interviewer.
The late James Redpath, who disputed with
an eminent ST. Louis journalist the credit Of
inventing the interview, always insisted on
writing interviews with himself with his own
hand and exacting a promise that nothing be
added. II is a question whether the production
gained in force or picturesquenesS by this ex-
cess of caution. As Mr.. Watterson aptly OBJ
serves, the interview "enables the public man
to get down out of the chariot Of ceremony"
1t gives " officialism a chance to appear off
dress parade" Wouldn't the formal revision
and emendation of spoken utterances rob them
Of this very vrtuep Is it likely that Boswell,
that earliest of interviewers, would ever have
succeeded with his subject if he had pestered
the great chair of literature by chasing him
about with a notebook, instead of quietly max
ing his notes from memory Besides, is there
any guarantee that the reviser would do justice
to himself? Arthur Helps says somewhere that
some men can't be trusted with pen and some
can't be trusted without one. According to Mr..
Watterson's own confession, his letter to Gov
ernor Hill, carefully written and presumably
carefully revised-hke the letter to Mr. CIeye-
land, to which il wasn't circumstance-looked
worse in print than he expected. II the letter
had been an interview it is inconceivable that
he should have sought to fasten the blame on
the reporter
The principal danger in interviewing is the
tendency of the subject to speak at random and
of the interviewer to reproduce too faithfully
what he hears. In the case Of a rare talker
like Mr.. Watterson ii would be thousand
pities to divest his racy sayings of their cpl
Rammatic brevity and tersepess By the unfeel-