Evening journal., 1891-05-21
ouR LEGISLATIVE MoRk.
Our Contemporaries Were Not I'm II
a Boycott Which Failed.

Our Contemporaries Were Not sIn Yt.u
a Boycott Which Failed.
The EvRNIEG JOURNAL has come out
OF the Legislative session, Just closed.
with Increased reputation for giving the
public the news first. Its Legislative
correspondent has made a succession of
big beats" without any breaks" His
competitors at the state capital cannot
point to one piece Of important news that
they got first, when it happened in time
for en- afternoon paper. He often beat
both the afternoon and morning contem-
poraries.
The ''BeAts" Begun.
The first beat" made on Leoislative q
matter was when this paper published
the full text Of the Five Com missioners
bill. When William Herbert failed TO
make a settlement with the state and an
examination into the affairs of the state
treasury was about TO be begun, the
EVENING JOURNAL got 1t before any Of
It's contemporaries While they tried to
cry down the possibility of anything
wrong, 1t went on publishing the facts
and proved Ia the end that everything
was just as it had represented ii in the
first despatch. 1t published verbatim
reports of the evidence and gave both
sides Of the controversy with its charac-
teristic fairness.
The Evening journal" Boycotted.
The EVENING JOURNAL was the frat
paper to publish the full text or any
part of the Frazer bill, which allows the
Republican Board of Health to name its
secretary, who shall also be ex otficio
city registrar of deaths, births and
marriages This so incensed the two
other correspondents that they quietly
worked up boycott against the EVEN
ING JOURNAL correspondent, but it only
lasted for a day and a night. The way
In which 1t happened was this: Senator
Richardson received the bill; the EVEN
ING JOURNAL correspondent got on to
it" the evening before the day on which
II was introduced. There was chqnce
for a"beRt The full text of the bill was
! sent up; several interviews were obtained
with men whom the bill affected and the
result was ''heAt" Of immense proper
tion. Next day late In the afternoon
Mr. Richardson introduced the bill. The
EVENING JOURNAL correspondent re
ported the Senate proceedings and ex-
changed manifold copy-slps with the
two House reporters. He promptly
journallzed the introduction Of the bill
and gave the slips to the other news.
paper men. Soon the Every Evening
man walked into the Senate chamber and
asked the purport Of the bill. The EVEN.
ING JOURNAL reporter said:
1t Is a bill to knock William II. Lee
out Of Office by allowing the Republican
Board Of Health to app oint its secretary.
who shall be by virtue of his office city
registrar II you want to know any
thing more about 1t, you will see 1t in
full In the EVENING JOURNAL tonight. F."
The Boycott Worked Wrong.
The Morning News man had also
missed 1t, and he was soon
the recipient Of telegram Of
inquiry from the Office IN Wilmington.
The News manager saw the story in the
EVENING JOURNAL, but he did not see IL
In the Dover letter which was to appear
in the News the next day. The cores
pondents Of the Every Evening and
Morning News held q conferences and
private indignation meeting at which
they kicked themselves and broke
several commandments. Next morning
when the reporter of the EVENING
JOURNAL entered the State House parlor
ne YVES INFORMED bY the Every Evening
man that he and the Morning News man
did not like the beat !" that the EVENING
JOURNAL man should have told them of
the bill being In Dover. To this he re-
piled that he journalized It as soon as it
was introduced, and II he could make a
beat" before that he considered him self
free lance and would do 1t every time.
The Every Evening man then said that
he and the Morning News correspondent
had decided to work the two Houses
together and did not care to exchange.
The Morning News man was seen and be
substantiated the statement.
Four Beats" in One Day.
The EVENING JOURNAL correspondent
consulted one or two friends, pulled him.
self together made his arrangements and
the next day he promptly scored four bad
beats" on the "boycotters. In the
Evening the Morning News man came
into the Senate chamber aud said he
would like TO come to an agreement. he
was told that the only agreement aecept-