The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-02-19

uOlIOIS dDQ COLSI1Lc0 Win lie
/ friends, the correspondents, about the mat
| ter A plan of campaign was laid out and
| q secret, adroit plan it was. Colfax was
not once permitted to know that he was in
danger. While he was lulled into a sense
OF security. the correspondents and a few
public men who had been let into the Sc
cTet were working like beavers. and when
Grant had been nominated for president
and Colfax and his friends were expecting
to see the old ticket completed in the next
moment, the trap WAS sprung. Colfax was
beaten by a close shave, and Henry Wilson
became vice president of the United States.
Another striking instance Of the power
Of the Washington correspondents IN polltl-
cal matters was afforded in the case of
Frank HiScock, now the senior senator
from New York. When Hiscock first came
to Washington it was as congressman,
while sam Randall was speaker of the
house and having some acquaintance with
John NJ. Carson, then as now one of the
most highly respected and influential Of the
corps of correspondents, Hiscock went 20
him and said Carson, you and | are good
friends, and now you have chance to do
me a favor. | want to go on the committee
on appropriations, and as Randall is from
your town and friendly with you see if you
can't get me that assignment. Carson
promised to do what he could, and sure
enough Hiscock was placed on the appro-
priations committee. which at that time
was the biggest committee IN the house
Hiscock rose rapidly in influence and was
soon able to take care Of himself. Having
won high place in the house he appeared
to forget his newspaper friends and de-
clined to help them in the matters Of news
gathering which lay nearest their hearts.
So the correspondents determined that at
the first opportunity they would take fall
out of Mr.. Hiscock. They did not have
long to wait. AS soon as the Republicans
gained possession of the house the hand
some New Yorker became candidate for
speaker. His prospects were considered
good But at length it was discovered
that the newspaper men were against him
and were endangering his success. Then
Hiscock's friend, Starin, the wealthy
steamboat man of New York. came down
TO Washington and gave swell dinner at
Chamberiin's to which many correspond
ents were invited Among them was Car
son. Late in the evening, when every one
was feeling pretty good, Hiscock took Car
son aside and said to him: John, what
is the matter with you newspaper boys?
What have you against me?" Frank"
replied Carson, ''Ill tell you very frankly.
A few years ago some of us joined hands
and gave you lift. You repaid US by
going back on US and refusing to help us.
Now we are going to beat you. Mark my
word, we are going to lay you out"
The correspondents took up as their can
didate Warren Keifer, of Ohio, and beat
Hiscock witt him. In a very short time
they came to the conclusion they had made
bad bargain. Keifer did not prove to be
a very good friend either and one of the
celebrated statesman journalist quarrels of
the century was that which waged for some
time between Speaker Keifer and the cor
respondents, eliminating in a struggle for
possession Of the press gallery on the last
night and day of the congress. Ia this the
quill drivers came off victorious, and then
they turned against keifer himself and vir
tually drove him out of public life.
These are few of many incidents of q
similar nature which might be mentioned.
These little differences of opinion between
statesmen and journalists occasionally ex-
cite attention, but for the most part the
members of the two professions get along
very nicely together. They need each other
in their respective line of business, and use
each other in frank and confidential man
ner to the great advantage Of the public.
As showing the friendly relations existing
between the biggest public men of the cap
ital and the newspaper writers, a recent
dinner Is worth mentioning. 1t Is some
what remarkable fact that the greatest
ainnor IF tho x1-frpf in nit If
famous dinners, WAS that of week ago in
which the Gridiron club. composed entirely
Of journalists, entertained it's friends at an
annual feast. Among the guests were
President Harrison. all the members of the
cabinet with three exceptions, a large num-
Der of senator's and representatives, the
general of the army, Captain Schley, Of
the cruiser Baltimore, and others promi-
nent in military or civil life. 1t was re-
markable dinner not only in the fame of
the guests, but in the character of the en-
tertainment provided.
A few days after this great dinner an
other notable feast was given by news
paper men, the FIRST club dinner of the
National Capital Press club. Forty or
fifty prominent public men gathered in the
handsome clubhouse, and the feast added
another to the long list of journalistic tri-
uInphs in the iel6 OF dinner giving at the
national capital
Not for many year have the newspaper
men of Washington had a more difficult
task set them by the demands of their pro
fession than that imposed by the CHILEAN
war scare. 1t was their duty to ascertain
and report all the varying phases of that
somewhat exciting episode, and in order to
do so they found it necessary to cultivate
confidential relations with the most i'm
pOrtant officials of the government. The
news center in this case was NOT in con-
greSs.. If it had been, the work of the cor
respondents would not have been so diff
cult, for in the senate or house is Is inlpos-
sible to keep anything from the corps Of
writers for more than four Or FIVE hours
But when secrets are locked in the breasts
Of the president and his cabinet officers i
Is different matter.
How the correspondents got the informa-
ton on which they chronicled every phase
of the situation, as the controversy went
on from day to day, and did so with re-
accuracy and fidelity, it is not
for me to say. 1t is enough to know that
the public was kept wei informed from
first 70 last, and that not one important
fact in that controversy, diplomatic and
therefore secret matter though IL was es-
capped the eager eyes of the press writers at
Washington. The outcome of the interna-
tional dispute is sufficient vindication for
the correspondents, who fer some weeks
were trying to convince the country that
state OF affairs existed and were
met by the cry thas il Was nothing bot q
he Wspaper war ROsERE GRAVES.
He Didn't Want It.