Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-01-29

ious to do it; but they seldom succeed
in the house gallery. Almost invaria-
bly,, if they have time, they traverse the
entire length of the great marble build
ing for the purpose of taking their seats
in the senate gallery in order to do their
writing.
One singular thing about the press
gallery is never told and it will be al
most impossible for the average reader
to understand the situation and appre-
ciate it for it's true worth. 1t is gener-
ally understood that these newspaper
writer's have their political preferences
and strong antipathies concerning men
and measures; but this is another popu-
lar fallacy. The newspaper men of the
present generation who are the most
competent in their profession are non
partisan, as n general rule, as attorneys
at law in their business. Journalism is
profession and Il tiI':.; lass newspaper
man ought to be SO fully equipped with
information concerning all national af-
fairs, and SO wholly unbiased in his
mind, as to be able to become the man
aging editor of any paper, no matter
what its politics may be. | know cor
| respondents here who are doing excel
lent work for leading democratic pa
pers, who arc at the same time repre-
Senting with equal ability several re-
publican papers. They are equipped
| for the kind of service rendered and
they render it with utter Indifference
as far as their own personal feelings are
| concerned in the matter. Moreover
have been informed that the pa
pers thus represented consider them
! selves better and more fairly represent
| ed than they would be by men of
strong partisan prejudices. 1t is sing
ular thing, but it is true, and the aver
age reader will find it hard to under
stand how such things can be. AS an
| illustration of this fact it may be said
| that during the turbulent, exciting and
revolutionary scenes in the house of
representatives during the Fifty-frst
congress, when all precedents were
laid aside and new rules for the govern
ment of that parliamentary body were
established, the speaker was criticised
most severely by certain republican
correspondents who represented demo-
cratic papers, which several democratic
correspondents who represented repub-
hcan papers were equally severe in
their criticisms of Mr.. Mills, Mr..
Springer. Mr.. Brec kinridge and other
leaders of the minority.
While the statesmen in both houses
of congress have an idea that newspa-
| per men make and unmake men, no
such belief is cherished in the press
| gallery. The most experienced newspa-
per men believe that while they can be
helpful in building up good men and
useful in pulling down bad men, they
| are utterly pOwerlesS to injure a truly
| good man. if they should so desire. A
| statesman who attends to the duties
whereto he has been sent, needs never
| fear the most virulent criticism of any
writer on earth. But l have noticed
that those gentlemen who are most
kindly disposed towards the gentlemen
of the press remain longest in public
| life. For example: Senators Allison, of
| Iowa; the late Senator Plumb, of Kan
| SaS; Senators COckrell and Vest, of
Missouri; Senator Ransom, of North
| Carolina; Senator Frye, of Maine, are
all gentlemen, especially well disposed
towards the news gatherers, young as
we'll as old. Mr.. Reed, of Maine; Mr.
Springer, of Illinois; Mr.. Crisp, of
Georgia; Mr.. Henderson, of illinois,;
these, and many other public men who
have served their people long and well,
are and always have been good and
kindly news-givers. Therefore, their
constituents read many good things
| concerning them, but never see any,
thing in print which is uncompli-
mentary of them. Thus, you see, there
is something like substantial reciproc.
ity existing between the statesmen and
the correspondents. SMITH D. FRY.