The Portland daily press., 1892-03-23
AT 50 MUCH A CHUNK.
How the Solid Information for Tariff
Speeches is Obtained.

Some Good Stories About Encounters
with Public Men Told by the Bright
Washington Correspondents-TheG Good
Old Days Are Gone.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, March 17.-It was dull
day in the house. On the floor below
somebody was making a tariff speech.
For number of days the house had been
fairly flooded with tariff speeches, some
Of them sounding suspiciously like
others. The press gallery was deserted,
but in the lobby behind the gallery two
dozen correspondents were smoking their
cigars and telling stories. II have dis
covered why some of these tariff speeches
are so much like other speeches on the
same subject, said one member Of this
correspondents symposium. "Yester-
day happened to step into little com
mittee room away down in the terrace,
and found there a young man with a
big pile of books, Congressional Records
and old files of the Debates Of Congress
scattered all about The young man
had four other young men working I'M
der his direction, and they were all
busily engaged copying extracts from
tariff speeches which had been delivered
in the house or senate ten, twenty and
in some cases even fifty years ago. The
youngster tried at first to bluff me off,
but when pressed my questions he said
he would make a clean breast of it If l
would promise not to give him away.
81 am preparing stuffing for tariff
speeches." he said. ~ get out good
things in small chunks, print them by
the score on the typewriter with mani
fold paper and sell the copies to MEM
bers of congress. My rates are fifty
cents chunk, with twelve assorted
chunks for five dollars. do good, clean
work and am making money"
sThat reminds me-" said another cor
respondent, sof an incident which hap
pened to me several years ago. A prom
inent public man, now occupying con-
spicuous diplomatic post abroad, was
asked by the publishers Of a biographical
cyclopedia to write for them sketch Of
the life of Garfield. The public man
was rather lazy, and so he brought the
job to me with q request that do it for
him. ] cheerfully did SO, delivered the
copy to him and was well paid for my
services The sketch appeared over the
public mans signature and was consid
cred fine piece of work. One evening
the correspondent of a New York paper
was compelled to go out of town, and
his assistant being i'll he asked me to
hold down his desk for him. While |
was at work for this correspondent, with
green shade over my eyes, the public
man for whom I had written the life
of Garfield came into the Office. On
account of the green shade, it must have
been, he did not recognize me. Here
is little article which one Of my friends
has written he said, in praise of the
sketch Of Garfield which wrote for the
biographical cyclopedia. 1t has at
tracted great deal of attention, and
would like to have this notice of it tele
graphed to your paper Though I was
nearly paralyzed with amazement, I
managed to retain my self possession.
Bending my head over my work and pull
ing the green shade down over my nose,
turned to the telegraph operator, handed
him the manuscript and said: Wire this
to New York at once Everything Mr..
- brings in must CO. Thank you
very much, exclaimed my caller; good
night"
Another member of the symposium
then made some sneering illusions to the
grave and reverend senate which one
day last week was solemnly discussing
in secret session whether or not the
Behring sea treaty and correspondence
should be given to the newspapers, when
the treaty and correspondence were at
that very moment being sent over the
wires to all parts Of the United States
and printers were putting it in type in
thousand newspaper Offices. One of the
correspondents did not join in the gen
eral laughter at the expense Of tho sol
emn and sometimes sleepy senators.
1.-THE fact u.s." said he, 'sthat joke was
more on me than it was on the senate.
Ever since have been in Washington it
has been my ambition to get beat on
treaty. | remember reading in history
how two Washington correspondents
have been confined in dungeon cells I'M
derneath the Capitol for publishing
treaties prematurely, and have longed
to enjoy similar distinction. For years
have schemed to get my fingers sur
reptitiously on a copy of treaty. For
days and days have been working to OBJ
tain possession Of this document on the
sealing fisheries. This morning mani
had planted for the purpose placed in my
hands copy of the precious paper, for
which gave him check for fifty dol
lars. All day have been fairly dane
ing with joy. was waiting for night
to come, when 1 would HE me to the
telegraph office and place that scoop on
the wires. was SO happy that l would
not have exchanged places with any man
on the face of the earth. When l heard
that the treaty had reached the. senate
and there was danger of its being given
out, went to number of senators and
told them the biggest lot of lies you ever
| heard Of in order to convince them the