The Portland daily press., 1892-04-16
PURVEYORS OF NEWS.
Walter Wellman Writes of Walking
Encyclopedias.
How the Washington Correspondent Gath
ers and Dispenses Inform alton of Cur
rent Events-His All Embracing, Birds
eye View of Legislation,
Especial Correspondence

eye View of Legislation,
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, April I'm this capital
city of the United States of America
there is no profession so interesting as
the profession of journalism. Here we
have professional politicians, profession
al statesmen, professional lobbyists, pro-
fesslonal farmers, professional every
thing; but of them all none form such a
compact, picturesque, little understood
and withal so useful corps of workers
as the newspaper correspondents. Being
member Of this corps, hope I shall
not be accused of blowing my horn
when say that am often amazed at
the intelligence, the industry, the wide
range of information, the acumen and
shrewdness of the men who represent
here the great newspapers of the land.
l would sooner take the Judgment of
the correspondents on the probable out
come of an attempt to pass certain
bill, on the nominations to be made by
the great political parties, or anything
of that sort in which information and
discernment are requisite to the making
of good estimate, than the Judgment
of all the senators or all the members of
house, or both combined. I will tell
you why. When senator or a repre-
sentative wants to inquire about some
thing he hunts up newspaper CORE
spondent. Experience has taught him
where to go for trustworthy informa-
ton. Of course the correspondents are
constantly asking the statesmen for
news, too, and thus we have here an ad-
mirable system of reciprocity in the
spread of intelligence. But there is
markable' difference between what the
statesmen know and what the scribes
know.
The first know some things-the legis-
lation in which they are directly inter
ested, the politics of their particular Sec
ton of the country and so on-better
than the other fellows; but their gen
eral information is much more limited
than that of the correspondents. The
latter know about all that all of the
statesmen know. Their information is
encyclopedia. They know the senate as
well as the house of representatives who
wrote Congressman Blanks speech, what
was done in the last executive session,
what this or that leader of his party is
working for and how he intends to ac-
complish. it, the political drift by states,
lotteries, sections Of country, the country
as whole, who are in favor of a given
bill and who are not, and thousand
other things. These men make it the
business of their lives to know things;
they spend all their time hunting for
facts. They are trained to the work,
their scent is sharpened by necessity,
they have splendid opportunities and
they help one another. Why shouldn't
they be the best informed men in Wash
ington?
Newspaper men know better what is
likely to happen in the senate or house
than the statesmen themselves. The
latter have a narrow view, confined to
their particular friends, the line of leg
islation emanating from their commit
tees. The view Of the scribe is as from
a birds eye. He sees it all, and he is
gifted with the power of generalization
A curious incident of this was afforded
in the recent struggle over the Bland
silver bill. The leaders on the opposing
sides did not have as accurate an idea of
the situation and their own strength as
the newspaper men had. While the
antisilver leaders were giving up the
fight and acknowledging that they would
be beaten by thirty or forty majority, the
correspondents saw that the vote was
going to be very close, perhaps not ten
majority either way. You will remem-
Der that the first or test vote came out
dead tie.
During this roll call, which was one
of the most sensational ballots we have
ever had in the house, was much inter.
ested in watching certain newspaper
man who sat beside me with a tally
sheet in his hand. When man voted
yea he made a mark at the left of his
name, and those who voted nay were
checked at the right. AS the roll call
proceeded, the pencil of my friend pre-
coded the responses of the members OH
the floor below. He'checked the names
before the responses were uttered, and
in only five instances was he compelled
to change his marks. In other words,
he knew how all those 300 men, saving
five, would vote; and he could have sat
down before the roll call was begun and
made up tally sheet with this remark
able accuracy. There wasn't member
on the floor, not even leader for or
against the bill, who had anything like
SO clear an idea as this Of what the re-
suit was going to be.
Newspaper correspondents in Wash
ington have nothing to do but watch
what is going on, study the men who
are making laws and controlling poll
tics, converse with senators, representa-
tives and all sorts and conditions of men
who are likely to be possessed of infor-
nation, and give to their papers the re-
suit Of theit observations and inquiries.
A good deal is said about the unreli-
ability Of the press. A large class of
persons appear to think it smart to say
to themselves and to one another, eff
you see it in a newspaper it isn't So"
But let me tell them that do now know
q corrasOOndnnt for the rrnSs in Woch