The Progress., 1893-04-01

sistant, has to grit his teeth and bear it.
He reaches his desk at in the morning and
rarely gets away before midnight or or 9
a. m. He can stand this about a month
longer. and then he will have to go away
and rest or take to his bed.
Mr.. Thurber is said to be a very good
privste secretary for Mr.. Cleveland. He is
a goodclerk and handles his correspondence
beautifully. But he is of small use to the |
newspaper profession. That is not because
of any unwillingness on his part, but be
cause Mr.. Cleveland does not care rap
whether the newspapers are pleased with
the way heruns things at the White House
or whether they are not. This is a very |
moor administration for the press, at least
so far as the White House is concerned.
President Cleveland does not believe in
giving out news to the press in any way
except through official communications to
congress. He has impressed this view of
the relations which should exist between
government and press upon many OF his
subopiinetes, notably Secretary Carlisle
and Priv lite Secretary Thurber. The result
is that Mr. Thurber has not got on very
well with the newspaper men. Mr. Cleve-
land has demanded so much of his time and
energies that he has had none left to devote
to the correspondents. 1t has become an
axiom that it is more difficult for a cor
respondent to see the private secretary than
it is to see the president himself, though
this is not strictly true. But Mr.. Thurber
is the first private secretary we have had
here in a long time who requires CORE
spondents of the press TO send their cards
TO him. Even Lige didn't do that, and Lige
was not an ideal private secretary from the
newspaper mans point of view. Mr.. Thur
Der is the first private secretary, too, to
make a practice of asking the representa-
tives of big newspapers if they have come
after an item"
This suggests word or two of shop talk,
which may or may not be interesting to
nv readers. When you come to Washing
ton and meet the correspondents OF metro
politan newspapers, do not speak of or to
them as reporters" Do not ask them il
they havekOund any items today. And this
is why: The Washington correspondent
thinks himself far above the rank of report
er. As a matter of fact, the highest type
of journalism in this country is that repre-
sented among the men who are nothing but
reporters But you will see the point when
tell you that a Washington correspondent
ranks next to the managing editor. He l.
considered of greater Importance and usu
ally draws a bigger salary than the city ed
itor, and it is the city editor who has charge
of the reporters on the staff Therefore il
is bad form 20 call a correspondent Tt
porter or to ask him as to his success in
gathering items as you might reporter as
signed to cover a city hall, courthouse or
a police station.
So Mr.. Thurber erred grievously when he
began asking the correspondents who saw
him If they were after items. He erred also
in speaking of correspondents as reporters.
The newspaper men didn't like it, and they
began saying sharp things about the new
private secretary and have kept it up ever
since. Much of their criticism is unjust
and we correspondents are like a good
many other people to whom life and its
good things come rather easily-just a lit
tie inclined to estimate ourselves as of
much greater Importance than we really
are-but it will take Private Secretary
Thurber long time to live down the effects
of his indiscretions of manners and speech
in his relations to the press during the first
two weeks of his experience in the White
House.
The main point with Thurber is to please
his chief, and inasmuch as Mr.. Cleveland
is not seeking popularity or favor among
the makers of newspapers perhaps his sec
retary is all right after all. That he is
man of tact, of quick perceptions and of
great ability as an executive and manager
of correspondence am sure He will un-
questionably make great record AS the
presidents assistant even il he doesn't win
popularity among the correspondents.
Daniel Lamont was the man who knew
how to handle the correspondents of the
press. He kept his door open to them all
the time. No cards The boys walked in
and sat around and pumped Dan to their
hearts content, Sometimes they got some
thing, and sometimes they didn't He had
that sort of self control that enabled him
to give up information when it pleased
him and to conceal It behind a never fail
ing urbanity Of manner when he didn't
choose. He also had nerve enough to take
little responsibility himself and to give