Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-19
District Triumvirate Awakes Again
to Action.
REPORTERS TO BE BARRED
Commissioners Object to News
Reaching the Public.
Mr.. TRUESDELL'S LECTURE

has been reSuscitated, and the dangerous
| reporters who strive to keep the public
| informed Of the current news at the head
quarters of the District triumvirate have.
by an order of a majority of the Commits
| sioners, been excluded from the office of
| the secretary.
When the reporters arrived at the Dis
trict building this morning they found
| pasted upon tho wall of the little room
assigned to them The following notice:
Office of the
Commissioners of the District of Columbia.
WASHINGTON, D. Co. Sept. Is, 1895.
Ordered:
That newspaper reporters are prohibited
| from entering the office of the secretary
| of the board.
| Official copy.
By order:
(signeD WILLIAM TINDALL.
Secretary.
Just why this order was issued is not
known. OF course, the object is plain
| enough, but why the Commissioners should
| take such action at this time Is a matter
OF conjecture. No great municipal secret
has leaked out recently through the sec
| retary's office. When the Commissioners IS
| sued their famous star chamber order last
March the citizens became alarmed lest the
| news which rightly belonged to them
would be suppressed. Gradually, however,
| the gates became ajar, and when the Com
missioners themselves violated the order
it was thought that it had become a dead
letter and would never be enforced again.
Citizens Were troublesome.
And so everything moved along smoothly.
The public was kept Informed through the
| medium of The Star Of everything that oc-
| CURED. Now and then there would be a
| weak objection to the premature announce
ment Of some public project, but it rested
there and nothing more was heard from it.
Recently The Star published the preliminary
schedule of the streets to be improved next
year. 1t was a matter which concerned
every property owrer in the city, and gave
them chance to apply to the Commission
ers for the Improvement of some street In
which they were interested, and to present
arguments showing why it should be done.
Hundreds Of letters were received after this
publication, and countless interviews were
| given citizens who called in person to urge
their respective claims This was altogether
too much bother, and the Commissioners de-
INJURED. Another order was sent out to the
heads Of the different departments warning
them not to give out any informa ton to the
| newspaper reporters. 1t is not known wheth-
| er the Commissioners served an order upon
themselves, for they had violated the pro-
visions of the order. But, then, Commits
siCners are privileged individuals. There
was rule which the Commissioners agreed
to. which was in effect not to give out for
publication any report or statement unless
it had been seen and approved by majority
very frequently happened that only one
Commissioner was left In charge of the Of
flee, and he forgot all about the rule and
gave out reports and other interesting mat
ter to the reporters without ever once think
ing of the rule
To Suppress News.
When the Commissioners were asked IL
they had any objection to giving their rea-
son for passing the rule prohibiting the re-
porters from entering the secretarys office,
Commissioner Truesdell spoke up and said:
mo; we have not the slightest objection
| That rule was issued to keep newspaper
| men out of that room. During the past two
weeks The Star has published in advance
| several important reports, which did not
come through the proper channel, and were
| not ready to be given to the public. We
| want that stopped. and it's going to be
stopped"
Later in the day a messenger from the
Commissioners notified the reporters in the
| building that they would like to see them
| The newspaper men were conducted before
missioners Truesdell and Powell Commits
sioner Ross being In Illinois.
Few Remarks.
After a whispered conversation with his
colleague Mr.. Truesdell said:
1--WE have called you before us to make g.
| few remarks concerning the publication
| prematurely Of reports and official papers
which have not been acted upon by the Com
missioners. Now, this has got to be stopped.
Only few days ago The Star published
the preliminary schedule of street improve
ments, and also published the report upon
the Proctor case. When these things are
published by one paper exclusively the
other reporters complain that they are not
being treated fairly. We want to treat ali
impartially, and when reports or official
papers are given to. the press, let all re-
porters have an equal chance. The Com
missioners have given the press facilities
which the public does not enjoy. They have
set apart a room for you, and expect you
| to treat the Commissioners with some con-
sideration. Our rules are being violated,
and 1t will have to be stopped or the priv
| tleges will be taken from YOU
The Commissioners were asked what they
required of the press, that they might live
| In peace ard harmony with the District
| triumvirate, and still serve the people with
| the current news of the day.
Simply that you observe our rules. If
| an official gives you information which he
| has no right to give, and you publish it.,
1t is violation of our rules, and you are
getting that official into trouble. We object
| to premature publications, and no report
| should be published, or any official state
ment made prematurely, unless it is given
out according to the rules which We have
made"
Then, according to that, Mr.. Commits
sioners," said one of the newspaper men.
| trict building. If that rule is enforced, all
| that will be required of a newspaper Is to
send a messenger boy once or twice day
| to the secretary, and receive from him a
| copy of such news matter as you may
| deem ready for the public to know about"
well, we don't propose to regulate the
| newspapers" said Mr.. Truesdell, but we
| do propose to insist upon an observance of
| our rules in this building, and if they are
| violated by a newspaper reporter we will
| try and keep him out hereafter"
The Commissioners had nothing further
| to say, and the hearing closed.
An Obnoxious Rule.
A review of the workings of the rule of
the Commissioners famous order relating
| to the giving out of news matter may not
| be amiss. According to their idea, which
was embedded in rule, all information for
| the public was to be given out by the sec
| retary of the board. DR.. Tindall trem-
hled when the order was made and he
openly stated that the responsibility placed
upon him was too great That it would be
| impossible for him to give out everything
| that occurred the moment it was ready
Fer instance, when an important paper is
| acted upon by one Commissioner it is taken
| to the others for their consideration and
action. They act. and in due course of
| time 1t finds its way back to the secretary.
1t cannot be expected that he will know
| everything before him that Is ready for he