The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-09-29

ing news according to its worth. Asked
to name the three he said: Myself.
Horace Greeley and Charles A. Dana"
In one Of the ofiices q sign stares each
reporter in the face. reading: "Accura-
CT, terseneSs. accuracy. That paper
Is VIGOROUSLY inaccurate In its accounts
and often gives I'D as much IS three
pages 10 q single news story. 1t does
publish more news than any other pa
per In the city. but II demonstrates
each morning the truth OF the old saw:
ITS better not 20 know 50 much. than
70 know 50 much that Is not true"
Another boasts that IL Is the most
perfectly equipped paper In America
1t has often called attention to Its sys-
tenn. declaring that not line can APP
pear in it's columns that cannot be trac-
ed step by step back TO the man who
started II upon Its journey TO the press
Yet. n spite OF this boassing. when n
most scandalous bull appeared In iss
reports one day aoou: fortnight ago
the responsibility could not be placed.
and the only way of making sure that
the one who committed the error should
be punished was 70 discharge the entire
force employed IN the proof-reading
department.
Much has been written about the
cooi-headed reporter who has dan
ge-ous assignment thrust upon him.
and most OF IL has been the truth
fully believe that the average reporter
would risk his life without a murmeur.
did he believe the success OF the next
issue depended upon him. Stili. there
IS place 10 draw the line. and II Is
useless TO try to convince the public
that newspaper men are anything more
than human beings
In the sky-scraplng building occupied
as a home by one OF the morning papers
firs started one morning last week
AS 70 turned out. there never was any
real danger. as the firemen had the
flames under control before they got
much Roadway. But 10 the 500 men
employed upon the tenth. eleventh and
twelfth floors. there was a half hour
OF terrible suspense. IL was an even
guess with them whether they would
live 10 see another sunrise. Every
avenue or escape was shut OF and from
the amount of smoke that porued into
their rooms. they were forced 10 be-
l!eve that danger was imminent. They
did Just what other men would have
done. Some OF them remained cool.
while others lost their heads completely
and two or three had TO be restrained
from throwing themselves from q win
dow. Those who had families gave
one another messages for their dear ones
hoping that some. at least. might be
saved. Among ali OF that number
there was not one who thought OF the
paper. They cared little whether the
world ever saw another issue. But
after IL was all over. they returned to
their work Just as II nothing had hap
pened.
Then came the publisher 10 the ONCE
with an order for a glowing story OF the
fire The public was asked 10 believe
that during all the danger not a man
forsook his post with greatly circum-
stantiality !, was told how the copy
readers. when the smoke came so dense
that there was no living In the editorial
rooms. crept out upon a narrow window
ledge, and there. by the light OF the
moon. continued their work. careless OF
their lives and only anxious that the
paper should be able TO go 10 press at
the right moment
The work OF the papers special IRE
brigade and OF It's trained lfe-saving
corps was fully described.
Such newspaper work never ala, and,
I believe. never VIII be permitted In
Chicago