The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-04-04

TAKING A SNAP SHOT AT THE PRESIDENT
AND HIS PRIVATE SECRETARY.
gounds was locked up for the benefit
of the little ones, and no one was sup.
posed to get within gunshot of them.
But the nurse in a moment of forget
fulness let them stray toward the fence,
and an amateur photographer took
snap at them with his hand camera
The nurse saw the act, and, screaming.
dragged the little ones away to a safe
distance. And then the amateur found
that he had forgotten to take the cap
off his camera
You will not find such sacredness and
exclusiveness at the White House under
this administration Mr.. Mckinley was
photographed again and again at his
Canton home after the election. Since
he came to Washington he has been
photographed at his desk in the presi-
dents office and in his cabinet room.
He takes his afternoon walk at an hour
when the light is not bright enough for
very good camera results, but | have no
doubt he would go out half an hour ear
lier some day to oblige any one who
wanted photograph for legitimate
purpose, provided it did not interfere
with the public business. The cabinet
was photographed the other day by sew
eral photographers and flashlight pic
ture of the people waiting for the dis
tribution of the pie" i'll the president S
corridor was made. In fact, so much Ii
cense has been given to the photogra-
piers that they have made something of
nuisance of themselves, and if any re-
striction is placed on them it will be on
that account and not because the presi-
dent and Secretary Porter are not fully
in sympathy with the right of the pub
lie to see just how the business of the
government is carried on as far as pic
lures i'll the illustrated papers will show
it to them.
What makes the camera business
troublesome is the fact that every pho
tographer in Washington wants the
privileges accorded to any other pho
tographer. If one man takes a pho
tograph of the president, every other
man wants the same privilege, and he
usually gets it. No president has ap-
pointed court photographer, " though
the late Matthew Brady had almost q
monopoly of the business for a long
time.
We have drawn the line at showing
our Notifications to foreigners for many
years. though few people know there is
any rule on the subject Some time ago.
when the American Society of Civil
Engineers met in New York city, there
were four visitors from abroad taking
part in the convention. During the
meeting the members were invited to
visit Sandy Hook to examine the sea-
coast defenses there. A special steamer
took the party to the Hook. But before
it reached its destination word was
conveyed to the foreigners that they
could not visit the works. The repre-
sentatives of the engineers Office of the
army informed them that they could
visit the proving ground which, like
the proving ground of the navy at Indi-
an Head, is semipublic But they could
not see the gun lifts and the mortar
batteries. The order under which this
prohibition is made is nearly 25 years
old. 1t states that foreigners, whether
officers or private citizens, shall not be
| permitted to visit any of the gun case
mates, terrepleins batteries, planking
arrangements or mine galleries of the
seacoast defenses, the care and custody
of which are in the engineers Office,
without the written authority of the
secretary Of war, and no person who is
not known to the person in charge of
the works is to be permitted to visit
them without the secretary's authority,
| whether he is citizen of the United
States or foreigner The same order
forbids photography.
GEORGE GRANTHAM Balm.