The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-18

below that standard. The leading New
York papers. through their Washington
heads of bureaus, are liberal buyers of
space matter, and some of the correspond
ents whose duties on their own papers do
not take all their time add to their incomes
in very material way by the market that
is thus Afforded for their literary wares.
The Washington Post also buys consider
able space stuff of general sort, prefer
ring stories and current chat relating to
the personal characteristics of Washington
politicians.
As a general thing the Western news
papers print better Washington news and
more of it than the New York papers. That
is not altogether the fault of the CORE
spondents of the Eastern press, however,
but is due to the practice at the home Of
fees of chewing up and mutilating the
Washington matter. In the estimation of
the copy butchers" on most of the New
York papers a dog fight or the escape of a
poll parrot from bird store is a more inn
portant piece of news than the final vote
on a tariff bill, new issue of bonds or the
severance of diplomatic relations between
the United States and England would be-
The correspondents of many Eastern pa
pers, particularly New York papers, never
know how their matter is going TO appear
or whether as they wrote 1t or In a multi
ated form, which is a detriment to good
clean, perfect work. AS a general thing
too, Western correspondents are in closer
touch with affairs than their Eastern breth-
rem, because they have to know the people
and affairs Of a much greater stretch of
country. In the East news is at discount
which does not affect that particular sec
ton of country, whereas the Western view
is more comprehensive, and the horizon of
Western observation is wider. The Western
demand is for Photographic view that
takes In the whole country.
The Washington correspondent who
works the hardest and meets the most men
in the course of day gets up the best mat
ter. and his service is the most satisfactory
to himself and his principals, that is, I'M
less he acquires the pernicious habit of saw
ing up his news and making himself the
repository of great fund of useless infor-
nation, magazine of facts available only
for warehousing. The late E. b. Wight, for
twenty-five years correspondent In Wash
ington for Boston and Chicago papers was
an illustration of the storehouse habit. He
had wonderful capacity for work and for
the collection Of facts, and in the course of
his career built up wonderful library of
scrap books. 1t probably cost him 800 900,
and in the hands of one who could utilize
the collection would have been the source
of large and steady income. Yet very short
ly after his death bonfire was made of tho
whole mass.
1t is no disparagement to the other cor
respondents to say that William Elroy Cur
tbs, of the Chicago Record, produces the
best average letter that goes out of Wash
ington. He has an extraordinary acquaint-
ance with public men, and a very wide and
intimate knowledge o. affairs. He is O
steam engine for work, and produces an
immense amount CT matter in the course Of
year. His letters are not strictly of a
news sort, but they deal IN great variety Of
subjects and are very interesting. He is alb
solutely unhampered in the preparation of
his matter, and is given very wide lati-
tude his paper having the utmost conf
dence in his judgment and his accuracy of
statement. William Elroy Curtis and WAL
ter Wellman, of the Chicago Times-Heralds
are more widely quoted than any Washing
ton correspondents.
Complete and satisfactory service on an
afternoon paper is more difficult than on
morning paper, especially during sessions
of Congress. The congressional day does
not begin until Il o'clock, and it is Often
times the middle of the afternoon before
the drift of the proceedings become settled
or distinctly discernible. The afternoon
correspondent who undertakes to give a
picture of the day is obliged, by the limit
that is placed upon his time, to cultivate
the faculty of anticipating events and in
doing this he must exercise the finest judg-
ment or be continually placed in ridicu-
lous attitude and gain a reputation for in
accuracy, which is injurious to himself and
to his paper. 1t is easy enough, after
events have TRANSFERRED to sit down and
write a story of 'how it happened" but
while the procession is moving it is some-
times very difficult to give an intelligent
description of happenings, fix their proper
relationships and tell a story which will
enable the readers to understand the sig
nihcance, spirit and purpose of the INCL
dents described. For that reason most aft
ernoon papers which have specials" in
Washington content themselves with frag-
mentary dispatches. The Chicago Evening
Post, New York Evening Post and Boston
noon papers that pretend to give regularly
the important features of the STORY of the
day. in connected form. The New York
Journal of Commerce has a splendid letter,
but it deals especially with financial mat
ters. =
The greatest danger that the Washing
ton newspaper correspondents have to run
is that of falling into a rut and getting
lazy. They are so much the masters of
their own time that there is constant
temptation to save themselves work by en-
tering into combinations and exchanging
matter with other correspondents who are
doing the same line of work and covering
the same field. although representing pa
pers in widely separated sections. This
practice is very common, and it is de-
structive of industry and originality. 1t is
more prevalent among the older CORE
spondents than 1t is among the new ar
rivals. AS a consequence, the trades union
is cut up into little cliques, which, in the
course of time, degenerate into mutual adj
Iniration societies. w. G. NICHOLAS
stomach Cleaning.