Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-06-19
and It thus cveps itself up Sometimes,

and 1t thus cvens itself up. Sometimes,
however, the wielder Of the blue PEN
ell has an attack of acute indigestion,
like the rest Of US, and things are apt
to be unpleasant.
"a good, big beat fills the entire Of
fjce with hilarious joy, and particular
ly the lucky reporter reioices. 1t Oft
times means an increase In salary. The
of1ce Of the chief rival contemporary Is
thrown Into corresponding gloom.
"The city editor is the adiutant gen.
eral Of the force. Usually he Is as
consldcrate as his duty to the proprie-
from the ranks. Where the magazine
newspaper story writer finds the city
editor he usually portrays has always
been deep, dull mystery to me. He
may treat outsiders Ito be kind to the
magazine story writer) as their Stories
sometimes relate, but to his force he
does not carry a drawn sword in his
left hand and pen dipped in rcdhct
caustic In his right. He knows that
of the men under him many are his
peers, capable of taking his desk at
moments notice and running 1t as well
as he.
''The now you have It and now you
haven't 1t in our profession Is we'll H.
lustrated by a little occurrence that
happened In Washington few years
ago, and 1t proves the element Of luck
In the matter OF securing news.
1T was undecided whether congress
xryN, .rxn nt,, t,,,
portapt national measure. The New
York papers were especially anxious
about it. The drift of opinion among
lie correspondents was that It would
not so pass. On Monday night. say,
the correspondent OF one of the metro
politan morning dailies wired his paper
that 1t positively would not go through.
This paper had been talking that end
Of the bill all along
"1he correspondent of a rival morn
ing paper had drawn the same conclu-
sions from his days Investigations at
the capitol He was on his way down
the west marble steps when he met a
member to whose opinion on the prob
able fate of the bill he attached great
weight. The member declared that the
bill would positively be passed. un-
| amended and unchanged, at the open
Ing of the session the following day.
THE correspondent cast his own con-
trary opinions and those of the men,
| bers he had interviewed to the winds
| He wired that night that the bill would
certainly pass the following day. 1t
| did. Its passage was a surprise to the
country.
Before night the other correspond.
ent was relieved of his position by
! telegraph. One made a bold hazard
against his own Judgment. took that
of another and won. The other con-
scientlously obeyed the dictates Of his
conclusions, based largely upon the
| opinions OF men who were in position
to advise him correctly, and lost.
This case also illustrates the pecul-
iarity of securing news by Washing
ton correspondents. 1t Is sui generis.
Rules which obtain in other cities are
impracticable here. Most OF the corre-
| spondents are picked men. who earn
and command good salaries. But one
Of their most important functions is 10
make acQuaintnnces with men 10 Of
fetal and congressional life II ii an
important element in his profession 10
know who TO see about pieca oil
news, and the little Interview IN ques
ton between the correspondent an6 tue
congressman az Tie west stepE Is But
NJ example or everyday epsodsR IN
the life OF II Washington correspond
ent,"- Washington Stnr.