The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-12-04
HOW THE MESSAGE
WAS SENT OUT.
PRECAUTIONS FOR SECRECY TAKEN
Secretary COrteIyOu Required Writ
ten Pledges of the Great Press
Associations to Guard It's
Contents Until Released.

Probably very few Of the millions OF
newspaper readers throughout the couu-
try who were enabled to read President
RooseveIrs forcefuI message yesterday
within q few minutes after 1t was deliv-
cred to Congress have any definite idea Of
the manner in which this was made pos
sible-
Secretary CorteIyou, who had charge Of
the distribution of the message, tried an
innovation this year. and it was a pro-
nounced success. Heretofore the Presi-
dents annual message had been given out
only day or so in advance to the three
press associations that furnish Geographic
news te practically all the daily papers IN
the United States. Then the telegraph
operators in the great centres were en-
gagged in ticking of the thousands OF
words to various distributing points,
where other operators would in turn wire
the document word by word to the news
papers in every city and town where tele-
graph and printing press join hands
Operators on Their 3TettIe.
The operators were frequently obliged
to strain every nerve in order TO complete
the task in tine. Many newspaper that
suffered q breakdown IN its mechanical
department, or was not equipped with the
latest machinery, was obliged to so to
press with only an incomplete resume Of
the message because the time was SO
limited.
Very frequently, under this system,
there was a leak" somewhere, and Wall
Street stocks would go skyward or tumb-
ling. according to the manner in which
the message affected the sureties-
No 'IeaI<s" This Time.
This year, under the new plan inau-
gurated by Secretary CoTteIyou, with the
approval of the President, every paper in
the country received the message in ample
time to get it in type, and there we're
no leaks" The way in which it was
done was simple, yet effective. A week
ago the managers OF the three news dis
tributing agencies called by appointment
at the White House at o'clock in the
evening. Each had q conveyance ready
for the removal of the copies Of the mes
sazes that Secretary Cortelyou gave them.
Before handing them the big bundles
the Secretary received the written pledge
of each manager guaranteeing the faith
Of his association and Of all the individual
Fapers that were to receive the message
that no intimation OF its contents would
be made public before its reading should
begin IN Congress These pledges were
faithfully kept.
Mailed in Confidence.
Copies of the message were mailed in
confidence to the editors of thousands of
papers the associations serve, care being
exercised that each editor should get his
copy of the message within about twenty
four hours OF noon Tuesday. Therefore.
the copies for the papers on the Western
Coast were mailed first, those for the Mid
die West next, those for the Mississippi
Valley third, and those for the editors in
the East, North. and South last.
At the very instant the reading Of the
message began in the Senate yesterday, it
was released by telegraph, and every
paper that had received 1t was on the
street shortly thereafter
It is understood that President Roose-
Welt is much pleased over the success OF
the mailing plan and the realization of his
faith that the newspapers Of the country
would respect the confdenss he placed in
them.