Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-07-28
THAT SHAW Interview
Secretary OF the Treasury Much
Annoyed by Reporters
Pipe Dream"
Interview Regarding the Tenure
of Office Good Sample OF
Fake News.
Man Who Wrote 1t Confesses
and Blames the Hot
Weather.
10 Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Washington, July 2S.-lt may be in
terestng to Iowa people to Know that
the alleged interview with Secretary
Shaw, in which the latter was repre-
scented as having declared against a
longer term of governmental service
/ than five years, was clear case OF
What is known in slang parlance as a
pipe dreum.''
In the first place the secretary had no
/ interview With the reporter who wrote
the story. He had expressed no such
sentiments to anybody. From begin
ming To end the tale was a fabrication;
| 4 product of the Imagination entirely.
There was not even the rib of a skeleton
| about which to build the form of the
story The reporter did not even make
an effort to guess what Secretary
Shaw might propose to do or what his
INiews We're. He merely attempted 4
| sensation and succeeded admirably.
| The fact of the matter is that Secre-
taly Shaw had been absent from Wash
| ilgton nearly Il week when this alleged
| interview appeared. The first intima-
ton he had that he had been inter-
viewed upon this subject or that he en-
tertained such views was when he read
| in a Boston paper that he had declared
that at the expiration of four or five
| years of service a clerk or head of a
division had outlived his usefulness as d
public servant.
I h.a.tar Y1,., =
that episode and as it directly concerns
an Iowa man and Il high official of the
governmental cabinet ofiicer-it will
not be without interest and may not be
without profit.
The story appeared in the Washing
ton Times. The Times is not a MEM
Der of the Associated Press, but de-
ponds upon the New York Sun news
service. The Sun employs a number OF
reporters in its Washington bureau ana
one of them does" the treasury. The
Gay preceding the appearance of the i'm
torview Was exceedingly hot and news
less. The Sun man had been unable to
connect with anything good and in the
absence of real news got out his pipe.
The story of Secretary Shaw's pur-
lose was dashed off and turned in to
the Sun. The Washington Times gets
copies of all Washington stories and of
course this interview went to the Times
along with other matter. Coming from
4 reputable quarter and having the
ea1-nlarks of Il bona fide interview, and
Being sensational, the Times did not
take the trouble to verify the state
ilents or even inquire concerning the |
views credited to Secretary Shaw. And
SO the next morning the story appeared I
Under double scare head.
Very naturally the story stirred up
Washington as it has not been stirred
IN many day, and the day was to a
considerable extent given up to u dis |
cussion of the story and to probabili-
ties.
From time to time officials drifted
into the secretary's office, and the mat
ter was mentioned to Mr.. Armstrong, /
private secretary to Secretary Shaw I
Mr.. Armstrong emphatically denied the
authenticity of the interview and as
sured all callers that the secretary en-
tertained views Numerically opposite
those expressed in the newspaper in
terview.
During the entire day and for sue.
ceeding days the telephone bell rang
every few minutes and the inquiry
would be made as to the newspaper
story and how much is there in it"
During the afternoon the regular
Times man who looks after treasury
news happened in and when interro-
gated as to the story and asked to give
the basis for his tale denied any llnowl-
edge of the story, and Furthermore said
no one in the Times office seemed to
know anything about it, Not having
written the story the regular Times
man refused to have anything to do
With ii or write a correction.
Mr.. Armstrong, who is an experienced
man, figured the situation
cut and fixed upon the New York sun
man as the culprt. He expressed his
to Frank Milllie of the Sc
cret service, also Il newspaper man.
formerly of the Chicago Tribune, and
Nillsie later brought in the Sun man
The latter denied absolutely amy
knowledge of the story. However,
Messrs Armstrong and Wilkie were not
easy and proceeded to give Mr.. Sun I
nan what is known as the third de- =
gree" In the course of ten minutes the ,
sun man was driven into IL corner and
admitted that he had written the story. i
tut endeavored to justify himself this ,
way and that. He had heard this and h
hat and assumed this and logically Y
that, and putting this and f
hat together concluded there was 4
'noush fact TO carry the story. How s
Yer. before he was relieved from the N
carpet" episode he made IA poor show
ng and finally fell back upon the hot
excuse.
1t is understood that the matter was
brought to the attention of the editor
u the Sun and that the reporter was e
,iven another seance upon the Carpet" l.
The matter was considered so ridicu- il
Gus by other Washington papers that /
10 denial was made; in fact the story q
vas not referred to by the local papers S
II any way. However, the original al
ged interview was telegraphed all
'Ner the country and in the absence of
contradictions was assumed to be true Y
The inquiries by mail and otherwise be- :
anne SO numerous that it was deemed
wise to issue a statement finally dispos
ng of the matter and this WAS done u
\ similar case is reported from New !,
York City. During a heated. spell ;, u
lumber of newspaper reporters hatched
- tale representing leading politi F
ians us arranging for the launching of
new political party In the east. i'm
udng well-lnown democratic politj Ii
ans. This was wired to WASHINGTON y
I.o,. II,