Evening star., 1902-02-11

The fierce and terrible competition now ex-
listing between the neusspape takes Wash
ington very much into its scope, and the
correspondent never Knows, morning or
evening, when hia work is done.
From the Home Office.
He is expected to do all sort Of impos-
sible things by men who sit comfortably at
desks In the home offices and have not the
faintest conception of The difficulties which
he encounters. asNo longer do senators,
representatives aud cabinet members come
to the newspaper offices. The correspon-
dent must go after them. When he finds
them he not infrequeatIy discovers as he
anticipated that the home office man can't
get the moon. It would not do for me to
give away newspaper secrets, but II YOU
could hear the character Of some OF the
questions which theseshome office men ex-
for you would be absolutely incredulous.
Washington correspondence includes now
an illinitable variety OF topics. The space
regularly allotted to It is ten times as much
as 1t was thirty. or even twenty years ago.
THE associates I have SO lately and so
regretfully parted business company with.
speaking daily to an audience OF scores or
millions, exert an influence and erect NOT
to be estimated. Journalists coming mere
from the capitals Of Europe are stunned
and amazed to learn Of the immense
number Of correspondents which the papers
of the United States maintain in this capt.
tai. Where We have fifties they have
scarcely tens. think the average OF COM
pensation is considerably lower than ours
except in the case Of the principal cores
pondents which the great newspapers keep
at their own and other capitals. These
men are well paid, receiving not only hand-
some salaries but liberal allowance 1or
entertaining, which they do IN style. AZ
London, at Paris, at Berlin and Vienna 1t
is as 1t used to be in Washington Omclals
high in the executive and legislative DE,
partments of the governments pay personal
visits to the offices or homes OF the cores
pondents for the purpose Of discussing gov
ernment affairs with them. In 81. refers.
burg there is no legislature, but cabinet
ministers and foreign Ambassadors taik
Origin Of the Interview.
interviewing originated with Washing
ton correspondent, the late Mr.. J. b. Nc
CuIIagh, who at the time Of his death was
the editor-in- chief and one Of the proprie-
tors of the ST. Louis lobe-Democrat.
well remember the sensation created When
President Andrew Johnson. early In the pc
riod of his stern and bitter contest with
Congress, talked in the first person, through
Mr.. McCullagh, in the newspapers. II IS
true claims have been made for others as
being entitled to credit for the authorship
Of interviewing. but Mr. McCullagh I'M
questionably antedated them all. The eX-
ample set by the President Of the United
States excited not only sensation, pCt
strong criticism.
1T was not long however, before this ex-
ample was rapidly and widely followed, and
interviewing became what it Is today, one
Of the leading features of journalism In this
country. 1t prevails only to United de-
gree in Europe, but this may be largely ac-
counted for from the fact that men over
there, especially in England, generally pre-
fer to tell what they know on the floor Of
legislative bodies. in the lecture halls or on
the stump. Gen. Grant, who succeeded An
drew Johnson, was not averse to the inter-
view.
Did His Own interviewing.
"After Grant no President up to the pres
ent time has been much enamored Of the
interviewing process, and presidential ut
terances for the newspapers have been few
and far between. As Mr.. McCul!agh was
the author of interviewing, so the late Ben
jamin F. Butler was the author OF inter-
viewing ones self. He was never willing
for newspaper man to take down what he
said. When applied to, If agreeable, he
would say: I viii send You something pre-
pared just I wish II. We may not all
of us be extravagant admirers Of some OF
Gen. Buffers pecalfarfties, but we all know
he was among the most brilliant and clever
men who have ever shone in American poll
tics and incapable of any expression devoid
of spice and meat. Therefore, the inter-
viewer was delighted that he preferred to
write out his own opinions.
you will not BE surprised that great
many members Of Congress and great
many others speedily got on to Gen. But
ler's idea. Many OF them don't walt for the
asking, but send In lengthy self-prepared
opinions which it sometimes happens have
much more consequence in their own eyes
than in those ofsothers. If Gen. Butler
were living today and In full possession OF
his faculties he could make vastly more
money than he ever received as member
of Congress by selling his opinions to the
Practically all tie men Of his
standard Of intellect who are, or who have
been, in public life are doing this now. An
ex-Speaker OF the House CT Representa-
tives, who was called tyrant, and whose
tongue is perhaps as biting as was that OF
dred dollars a week by simply interviewing
himself for one or two newspapers. He le-
marked not long ago it would have been big
money in his pocket If he had known sore
when he first came to Washington. Then
he said, I used to talk to every newspaper
man who came after me- After White he
found his views had financial value. and
then. as he put IT, instead OF letting the
newspaper correspondents make the money |
1 make 1t myself
Little Attention to Debates.
"Of recent years there has been a nota-
BILE change as to what was formerly one OF
the leading divisions Of news from Wash !
lnRtOn. mean lHc ueDdleS OI Congress- |
what is styled the regular report |
Of the proceedings Of the two houses has |
always been looked after by the Associat-
ed Press the specials were almost as con- |
slant in their attendance IN the press gal |
leres as the Associated Press reporters. |
They supplemented the A. P. reports with |
picturesque delineations Of scene manner
and circumstance. and with comment, IA |
vorable or adverse, according to their own !
bias, or that of the Journals they repre- |
sented The newspapers In all the large |
cities had descriptions Of this character |
daily. Gradually this has gone out Of |
vogue, until, unless on very exceptional oc- |
the special correspondents pay but |
little attention to the debates, and the press |
galleries as rule are comparatively bare |
Of occupants
1.-The Associated Press still keeps up its |
formal reports. but it is perfunctory per- |
formance, and the reports when received |
by the newspapers are thrown into the |
waste basket or emasculated SO as to make |
them unrecognizable. 1t is somewhat diff |
ficuIt to explain this Perhaps the news |