Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-15

The book was produced, when Conkling
stuck it carefully in a pigeon hole.
Il didn't tell you all this to have IL
printed" he said, for that would never
do, but because l like you and because
thought 1t would be a good thing for you
to know the inside of some things. Know
ing what you do now, you will understand
better how to treat certain topics you
are assigned to cover"
The reporter had to submit and the in
formation that had been given was of
much use to hin afterward, as Conkling
said it might be.
Another reporter who didn't know Mr..
Conkling, but. had been assigned to inter-
view him, asked a political follower of tho
great man for an introduction. The poll
tician acquiesced, and the two were pres
emily in 1.-THE presence" Then a curious
thing occurred. The politician. it appeared.
was not only a follower OF Mr.. Conkling,
but he stood in such personal awe of the
leader that he war able to say hardly a
word beyond the barest .commonplaces.
much less to introduce the reporter. After
about FIVE minutes of talk on the weather,
the politician terminated the interview for
the time being, with q We'll, good day,
Mr.. Conkling," and the two went away.
Later, however, the reporters wits hav-
ing returned to him, he went back to Conk-
link and got the interview he WIS after.
Naturally the reporter or correspondent
personally known to a public man as re-
liable and capable rarely has any trouble
in getting to see the public man, or in
finding out anything that is proper to
print. And naturally public men generally
often tell reporters and correspondents
many things that they do not want printed,
exactly as Conkling enlightened the young
ronortor maintained above. hut II is not
surprising that public men are a little shy
of strangers.
Just after the present speaker OF the
house was made sure of his election to his
post, a newspaper man was sent from new
York to get some facts about a subject
then exciting general attention. The cor
respondent was unknown to Colonel Hen
derson, and, being sure that he would hesl-
tate to talk to a stranger, took along sew
eral strong letters Of introduction. the
colonel was found in the rotunda Of the
hotel in Dubuque, which has been MS
home for many years when he is not in
Washington. TO him the correspondent
presented the letters, which Henderson read
through with great care before responding.
Then he returned all the letters except
one.
81 don't mind those letters" he said,
"they mean nothing to me. But this one
is from a man l can't we'll refuse. l wish
| had him here. He ought to be kicked.
But you come upstairs with me and III
talk, providing you don't say in your ar
ticle that you got your from
me-"
So. tuning over the action OF his friend
who had made it virtually impossible to
refuse to be interviewed, the colonel led
the way to his rooms. and there, putting
- 4I-s. .t-or. Nhn gnnaLnr-pl acf and
the correspondent talked cut fully the topic
which the latter had travelled 1900 miles
to investigate.
Like the president, the speaker of the
house is rarely interviewed, so Ear es the
public knows, and Henderson was just then
so nearly a speaker that the correspondent
July understood his reasons for not being
quoted.
The late Abram S. Hewitt varied in his
treatment of interviewers, and newspaper
men who knew him tell many anecdotes OF
their meetings with him. One reporter who
went, a stranger, to ask him a lot of ques-
tions on certain municipal matters, found
him sitting alone in his little office.
Il don't know you,' said Mr.. Hewitt,
briskIy, not TO say sharply, land l don't
know how correctly you will print what l
may say, but I'm willing to talk with you
If you won't hiring cut your note book. Note
books always make me nervous. No, !
don't want to see your copy aiLer it's writ
ten. Nobody'll believe it II you make me
say ridiculous things. and. of course, you'll
never come to me again if you don't report
me accurately"
Then he talked rapidly and fully while
the reporter listened, without taking a note,
and wondering the while whether he would
be able to remember all that was said well
enough to write it out afterward.
Apparently he did. for Mr.. Hewitt was
interviewed repeatedly after that by the
reporter and he never complained that the
reports printed were inaccurate.