The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-05-22

and then over TO the Palmer House. 7
was worried, but the impressive words
OF Mr.. Cleveland kept ringing in my
ears. The colored man who threw open
the half doors at the side entrance of
the Palmer House, greeted me with the
words: Governor Cleveland's nominal
ed. His face was Wreathed in smiles
and l fairly laughed for joy. 1t was
a great relief when one is making pre-
dictions to have them come right. The
reputation a newspaper writer has
worked Years to secure may be swept
away in ten seconds If he makes n
big mistake.
The other trying experience vas in
connection with the nomination of Mr..
Blaine. Mr.. p. Y. De Graw was practi-
calIy IN charge of the work of reporting
that convention. and I may say right
here that in my judgment he is the
most capable press association mana
ger that has ever lived. The Louis
lana Purchase Fair has my sincere
congratulations on having secured his
services in connection with their press
work during the coming year. AL
though Mr.. De GraW was omnipresent.
---A = ~ g. 49, Ill 'lAIoOiA1 II ' Iil1d
as his superior officer had the right
TO get into mischief if l desired. over
heard a telegram from Senator Cullom
going TO General Logan. at Washing
ton, saying it seemed impossible TO
nominate either him or Blaine and ask
ing if General Logan would accept sec
Ond place on the ticket with Blaine.
The answer quickly came back and I
h NrNrynl 70 Ja Y-I.,l + COIL - +h1+
also. SO I kept Senator Cullom in
sight and when he was handed the tele-
gram III withdrew from the
ton hall and was quickly Joined by a
few of his associates. AS I approached
the group and spoke to Colonel Inger-
soil, who vas lighting a cigar, Senator
Cullom asked, in a general way, if the
present ballot should be stopped, ''or'',
he said. nov that Logan says he will
do whatever we wish, hall we nom
mate Blaine on the next ballot?''
Colonel Ingersoll quickly replied: Next
ballot. by all means. I want to finish
my smoke 1t was my first national
convention, and in my innocence 1 wrote
a bulletin saying: Blaine is nominat-
ed Then 7 sent word to De Graw as
To what I had lone and he ooked very
SIdNt. L was no. QUITE easy Ill nS
own mind for the next fifteen minutes.
but when the next ballot was taken
and Alabama broke for Blaine, and the
other states followed that lead, all my
associates rose up and called me bless
ed. The United Press was u new con-
Germ. r~eOrganized that very year and
our premature announcement of the
nomination Of Blaine was 4 shock TO
the newspapers Of the whole country.
If We had been wrong, it would have
killed Us. But a great deal is forgiven
to the successful, and from that day
our star was in the ascendant.
My relations with Mr.. Blaine had
been very close and cordial during the
preceding four years that I had been
OF the Associated Press at
Washington, and l had gone to Chicago
very much in love with the man, con-
fident of his nomination and sanguine
Of his election. To the end of stand
Ing we'll with his prospective admints-
tration, and with a view to bringing
my opposition press association forci-
by to his attention, | conceived q plan
Of notifying him of his nomination that
would probably enable me to beat the
Associated Press. I filed by the Yves
tern Union Telegraph Company, at
Chicago, New York and Boston a tele-
gram addressed to Mr.. Maine at Au-
gusta, Me-, with instructions TO release
it for transmission whenever it was
learned from any source whatsoever
that he had been nominated. AS it
turned out it was my own bulletin that
released the threA messages. 7 after
wards asked Mr.. Blaine's Secretary If
they heard from me ahead of the others
and he answered that they received
three messages IL a bunch by tia same
messenger fully halt an hour before
my news was confirmed. and he quoted
Mr.. Blaine as saying: walter Phillips
seems TO be in three places at once
Chicago, New York and Boston. The
situation reminds me OF the story of the
Frenchman who was panic-tricken at
the apparent prospect Of Laura Keene's
ACKNOWLEDGMENT when he read on a
theatrical poster that she was 10 appear
IL three pieces"
My relations with Nj. Blaine began
with one of our attempts 10 have the