The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-05-17

who was lighting cigar. Senator chi
lom asked, in a general way, if the
present ballot should be stopped. cor. ("
do whatever we wish, shall we nominate
Blaine on the next ballot?" Colonel In
gersoIl quickly replied Next ballot, by
all means. / want to finish my smoke"
It was my first national convention, and
in my innocence 1 wrote a bulletin say
ing: Blaine is nominated" Then l sent
word to DeGraw as to what l had done
and he looked very grave 1 was not
quite easy in my 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 blessed. The United Press
was a new concern, reorganized that
very year, and our premature announce
ment of the nomination of Blaine was
shock to the newspapers of the whole
country. If we had been wrong, it would
have killed US. But great deal is for
given to the successful, and from that
day our star was in the ascendant.
How Mr.. Blaine Got the News.
My relations with Mr.. Blaine had been
very close and cordial during the pre-
ceding four years that l had been man
ager of the Associated Press at Wash
ington, and I had gone to Chicago very
much in love with the man, confident of
his nomination and sanguine of his cleo
ton. To the end of standing well with
his prospective administration, and with
a view to bringing my opposition press
association forcibly TO his attention,
conceived plan of notifying him of his
nomination that would probably enable
me to beat the Associated Press. l filed
by the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany, at Chicago. New York, and Bos-
ton a telegram addressed TO Mr.. Blaine
at Augusta, Me-, with instructions TO
release it for transmission whenever it
was learned from any source whatso-
ever that he had been nominated. AS it
turned out it was my own bulletin that
released the three messages. I after
ward asked Mr.. Blaine's secretary if
they heard from me ahead of the others
and he answered that they received
three messages in a bunch by the same
messenger fully half 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 stricken
at the apparent prospect of Laura
Keene's ACKNOWLEDGMENT when ne read
on a theatrical poster that she was 10
appear in three pieces
Mr.. Dana's Wise Retort.
My relations with Mr. Blaine began
with one of our attempts to have the
Red Cross treaty ratified by the United
States. and the assassination of Presi-
dent Garfield, the preparation of the
funeral grafton, and its advance dis
tribution by mail through the Associa-
ated Press, resulted In my being with
him a very great deal. I once asked
Mr.. Dana why it was that newspaper
people who knew, beforehand, that
great deals were practically consum-
certain TO affect values-why they never
rushed into Wall Street to make theiI
fortunes. He answered quickly: BE
cause they know so many things that
are not So But the Associated Press
manager in Washington is the reposi
tory OF much interesting information