The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-08-25
srrOslNo rio aepoa1E Ees
Character o. public orleiais who shun
Representatives OF the Press

,From the Boston Hcrald) IT,.
The other day dispatch informed the
public that newsp paper reporters wcrc no.
70 be admitted 70 the Portsmouth Navy
Yard while the peace conference was IN
progrcss--a most usels'ss impcrtinenco. A
few days before one prominently spoken
Of as candidate for an important public
place declared. as ii this ware bis private
business, that he had noth.nr 20 saw ta
newspaper men. as " rho newspapers
would have nothing to say u him. These
are sample Instances. rhcre are many
Ike them. Every once ~ a while We see
betrayed a. disposition on TIE part OF
some Of our iess-knoWn fcliow-citizene.
who may be momentariiy Interesting the
public. To treat with crude iisdalr or
with an assumption OF haug1'y iniie-
nation those busy men whSse task II Is
70 keep the public Informed OF wha; Is
going on IN the world It may he. in-
deed, that tho public Is sometimes greedy
for Information which ought not 70 be
fn dshed IT, bat that IL Is frequently
furnished with such information is usu-
ally the public's fault Any newspaper
would be foolish to print what the pub-
iic does Mt desire, vesides, vice may al-
pe pandtred 10 by some one
We are inclined to the opinion. aftsi
reasonably long experience. tnat ihose
who resent the supposed intrusion of ,he
Reporters are usually men Of mere r-o--
mmiory importance and nearly always
thty are quite mistaken as TO The fpnc-
tioys and 'at value Of the reporter They
NAV be- lifted ur by The selection of the
post which they command FOR an unusual
purpose. or they may be gossiped u AS
tuC possible nCumbents Of "A ublic Of
Fee or they uay Doe ccrncied IN q mar
riege, or 10 q bir,h. or ia death which
fQr one reason on another is Justly aud
properly Interesting TO ,he public The
idea lhgt possesses such persons OF tom
poray interest is usually that their
privacy Is being iniruded upon; TINT thes
are being annoyed and prosecuted for the
sra'if, alton Of The curiosity - the re-
porter himself. whose urpleasa { duty if
IS 20 gather ami present what the public
desires 10 know. such q persor may res,
assured. however. that the reporter is no
more pleased with the task II visiting
him and interviewing him than is he 10
receive the agent Of the newspaper The
reporter IS very intelligent servant OF
the public His duty IS to end out what
the public wishes 70 know about ana it
usually has ;he right to know what he
setks. Moreover. as O rule Il is best for
ne public hat It should have the lnfor-
nation which she reporter seeks. We
are not going into "A defense Of the
publication Of ihe news OF crime and
Of vice. simply because that is not our
present subject: but we may be permitted
20 say, in passing that much Of the news
OF crime ami vice which is scomed by
persons whose fasudiousness is mainly
due TO ignorance or folly is for the moral
health OF the community But we will
I confne our observations % those who re-
sent the so-called Intrusion Of reporters
, INTO what they are pleased TO call heir
private affairs affairs, as We have inti-
mated, that are likely to be public T.
II is also true Of such aggressive and
sometimes obstrepeOus. ignorers u tho
press that wher they want favcrs OF the
public none ask so eargerly as they for
the notice of tne press. Then they seek
oaj the editor the reporter. ana the cor
respondent. They may repulse the re-
porter who asks them for their teInpor-
AIRY information for the public good but
many Of them fall on their knees be-
fore him when they want him to advance
their private interests. Then the acitor
and tho reporter become their friend and
thy again prove their unworthiness by
their inadvertent sycophancy.
The real man. who is before the public
for the public's good, knows that the
community Is probably concerned with
MIN: that it Is POSSESSED OF proper de-
sire for adequate Information concern
ing public affairs, or concctaine any
matters OF general interest and i'm
poitancc. or concerning persons who have
made themselves. or who have been
made Of interest go their neighbors. such
man recognizes IN the reporter an in
telligent and hard working member Of
society, and a useful pui lie servant lie
reSizes he value as wei as The power
Of the press. but he never asks for
The assistance Of the latter for he knows
that he VIII r,,,eWe II when the public
can be benented by his public employ
ment. IL may be- said hat, as eule,
only those vine dcseiNe very little of the
nress, ana wha pretend &, look down up
on much that it does including the work
Of the reporter beg humbly and prssis-
tcntly for its favors, ANA they may rest
assured that no one understands them
better and values them more Justly han
The kccn-eyed. ohservanL thoughtful re-
r,,Ffs.,