The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-10-29

could have disciplined the offending
correspondent by admonishing him or
by asking his employers-he IS on the
/ staff of press aseOciation-to take
; him away from the White House in
punishment for his crime which was
at best but a slight indiscretion Or if
/ the President does not want Cabinet
officers accosted by representatives of
the press in the White House or on
| the White House grounds, ii would
have been the easiest thing in the
world TO put stop to that practice
by having Mr.. Loeb s2y to the news
paper men that the President did not,
wish them to do so any more. That
would have ended it in five minutes.
Instead of getting al the molehill
! in some such easy way, Mr.. Loeb.
| with the Presidents approval. OF
course. writes a letter full of blunderS
/ of mountainous proportions. He
writes to each Cabinet officer telling
| him not TO have converse with spe-
cial newspaper correspondents, not to
/ give any news concerning what takes
/ place in the Cabinet to any one, and
when he has news to impart concern
| ing affairs in his department, to send
| for representatives of the press asso-
| Citations, etc.
Apparently this is an effort on the
part of the President to shut out spe-
| cal correspondents. Nothing is 10 be
| given them; everything is to be given
| the associations Many special cor
| respondents in Washington some OF
| them men of national and even inter-
! national reputation, are indignant. The
| press aSsOciat tons. as rule, never
publish anything about the White
/ House or the executive departments
/ except what they are permitted TO
publish by the officials. Broadly, the
news sent out by the associations is
controlled by the President and his
Cabinet. Special correspondents, how
ever send what they choose. They
place their own interpretations upon
| information and facts. They are
| working for the reader, not for the
! government. If the President and his
secretary and members of the Cabinet
do rot like it, we'll, that makes very
! little difference.
! If it shall turn out that President
| Roosevelt and Secretary Loeb really
| mean what they seem to say. that
| hereafter special correspondents are
/ to be tabooed and associations are to
| have the news exclusively as long as
! they are good and publish only what
are told to publish there will be some
| they are told to publish, there will be
some merry old times in town.
| But we can't believe Mr..
Roosevelt intends anything of
The sort. He has too much good
practical sense to enter upon that sort
| of a campaign. Besides il would be
about the quickest way possible for
| him and his administration to commit
suicide. Once let the people get the
| idea that the President is afraid to
have the truth told about him and his
| work and his government, and his
| popularity, great as it is, viii Wane
| like q SNOWFALL in the place the chauf-
! feur told the bicycle policeman to-
| so to.
President Roosevelt's idea doubtless
| was that as TO Cabinet meetings and
| business transacted therein members
should not talk to press representa-
tives. especially at the White House
or on the White House grounds. The
| President has right to be careful as
to what is published as To Cabinet
meetings. for that is i'm a way personal
to him, since he presides over and
| directs those sessions
But stop special correspondents
| OF whom there are a hundred or more
IN ashington-talking with members
of the Cabinet. or getting news about
the government? We guess not. The
sun Will shine ON, the sparks will fly
Upward, and no ukase can stop them.
The indignation of some of the
newspaper men is nothing compared
to that of most of the members of
IiiC N~eiOlilCt' lIlcSc OlllCldIS tlllllh Nhi
Leob's order not only ridiculous. but
insulting. One of them said to-day:
I'VE are treated as if we were a lot
of school boys. imprudent and ire
Sponsible, not to be trusted to open
our mouths. An order is sent to us
from the Presidents secretary much
as the principal of a school would
post rules at the head of the stairs
for the government of boys. We are
told NOT tO hold converse with news !
paper correspondents. Why, some of
these correspondents are our equals in |
knowledge and in influence and in
good work for the government and |
the country. They are gentlemen with |
established regulations. To try to put /
4 ban on them IS absurd. And to treat
US as if we were parcel of chattering |
idiots, who must be restrained and /
disciplined. is insulting.
On the whole, the news order" of |
October Is appears TO be the biggest 7
blunder of this administration. and
the President and Mr.. Leob have made /
very few mistakes, considering the /
large amount of business they have /
handled / have not the slightest |
doubt that as soon as President I
Roosevelt realizes the character of the I
mistake he will speedily rectify it and (
rescind the unfortunate order.
Tt worries a woman to have money
and not be able to spend it as much
as it worries a man to spend it ana /