The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-10-20
ROOSEVELT GAGS
CABINET OFFICERS
Newspaper Men Amused and Sec
retaries Amazed by Presi-
dent Order.
LOEB'S LETTER ON
SUBJECT HURRIED
Cabinet Officers Informal Talks
to Correspondents Declared
"Unseemly.'' ..@
Special to The journal,

Special to The journal.
Chicago, Oct 20. Walter Wellman,
in a Washington special to the Record
Herald, says in part:
President Roosevelt's effort to sup
press the giving Of news to correspond
ents by members of the cabinet IS the
talk of the town. Secretary Loeb g let
ter of instructions to cabinet ofhcers
is one of the most amazing documents
that ever came out of the White House.
There is but one rational explanatio
that the president was so hurried IN
finishing his speeches and closing out
the business on his desk before starting
on his southern tour that he did not
have time to give the matter proper
dashed off in-a-h hurry, catch as-catc can
affairs which the president INDUCES in
when he Is under pressure.
Amazed and Amused.
This attempt to put gag in the
I mouth of cabinet officers by executive
order is received with q mixture Of
amazement and amusement. Some OF
the persons directly affected by it
members of the cabinet and representa-
tives of the press-give expression to
their feelings in cussword, others in
laughter. And it is difficult to tell with
nent gentlemen who sit at the cabinet
table or the newspaper correspondents.
Possibly in the end it will be found
that it is upon the president and his
secretary, the usually clever Mr.. Loeb.
Facts About Episode.
The facts about this not very import
ant but highly ridiculous episode appear
to be as follows:
A small number of newspaper men,
representing press associations and af-
ternoon papers, and wanting their news
quick, have hung about the White
iournment of the meetings have &C
eosted members Of the cabinet and
asked them what took place inside. The
newspaper men have right to do this
A room Is fitted up for their use at
the White House annex, with tables
and telephones. This method of gath
ering news has been in vogue many
T years. 1t is nothing new.
As a rule the, correspondents and the
t is thrust and barry "a Joke e and iangh
ter, between them. Ti G cabinet ofd
GERS are grown men, masters of theil
tongues, it is presumed, and it is not
to be supposed they are forced to tell
anything they do not want to tell OF
that is improper to be told. 1t is, diff
fcult to see what possible objection
there can be to permitting the press
men to "catch on the fy' departing
cabinet officers and extract such bits
of information from them as they can
Certainly there is nothing Hunseemly'
about it, to quote Mr.. Loeb Is letter.
Roosevelt Displeased.
But it seems that President Roose
welt does not like it. He does not like
it because Of one incident. Mr.. Roose
welt is greatly impressed by single in
cidents, and often argues from incident
to princi pie in somewhat arbitrary anc
hasty fashion.
Secretary Root was leaving the White
House one day when a newspaper mar
asked him what had taken place ii
piled Mr.. Root With smile. "oh
that's ridiculous,' replied the pres
man. "You've been there two hours
Wherenpon Secretary Root became in
dignant. He gave that correspondent
1ecturing which the young gentleman
will not soon forget.
President Roosevelt heard of this in
cident and in a hurry out came MI
Loeb's letter to members of the cabi
net ordering them not to talk to specia
correspondents, as such conduct is "un
saem1y -