Evening star., 1905-10-23
Correspondents Hereafter Will
Be Chary Of Their Bouquets.
REG RET THE PAST
WILL WRITE ONLY COLD FACTS
AND UNADoRNED COMMENT.
Tendency to Capitalization Of News
Distribution eliminated In the
Presidents Order.

TTtSiuent ftOOSevelt 3 OfQer TO cabinet
officers directing them not to talk to spe-
cial correspondents of newspapers and to
reserve their news In official form for press
associations has caused pretty thorough
dissection of public men and cabinet off,
GERS by correspondents. especially from the
standpoint of news helpers. The result of
II all appears to be rather widespread
Informal agreement among reporters and
correspondents that they have wasted a
good many adjecttves in saying compli-
mentary things about a number OF men in
public life when it was entirely unneces-
sary. A reform wave In that direction is
now threatened
Will Adopt New Policy.
Four or five OF the best-known corre-
spondents gathered few days ago In a
room in the city and began to talk 1t all
over It's funny thing" began the fell
low with hammer No. 1. that We Wash
ington men are responsible for the opinion
the public has of a large number OF prom
inent men. 1t is not the desire os most
correspondents to say unfriendIy things Of
man, and most papers do not care to
print such criticisms, and for years we
have been writing, almost every day. can
did stun about this man or that man. We
have really been doing It voluntarily, too,
as the papers haven't asked for II or
wanted II. All our papers want is the
news, told truhtfully. fairly and impair
TALLY, whenever we are able to get 1t from
the close-mouthed official trust that has
been growing stronger each day. just
want to say to each one OF you fellows that
my bouquets in the future are reserved for
the cabinet officer or public man who helps
me to get the news my paper wants. The
man who shuts his mouth and gives me
no help will find that there is no ground
f1- ~4,xn~ t,cN
violets and roses in his direction"
Good boy. Jack. was the comment of
every man in the party.
Il have heard twenty special correspond
ents and reporters say the same thing"
opened up Hammer No. 2. The truth is, /
am afraid some of us are responsible for
the exceedingly splendid opinion entertain
ed In the country Of some public men, and
we have really been guilty of unintention-
ally fooling the people. 1t is a great job to
fool all the people all the time. / suppose
they do get onto the game in the course of
very great many years. Therefore 1 agree
that 1t behooves us to be careful in the dis
tribution OF bouquets and In the making of
popular idols. We have deceived the public
In the past without intending to do so. We
have not weighed the serious effect our
writings have on the public mind In the
future We will write cold facts and COM
ments. unembellished with an American
beauty rose or a winter carflation, unless
we really know that what we are handing
out belongs to a man who unquestionably
and fairly merits the praise given him.
Some OF the men who are feeding us on
personal jolly and Withholding news the
public Is entitled to will not find, probably,
that they are being discussed with so much
zeal throughout the country I am rather
inclined to believe that men forget the
favors shown them by our profession. and
II we proceed to forget to a reasonable
degree believe the chances are good that
our news supply will largely increase"
There Is truth in the statement that in
the last three or four years there has been
general tendency to GENERALIZATION of news
distribution in administration circles. Minor
employees have been given to understand
that they are not to open their mouths to
any one on any subject and that the men
over them will do all the talking The
H, Wnite House Is distinct point in view.
Under Secretary Loeb it has become i'm
possible for a correspondent to get the
SMALLEST DIT OF the most unimportant in
FORMATION from an usher, the steward or
any one eise. Nearly year ago a reporter
who tried to get to talk over the telephone
with the steward to ask whether the regu-
lar Rhode Island turkey had arrived for
Thanksgiving dinner was informed that he
could not be connected with the steward
who was forbidden to talk.
The energetic. inquisitive reporter has
FOUND himself facing handicaps and rules
each day, and often personal instructions
have been given as to maintaining secrecy
about things.
characteristics Of the Cabinet.
Since Postmaster General Corte,you en-
tered the Post Office Department the man
who is approached by a reporter or corre-
spondent looks around to see IL any one Is
watching before he opens his mouth to
answer question and generally bees to be
excused and refers the questioner either to
the Postmaster General or one of the lar
ter's assistants. The question that he turns
down Is not necessarily one of importsnca
1t may be the simplest kind OF harmless
proposition. In the State Department the
rigid rules there have grown worse Per-
sonally Mr.. Cortelyou is amiable and friend
ly to the newspaper men. He imparts little
information. but he Is courteous. For that
concession he Is liked.
Secretary Taft has always been regarded
with favor by newspaper men because of
his lack of mystery. and his inclination to
help them when possible. Yet they have
been able to say of him that they never
knew him to talk about subject that real
1y ought to be kept secret. During the jana
nese-Russfan peace negotiations he kept a
close mouth and the correspondents and re-
porters respected him for It,. On other
matters lacking importance he has been
helpful to all.
Secretary Wilson is a good man in his
own department from a news point of view
and nearly always has something pertaining
to his baiiwick which he Is willing to talk
about. Secretary Shaw il Straightforward
in answering questions OF legitimate ma
ture, but is not very communicative
Secretary Root Is regarded as the sphynx
of the administration. and he and Secre-
tary Cortelyou hold similar views as to
getting into print. Secretary Hitchcock
seldom makes public a story until It has
been in cold storage a few weeks and Is
ripe enough to fall out of its own accord
Secretary Metcalf. Secretary Bonaparte
and Attorney General Moody do not talk
much although Mr.. Moody has been kind In
giving out news Of action taken by his de-
partment about which there could not be
further question. Although the quantity
has not been large the quality has been
good Under the new White House rule
he can not say anything until the press
associations are supplied.
. The entire corps OF Washington corre-
spondents has concluded to watch develop
ments from now on with greater care than
ever before.