The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-05-26
DEALS WITH
REPORTERS
President Prefers to
Give Out the News
Himself.
fMail Special to the Advertiser.)

WASHINGTON, d. c., May 6.-Pres
ident Roosevelt has recently shown
on a larger scale than ever his con-
fdence in the newspaper fraternity OF
Washington. More than any other
President he has all along kept in touch
with the big newspapers of the country
by maintaining relations with their
Washington correspondents. He wants
the news of what he and his admins
tration are doing put into the news
papers right and he prefers to convey
the information first hand. In years
gone by very much of the important
news of the big journals has been Sc
cured second hand-from cabinet Off
GERS and those in the confidence of the
President.
But Mr.. Roosevelt changed all that.
He used to hold conclaves with the
newspaper correspondents at Albany,
when he was governor Of New York
State He did not exactly continue
that when he came to Washington but
the latchstring of the executive offices
was generally out for a dozen or more
correspondents of standing, who chose
to call and inquire from him about the
status of matters of current interest.
More than once he has called confer
ences of fifteen or twenty correspond
entS, to whom he wished to impart in
formation and often when he wished to
tell something Of an executive charac-
ter, not to be printed but to be held in
confidence. The advantage of the lat
ter to the correspondents, of course,
was that they would be able to write
intelligently and not inaccurately, al
though not privileged to state all there
was to state.
When the big rate fight was draw
ing to a, close last week and an agree
ment between the Republican factions
was concluded the President went far
Their than he has ever done in talking
to the Washington correspondents. He
has more than once stated that if there
were any men to whom he could tell
any secret safely and without danger
of it's becoming public, it was the
reputable newspaper men at the Capt.
tai. He demonstrated his sincerity in
this when at his last conference with
them he extended the lines and called
thirty-six of these men together in his
cabinet room. Many of them were
men he did not know personally. What
he told them on that occasion for publ
cation was published ala over the coun-
try the next morning. But he told them
things that were not for publication.
These have not been published and, of
course, will not be.
At one stage certain question was
put to him, during the hours CONVEX
sation he had with the thirty-six ST
can answer that" replied the Presf-
dent, sitting in his high backed chair
at the head of the cabinet table. But
what / say about it is an executive
secret. You agree to that, gentlemen
Yes Yes" came the response in a
chorus from all around the room, where
the newspaper correspondents were
banked, some sitting and some stand
ing, as the cabinet room was built for
the accommodation OF cabinet of ten
and not for a cabinet of thirty-six.
Then the President proceeded to his
answer. Both the question and his re-
ply thereto would be the most inter-
esting part of his conference, but the
secret will not be told. A cabinet off,
Ger who held the secret might like to
let it out to some favorite newspaper
friend but the newspaper man has no
opportunity to play friendship in that
way. The President. of course under
stands the advantage of the situation
where he tells anything directly to the
man who does the writing or who SUI
pervises the writing. That is why he
calls the newspaper conferences.
Three big newspaper conferences have
been called al the White House offices
this winter. The first two, which We're
smaller than the third, assembled in
the Presidents private office. Some
twelve correspondents We're present at
the first; fourteen attended the second.
They We're summoned by telephone
every newspaper bureau of any conse-
qUence in Washington has a telephone
and it's correspondent can be readily
reached by telephone either at his office
or at his residence. The same is true
of Senators and members of the House
and most of the Presidents summonses
to them are delivered in the same way,
although occasionally the request goes
by letter. But the important feature is
that the newspaper conferences at the
White House this winter have been 50
successful that the President is likely
to continue them. He finds it very
satisfactory way of letting news reach