Evening journal., 1907-01-31
THE NEWSPAPER
CODE OF HONOR
GfidirOn Club Members Angry
Because Of Publicity Given
Recent Dinner Speeches

WASHINGTON. Jan. sl.-For years
nothing has happened in Washington
to attract such general attention ana
interest as the recent clash between
President Roosevelt and Senator For
alSer at the annual dinner OF the IA
nous Gridiron Dining Club. This or
ganizatlon is composed largely OF
newspaper and ex-newspaper men, ana
its dinners have long been "A feature Of
social life at the capital To give their
guests. which always include many
prominent men, the fullest freedom OF
expression. they are assured that mo
reporters are present" and as gem
eral proposition, only circumstantial
accounts Of what is said appears I'm the
press. But at the last annual dinner
the debate between the President and
Senator Foraker created such excite
ment that It could not be kept quiet
Through an unavoidable combination
Of circumstances the Gridiron Club.
originally composed Of forty active
correspondents. has changed its conn
piexion until the active list, now num-
bering fty-eight, of which forty-eight
are resident and ten are nonresident,
includes among its forty-eight resident
members about fifteen who have retired
from the newspaper business. half Of
them holding government positions. A
number on the nonresident list have
also left the business. Formerly no
paper could be represented by more
than one member. but now two of the
local newspapers are represented by six
on the active resident list. Of whom
four are credited to one paper. which
also has one on the limited list. The
other two Washington dailies are not
represented in the club. Subtractlng
the fifteen ex-newspaper men on the
active resident list and the six local
men leaves twenty MEMBERSHIPS
for active correspondents. Of which one
is held by the editor of a paper six
hundred miles away, and two by rep
| resentatives OF magazines two by spe-
cial writers and several by men prac-
tically no longer correspondents. IN
fact, only eighteen out OF the forty
eight resident members Of the Grldlron
Club are active correspondents. al
though the list might be stretched to
cover twenty to twenty-four, or hail
the resident members. 1t is an open
secret that the idea of connning the
club TO active correspondents has thus
been abandoned.
While those correspondents who are
members Of the club were bound tC
secrecy as to the speeches OF the Presi-
dent and Senator Foraker. the hundret
and fifty who wcreunderno such pledg,
and they have had no more reason C
pass over the incident than II It haC
happened at any other public dinner
Whether the President knew his ut.
terances would become public or not i.
a question. Certainly he did not minc'
his words when dealing with the Sen
ate OF corporations. ]. p. Morgan ant
II. II. Rogers, to say nothing of hal
a dozen others representing corporal
interests. were present, also as guest
Of the club, and they did not relish th
/ remarks Of the President, apparentl
directed principally at them. The no
report handed out the next day by tn
Interstate Commerce Commission
roasting the Standard Oil Company
apparently indicates the President ho
Mr. Rogers. at least, I'm mind. Presi
dent Roosevelt then turned his atten
tion to the Senate. and. in brief. sug
eestcd that IL was meddling in wha
did not concern It, when it took up tn
Brownsville matter, and that he di
not care a rap what action it took
Among the guests were Senators Aid
, rich. Beveridge, Clay. Clark, Crane
Foraker Nixon and Patterson. Som
Of them at least. did not relish IN
idea Of the President lecturing them
the presence of a Heterogeneous collec
ton Of Senators. representatives. corn
ration men and newspaper men. Whe
Foraker was called upon to reply y
was as emphatic as the President. Ac
. cording to accounts he aroused IN
E banqueters to enthusiastic applause
e At any rate. it was the most interest
ing event ever pulled off by the Grid
iron Club.
e Naturally the members OF the clu
regret the incident and the fact this
/ it became public it will have the ten
= dency TO make public men feel tina
= although mo reporters are present,
vet their utterances are likely to fin
e their way into print If they are Of un
usual interest. It will not affect I'll
club seriously. however, for it is com
= posed OF some Of the best newspape
men and ex-newspaper men in the cit,
2 Friends Of Minquadale Home.
Following are the names Of those WI
. so kindly contributed TO the Minquada