Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-11-27
HOW PRESIDENTS
MESSAGE IS
PREPARED
ITS DISTRIBUTION AN
INTERESTING OPERATION
Thousands Know Its Contents
Many Days Before 1t is Sent
to Congress, Yet Contents
Remain Secret.
Especial correspondents Morning Journal. ]

Especial Correspondence Morning Journal. !
Washington, Nov. 25.-The prepar-
alton and distribution of the presi-
dents annual message to congress is
an interesting proceeding to the unin-
itiated. 1t is an intensely secret docu-
ment; yet, in its preparation the pres
ident is compelled to consult his cab
met officers and subordinate officials
who, frequently. know more of the
workings of their important bureaus
than does the secretary, who presides
over the department. General knowl-
edge of the conclusions determined
upon by the president is lodged in the
minds of many officers before the
president has drafted the final text
and dressed his message up into its
finished shape.
Then the point is reached where
hundreds of printers are taken into the
confidence of the president and after
the message is put into print it goes
into the hands of the great press as
sociations for distribution to their
members in advance of the day of
delivery. Every editor of "A daily pa
per throughout the country, from
Maine to California, Is supplied with
a cop several days before the open
ing session. in order that it may be
put into print and that proper editor
ial comment may be prepared, and
such careful n critical comment is
possible only after a thorough reading
of the document.
So ii happens that before the mes
sage is read in the two houses of con-
gress its contents are known to thous-
ands of men In whom the president
has placed his confidence either be-
cause of his personal acquaintance or
the integrity of character that Is
pledged by responsible agents. And
10 the credit of the newspaper profess
- H. a. an41 thnt A,lF 81 20 no fntaH-
walls is this confidence violated by pre-
mature publication of the message and
this almost invariably has been the re-
suit of an accident or misunderstand-
ing and the publication has preceded
the delivery only by a matter of a few
hours by some afternoon paper.
When the president finally has COM
pleted his message the manuscript is
sent to the government printing Of
flee which, IL may be said i'm passing,
is the biggest printing office in the
world. The public printer has corps OF
trusted men who ave been In the gov
eminent employ for years and to these
men is assigned the duty of putting
the secret document into type. the
portion of the text handed out to each
compositor. however, Is so small and
each succeeding take" IL so far re-
moved from the context that II a dis
honest printer should attempt to util-
lie the Information contained In the
message for Illegal purposes he would
be unable TO obtain enough to do him
any good. When the proofs finally
are taken they are sent to the presi-
len and the type and all the office
proofs are carefully locked up in a
big steel vault.
The president frequently revises his
message half a dozen times, and every
scrap of paper involved I'm the con
Struction of the document Is
for. The printing is done under the
eyes of trusted inspectors and the
completed copies sen to the white
house. Thousands of copies are print
ed and each of the three press asso-
Citations is given one copy Tor each or
the papers IL serves. Each copy con-
tains a printed slip announcing that
1t is supplied under an injunction OF
secrecy and Is not to be used until re-
leased by telegraph. These copies are
sent out by express to the distributing
offices of the news associations and at
those centers are transmitted by mes
senger OF by mail to the individual
paper. Occasions have been known
when at the last minute h president
saw fit to make an addenda TO ms
message, and in that case this IN
sert' is telegraphed to the papers.
So, while everybody is wondering
what the president will say. the mes
sage = in possession of the papers only
awaiting the flash from Wash" ston
to let II go out. and this Hash Is "lNen
the moment the executive clerk ap-
pears at the bar OF the mouse or sen
49, ever place he happens 10
go first. and, usually. the senate-and
the presiding officer announces a
message from the president OF the
United States" Within a few moments
from that time the newsboys are on
the streets CRYING extras, when w
some cases have been printed In ad-
vance -,
President Roosevelt has extended
This practice Of sending out early
copies of the message beyond that OF
his predecessors. Copies OF MS COM
ing message are even now on w
ocean on their way TO England for use
in the British press. In view OF the
cable tolls on a document OF this sort
or even on liberal extracts Whlch
never are satisfactory. this courtesy Oh
the president Is greatly appreciated by
Inc British press. or late years muSr
of what the president has TO say on
matters that may affect the stock mar
ket has beer discounted by the men
who manipulate stocks. but IL is quite
probable that influential directors
would give a pretty sum to know IN
advance just what the president VII
say on the subject OF further corpora
ton control and the precise character
Of currency legislation he will urge
upon the coming congress. niie
these hnancieTs are wondering what
Mr.. Roosevelt has In store for them, )
IL might be possible for a few here and
there who have friendly relations with
financial writers to gather some detn-
lite ideas from conversation with those
writer's a day or two before the OPEN
ing Of congress. for an adroit imam
rier might skilfully draw n such a
man in conversation and by reading
between the lines gather the reflected
dea Of the president from the man
who had carefully read what the pres
dent had prepared. There has been oc-
casions. however, when the text OF the
r--- on. -.