The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-03-09
THE GAIL OF PUBLICITY.


 Edward H. Hartman, at this time occupying the center of the railroad stage, has publicly announced that in the future he will take the public into confidence as to his railroad to a great CT extent than he has hitherto done. Tn Washington, for six days, he has talked with freedom that has as- tonished those who have known that in all of the time of his upgrowth to his present commanding position it was a principle with him neither to let the public know what he was doing not to admit to his presence the newspaper reporters who would naturally be the medium of communication with the public. Yesterday in Washington, he took the initiative in actually sending for the reporters.
 In doing this, MT. Hartman has made life more interesting. He Is an akle man, with the habit of concise and positive expression. He has knowledge and the facultry of convey ing that knowledge in terms that are ineligible and interesting. He has, therefore, himself become more inter- esting. It may also be noted that in entering upon this change of policy he Is extending the lines of his competition with the railway giant of the North west-James J. Hill. For long time, of all the great men of the railroad world of America, James J. Hill was the only one who as occasion pre- sented itself took the public into his l confidence by communication to the daily press.
 There is great significance in this change of policy. It does not mean that MT. Hartman has suddenly be- come loquacious. It means that there has been the growth of an idae born | in the truth, to the stage where it bears fruit. It is now nearly six years since. | Theodore Roosevelt, then Vice Presi- dent of the United States, first enunc- lated his theory that the main road to correction of evils that oppressed the country was that of publicity. The promulgation of that idea was received with the silent sneers and contemp- tuous smiles of all those who had been | trained in the school of silence as to ' their affairs, which, after all, were the affairs of the public, The false prin- ciple of "what is the public's business is none of the business of the public" was strongly entrenched.
 In the course of time the idea, first regarded as the vaporing of doc trinaire, took vital form President Roosevelt put into active life, and with results that are little short of revolu- | tTon. That man of large measure, Judge Gray, of the United States Steel ! Corporation, under whose roof are gathered all the giants of the trans \ poration, financial and industrial worlds, was the first of his kind to ap-
 preciate the power and the energy of ! the enunciation, and to insist upon talk | ing the affairs of the momentous busi- ness enterprise of which he is the real head, to the public. Others have fol- flowed Measures have been taken for | the spread of knowledge of business affairs Bureaus of publicity are not | now unknown In the organization of great enterprises And finally, Harri-
 man, hitherto regarded as impenetrable
 has come into the open and ranged himself as a subscriber to the idea. \ Publicity has been established. Whether the administration will pursue to the end the course 1t has entered
 upon in making it law or not, the
 principle is established :, and in that establishment is the triumph of an
 idea. It is distinct public gain Brooklyn Eagle.