Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-06-13


had already been chosen.
The Republican convention will be
on in full swing next week. The great
and powerful and the near great are
already gathering in the convention
city. Accommodations now can hardly
be had at any price. II. face of these
conditions Mr.. Trumbull White tells
the inside" story of convention re-
porting in Appleton's magazine:
Immediately after it has been de-
cided where the convention shall be
held, the managing editors of import
ant daily papers and, of course. of the
cooperative news-gathering institu-
lions, begin to send rush kilograms
reserving accommodations for the
staff of correspondents who will be
assigned to cover the great event.
AS the convention hall nears COM
pletion the chairman of the press
committee, or some other official, de-
termines the precise arrangements
that shall be made for the accommo-
dation of the army of reporters and
the installation of scores of telegraph
instruments In the days Immediately
preceding the opening of the conven-
ton there seems to be about three
weeks work to be done. The situation
is thus depicted:
Carpenters are still hammering,
electricians are installing wires, and
few visitors are poking their heads
about. If they are interested in the
newspaper end. this is what they will
see: Almost directly surrounding the
chairmans rostrum Is group Of
chairs facing temporary pineboard
desks in the most favored point of
vantage for catching every word that
might fall from the lips of a speaker.
At right and left are platoons Of
chairs and plank writing tables, num-
bereds and separated for assignment
| to individual newspapers, usually
hundreds of them altogether"
| AS convenient as possible to the
fpress seats are the private rooms for
the telegraph companies, the press as
sociatiohs, and the more important
daily papers. Here it is that most Of
the writing, other than that done in
the convention itself, is turned out.
In due time come the newspaper men,
prominent among whom are the
Washington corresponds who
do their regular work at the capitol,
who know all the statesmen and poll
ticians and are known to them all.
Also the "signed specials" many of
whom carry "reminiscences of conven-
lions of thirty, or even forty, years
ago, and who are regarded with in
terest by the younger reporters and
by large section of the public. Then
small cities and villages, and last of
ol1 +Ip
into the profession since the last
convention.
Most papers have what is called
the running account prepared by
their own staff, succession of men
writing it in long hand and making 1t
as interesting as possible. A star re-
porter with certain gifts writes the
descriptive account. Besides the
speeches themselves, which have
been furnished to every paper in ad-
vance, there are the humors of the
convention, the street scenes. the
wire-pulling, the fights over creden-
tials, and the dramatic episodes
the greatest when the nomination of
the candidate is accomplished-a of
which have to be chronicled.
The applause is actually timed; for
every convention has its one occasion
when this is longest, and every can
didate hopes to be the object of that
distinction It is matter of common
knowledge that much of the protract-
ed enthusiasm is the result of definite
organization, on the lines Of the
French claque.
Rest and sleep form no part of the
scheme of the newspaper man during
| convention week There was never a
| convention where the time was suf-
fcient or the staff large enough to
get all the news that was wanted
While the press staff is writing the
news, telegraph operators rush it off
| to its destination at the other end of
| the wire:
Here another force, Just as import
ant and just as alert, is working un-
der the same high pressure, to place
| it In the hands of the waiting public.
Copy-readers and headline writer's put
the Incoming story into shape for
composition. Typesetting ma
chimes turn the manuscript into metal
slugs, to be transmitted to the stereo-
typers into turtles" ready for the
waiting presses. These are clamped on
| ti0 Cy1luuSlS, Iuc ltd6u0-lOuS IlDUOuS
Of white paper are threaded into the
wonderful machines, and the wheels
begin their clamor. From the other
end of the presses the folded papers
flow In a continuous stream, elevators
hoist them to the room above there
is cavalry charge of Distributing
wagons in every direction to catch the
early mails or to supply waiting news.
stands throughout the city, and with.
in an hour from the moment of some
great convention event man thous
and miles away may be reading the
account of it without a thought of the
amazing organization that has been
enlested in his service, all at his com.
mand for bit of copper.
| Mr.. White adds that he has discov-
cred one thing in connection with con.
vention reporting, and that is that
presidents, governors, and judges
senators and representatives, generals
and admirals, every one of them, all
require and wish advertising-pre
ferably, Of course, advertising based
on fair recognition of their worthy
L IL t. =