The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1911-06-21
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Press Bureau Established at The
White House.
BY TAVENNER.)


Washington, D. c., June 20, 1911.
Some of the most remarkable
newspaper stories that have ever
been sent out on the wires from
Washington-and that is saying al
good deal-have been emanating
from no less a place than the Whitel
of weeks. If it is true that Theo-
dore Roosevelt was always in the
limelight of the daily press it was
because Teddy was doing things
which the public was actually inter-
ested in, and which it wanted to
know about. But if William Hiatt
is getting an unusual amount of
publicity these days, it is wholly
due to brand new institution
which has been established in the
White House; in short, a press
bureau.
When Charles D. Hilles succeeded
Charles d. Norton as secretary toI
the President a couple of months
ago it was pretty we'll understood
here that he was going to run Mr..
Taft politically. Nobody had any
objection to that, for 1T is we'll
known that the President is not
much of a politician himself, and a
little help now and then could do
no harm. But neither the seasoned
politicians nor the correspondents in
the camp were prepared for what
Hilles actually has done, and many
are the criticisms of his unpreceden-
ted action i'm running a theatrical
press agenting campaign from the
Executive Office of the chief mag
istrate of the United States. Soon
er or later, it is felt, serious trou-
BILE will result. Maybe it has al
ready resulted. This article pro-
poses to relate how some of the ru-
mors which have been circulating
throughout the country have been
deliberately manufactured in the
White House and given out to the
reporters with the plain intent to
have them written up and thus de-
ceive the public.
Whoper No. 1. Not long ago
President Taft went to Baltimore in
order to attend a great Catholic
celebration in honor of Cardinal
Gibbons Col. Roosevelt was also
invited to attend. Now about a
week before the meeting of the
President and the Ex-President Mr..
Hilles caused the reporters at the
White House to send to their pa
pers stories which said that Secre-
tary of the Navy Meyer had gone to
Oyster Bay to arrange for the
conference" which the President
and Mr.. Roosevelt were to hold.
Thus the impression was made on
those of us who read the daily pa
pers and believe what we read,
that here was a wonderful political
heart-to-heart talk and that every
body was forthwith going to sing
that familiar hymn entitled, 'Har-
mony, heavenly harmony i'm the dear
old G. o. Pr What were the
facts? Mr.. Meyer did not go to
Oyster Bay at all, It was al z,
fake!
Whopper No. l. Not long ago
shortly after. At this celebration |
in honor of Cardinal Gibbons, Roose-
welt and Taft did meet, smiled, |
shook hands and talked together in
public during intervals of the cele-
bration. That was all.
Some one connected with the
White House press bureau took |
aside the reporter who represented |
the greatest number of newspapers
in the United States, and whose as
ISOLATION has come to be regarded |
as usually telling the truth, the AS
ISOLATED Press, that is to say. Ex-i
actly what was told this man is
not known, but it can be guessed. |
1t made seasoned Washington poll
ftrSioho SoOP at lI0 ShOCl
and audacity. 1t said, in short that |
Roosevelt had promised Taft his
support for denomination in 1912;
that the relations between the two
men were what they had always !
been; and that this heavenly har-
mony which we spoke of a few mo-
ments ago was all that could be de-
sired between the sage of Oyster !
Bay and Taft.
What were the facts? Why, I
that Taft had met, and that was all.
Absolutely no promise of any sort
was made by T. R. Score two
against the administration press bu-
reau.
AS soon as Roosevelt read the
article he blazed out with indigna-
ton and dictated a statement abso-
lutely denying that there was any
truth in the article. But such is
the influence of the White House
with the daily press that this de-
NAL was about half suppressed. The
little papers, many of them did not
get it at all, and the big ones either
gilled it or stuck it away in a cor
ner where it would not be noticed
The fact will ever remain to the
eternal memory of C. D. Hilles that
he had sent out a piece which was
as false as any advance agents
roseate picture of a second rate
stock company star.
Now for whOpper number three.
Some one in Washington wrote up
a tale that the insurgent Senators
were against La Toilette and for
Taft for President in 1912. This
story was widely circulated. AS far