Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-06-22

White house tress bureau took aside
the reporter who represented the
greatest number Of newspapers in
the United States and whose 1850
citation has come to be regarded as
usually telling the truth, the Asso-
ciated Press, that is to say. Exactly
what was told this man is not known,
but it can be guessed from the Asso-
ciated Press story which appeared
the following morning. 1t made
seasoned Washington politicians
gasp at its sheer boldness and audac-
ity. II said, in short, that Roose-
welt 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 harmony which
we spoke of a few moments ago was
all that could be desired between the
sage OF Oyster Bay and Taft. =.
What we're the facts? Why, that
Taft had met, and that was all. Alb
solutely no promise of any sort was
made by T. r. Score two against
the administration press bureau.
AS soon as Roosevelt read the ar
and dictated a statement absolutely
denying that there was any truth in
the article. But such is the influence
of the White house with the daily
press that this denial was about half
suppressed. The little papers. many
Of them did not get it at all, and
the big ones either killed it or stuck
it away in a corner where it wouldn't
be noticed. The fact will ever re-
main 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 LaFollette and for Taft for
president in 1912. This story was
widely circulated. AS far as your
correspondent can find out 1t is not
a product of the White house press
bureau, but that institution immed-
lately took IT up and added many
beautiful frills to it. There is no
use repeating what Hilles put out to
the gullible and dishonest reporters.
They knew It wasn't so and he knew
1t, too. 1t placed the insurgents in
bad light-it made them look as
If there was split in the ranks. The
articles were widely circulated and
the general impression is that Taft
is much stronger than he was a week
ago.
What are the facts? Absolutely
the contrary. A newspaper man who
just wanted to know for his own in
formation went around and inter |
viewed Senators Borah, Bristow, |
Cummins and Clapp, as being the |
gentlemen most concerned in having
the truth" known about themselves. |
Each one of them gave this reporter !
a statement which he published in /!
three or four papers to the emphatic |
effect that they had not stated that |
they were going to support Taft. Thus
a third fairy tale from the White |
house was nipped in the bud.
Whoever this dispatch had fooled.
It did not fool a bunch of half a
dozen Washington newspaper men
who sat talking It over the night it
was printed.
81 see,'' said one Of them, that
our White house press bureau Is
working overtime these days. Toxin
worm or any of the other noted the
atrical press agents have nothing on
Mr.. Hilles in the way OF developing |
their imaginations or in the matter
Of disregard of facts. The only dis
tinct:cn between the theatrical press
agent with a bum show and Mr.. Hill
les is that the object of the theatrical
press agent is to make the jay part
with his dollar and the object Of Mr..
Hilles is to. make the voter part with
his vote
You sure have 1t right" said an
other, land that man Hilles Is one
OF the slickest advertising managers
that ever came down the pike with
a whole live president under his
arm. 1t doesn't fool me to read his
bunk, but think of the suckers it