The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1912-03-01
How Statesmen Are Divided by
Newspaper Men.
GOOD COPY" HIGHEST. RANK
White House Best Place to Judge Pub
lie Mans News VaIue-No Cen
sorshIp Of Press During the
Taft Administration. ..s,
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

tut All natlOnal LeglSlatOFS--ar8 Q1Y1u-
ed by newspaper correspondents into
three classes-"good copy" fair
copy" and poor copy" 1t is not al
together right classification, for 1t is
based solely on the readiness or the
unreadtness of the statesmen to talk.
There are scores of senators and rep
resentatives who will say practically
nothing and yet they are good copy"
because their characteristics are such
that 1t Is worth while to write Of them
II one can't write from them.
The outer office of the White House
Is better place than the Capitol IT
self to learn into which class the con-
paper mems views. The presidents
visitors every day are in number
among the hundreds, and most of the
visitors have seats after IL o'clock
noon under the dome of the Capitol
When the members of congress have.
finished their talks with the president
they leave him and pass through a
room where ordinarily are gathered
ten or dozen newspaper men ready
enough to learn and to write what the
great ones of earth have said to the
greater one of earth.
There are some members, notably
some senators, who can come from
the presidential presence with the
promise of a friends appointment to
the great court of ST. James in their
possession, and yet never betray by
so much as sparkle of the eye or a
smile of the lip that they have re-
ceived anything better than the prom
Use, of a postmastership at the tenth
rate Office of Adams Crossroads.
There are others who can no more
conceal the fact that they have pick
ed an appointment plum than they can
conceal the fact that they are on
earth.
No Censorship of Press.
During the Taft administration there
has been no censorship of the press"
This does not mean that under former
administrations press dispatches were
censored, but it means simply that
President Taft is much more likely
than his predecessors in office to al
low newspaper men with whom he
talks to draw their own conclusions
without any specific direction from
him or without any sharp warnings
that this must not be said and that
must not be said. Mr.. Taft seems to
take it for granted that the man to
whom he talks will exercise good
Judgment in matters of publicity and
will not get wrong Impressions from
what he tells them or draw conclu-
sions not iustifable.
This makes 1t somewhat easier for
the newspaper men who il warnings
and requests to be ION your guard" are
frequent get so afraid that they are
going to oyerstep the line that they
do not tell half the story and so lose
many a good yarn. OF course, the
president of the United States is new
er to be quoted directly, but most of
what he says to the newspaper men
gets into the papers with some such
advance words as sit can be said ON
high authority" or Friends of the
president let 1t be known today" or
something of this nature. When a
Washington correspondent prefaces a
story with some such statement of au-
thority as one of those given. it can
be taken for granted that he has been
talking to the president of the United
States. When the country generally
learns this fact there will be fuller ap-
probation perhaps that what is being
read comes directly from the White
House
To Honor Maine Victims.
When the collier Leonidas tied up
at the navy yard dock after a hard
fight with the Ice in Chesapeake bay
and In the Potomac river, a big crowd
had assembled to welcome the vessel.
Cold as the water was, most OF the
sightseers removed their hats when
the ship put in to the shore. for on
board were many of the relics saved
from the battleshfp Maine. which was
sunk in the harbor of Havana just
fourteen years ago.
The steel mainmast of the Maine
was a part of the cargo of the Leon
idas. What is known as the fighting
top" which was for the accommoda-
ton OF six gunners. used in rapid fire
guns, was intact The weight oS the
mainmast with it's fighting top is
something like four tons.
Next month the mast will be taken
to Arlington cemetery. where 1t will
be erected over the graves of the men
who lost their lives on the Maine, and
whose bones will be brought to Wash.
ington on battleship in a few weeks.
Already there is in Arlington cemetery
beautiful memorial to the men who
lost their lives in Havana harbor as
the result Of an explosion the cause
of which even yet never has been
fully explained.
The collier Leonidas will go to An
napolis after leaving Washington and
there will unload other relics OF the
Maine which win be distributed to
various cities, patriotic societies. to
personal survivors OF the disaster in
Havana harbor and to relatives of the
victims OF the disaster.
Distribution Of Relies.
Persons and organizations which
think that they have a right to souve-