Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1913-05-18

 newspaper cabinet" is, indeed. cos mopolitan, heterogeneous collection of star men from all parts of the earth.
 The hours of the semi-weekly con- ference were chosen with direct ra- ference to the desires of the cabinet The morning paper man desired that their sheets should not be left un- covered on the big events of the day, while the afternoon papers insisted that they also De given time when their representatives could confer with the Chief Executive about the big policies of the administration Therefore the Monday conference has been set for ten o'clock in the morn ing while the correspondents obtain entrance into the Executive sanctum at three o'clock on Thursday after noon
 Usually about fifty men are present at these meetings. They form wide i seml-circle about the Presidents des!, 1 with the Chief Executive himself as the center and two of the omni-pres- | ent Secret Service men posted near the door to see that no strangers en- ter. The one female member of the 1 press galleries, Mrs. George Richards, 1 who is the correspondent for nunl- Der of New Hampshire papers, never misses one of the sessions of the caoi- net and always ocpuies a position at 1 the extreme left of the semi-circle.
 After greeting each man as he en- ters and shaking hands with any new corners whom he may not previously ! have met, the President waits for someone to open the rapid fire of i questions about any and all topics. The opening gun is usually not lon. in being fired. Lately the California Japanese situation and the tariff have | been the two questions which were uppermost in the minds of the cores i pondents and the first question usual ly related to one of these problems
 President Wilson's answers come sharp and crisp. There is no hesi- tancy. His trained mind works with the accuracy and precision of clock work He has formulated his re- ply almost before his questioners has concluded his query. If he does not care to answer the question for req sons of state or policy it is frequent ly in expedent to give direct ans wer-the chief executive usually | turns the query off with some half- joking. reply which plainly shows the that the President does not intend to outline his policy at this time. It is seldom that a ques- ton is repeated and, should it be put i second time, the Chief executive is apt to say, with soce asperity. "I do ! not care to discuss that at this time.'
 But the is no evasion or quibling on the part Ol uue pIcoclll OCSupdHl oi i the White House. He either answers your question or he does not-and some of his replies are so direct that they are disconcertingo
 Consider for example, his reply to a New York correspondents query. "Is Mir. James to be returned from Ecquador?''
 'He is not came back the eXecu- lives answer "He has been.'
 After talking about possibly half a dozen subject some of them related, others entirely eXtraneous, the con- ference comes to a close when the correspondents run out of questions and the men then file out of the Pre- sident's office to write the news and turn it in to their offices whence it is flashed to all parts of the world.
 Of all the precedents shattered by the President or customs established by him, it is probably safe to say that none is so popular with the news paper men of Washington as these semi-weekly newspaper cabinet meet