Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-09-04
An Explanation

The newspaper ethics Of the Maine
press are unusually high. the stand
ards Of Maine reporters TO whom
Maine newspapers entrust the report
ing Of important meetings of public
officials are on a moral plane so high
that Maine newspapermen take great
pride in conforming 10 the Maine cri-
terions. The Governors charge Of
contemplate cowardice must natural
~ be resented or regretted and re
greeting the remarks Of Gov. Curtis
directed against the Journal, the fol-
lowing explanation of the publication
OF the figures and the Callahan in
terview is printed
Governors Statement
The Journal reporter who was as
signed the duty Of recording the i'm
portant business of the meeting Of
the Governor and Council on August
81. was startled when the Governor
stated that the present administration
is handicapped in its work through
the misrepresentation Of the officials
Of the former administration. mas
much, he said, as they declared TO
the people Of Maine that they We're
handing over to the incoming admin
istration surplus of between two and
three hundred thousand dollars when
as a matter of fact the present gov
eminent finds that upon coming into
ONCE il was confronted by a deficit
amounting to over $4,000.
The representative of the Journal
considered the statement very import
oil ~ ar
tention TO the Governors remarks and
in searching his mind for a meaning
of the statement. He naturally be-
lieved that the Governor was about
to issue a financial statement to dis
credit the former administration for
political reasons as eight months had
passed without the least question as
to the veracity of former Auditor CAL
lanan's final report to his chief. There
were other newspapermen present and
the Journal reporter was anxious that
his paper should print as full an ac-
count of the Goings of the Council as
other papers. He believed at the mo-
ment that the statement was prompt
ed by State Auditor Sullivan ard de-
cided 10 look for Mr.. Sullivan and ask
Il4Ill 1cI a NpPS W eN's -
had prepared.
Given Another Reporter
Just as he was on the point Of leav-
ing the Council chamber TO interview
Auditor Sullivan, Attorney General
Pattangall passed a paper to a fell
low reporter sitting next the Journal
representative and as the attorney
general passed the paper right be-
fore his eyes he could not fail to note
that it was a sheet of figures. At the
moment he thought he heard the at
torney general advise in an undertone
that the other reporter, a Waterville
Sentinel representative. give the fig
ures some prominence in the story
of the Council meeting.
Not Auditors Work
When anything like that happens
newspaper reporter is bound to make
haste lest his story be less complete
than the story of other newspapers. The
Journal reporter at once left the cham
Der and met Auditor Sullivan in the cor
ridor. He asked him if he might have
copy of the statement and suggested that
it would be hardly fair to print the
statement in the Democratic press with
out giving the Republican press access
to the figures. He was informed by AL
ditor Sullivan that the statement was
prepared by the Governor and that with
out doubt Secretary McConville would
gladly furnish him with copy as the
Governor had caused several copies to
be made. The Journal man was at once
easy in mind. thinking that the Gov
ernor. was making a general distribution
Of the statement to all the daily papers
in the State.
Private Secretary McConville quickly
found a copy and the Journal reported
noted that a fair number Of copies were
CONTINUED on Page 12-celumn y