Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1916-03-16

countries are shown day by day. Not
only are the armies positions shown,
but the positions as near Is they can
be told Of the fleets Of the warning
nations are marked on the maps of
the seas Of the world.
In addition to the maps of the Euro
pean countries and Of Japan and the
in the East which have been
of battle during the present
war or of the transfer of islands from
one allegiance to another. there is a
great map of Mexico which includes
in its compass a map of the frontier
of the United States in the South
west.
On this Mexican map are shown the
positions as near as they can be de-
terrnined of the fighting factions In
Mexico, and upon the map showing
the American side of the border are
placed little flags. either yellow. white
or blue, marking the camping grounds
of the regiments and detachments of
United States troops now stationed in
places from which they can look
across the border into the Mexico of
turmoil.
Cabinet Talk Is of War.
A large part of the cabinet delibera-
tons of today, of course, must con-
Germ themselves directly or indirectly
with the questions of war. When a
neutral vessel is sunk or a merchant
mar belonging to one of the warning
nations is destroyed by a submarine.
it is necessary for the cabinet, acting
as advisers to the president, to know
definitely just where the happenings
occurred and all the circumstances
connected with each case.
1t must be remembered that there
is a three mile limit law and so it
may concern the United States deeply
in some instances to know whether or
not any battle of the seat or any sink
ing of a commerce carrier has taken
place within waters over which the
United States has control.
Getting the News in Washington.
Newspaper correspondents in Wash
ington divide prominent men in Off
cial life into three classes, good
copy" flair copy" and poor copy"
Some statesmen-politeness and pol
icy compel the use of the word
for all national legislators-are will
ing often to take the public into their
confidence. Others are willing to do SO
occasionally, while out of some others
1t is impossible to get a word with
any means Of persuasion short of dy-
Mantle.
There are, however, some senators
and representatives who will say prac-
tically nothing and yet they are
classed as good copy" because their
characteristics are such that it is
worth while to write Of them If one
cannot write from them.
The outer office of the White House
is a better place than the capitol itself
to learn into which class congressman
fall, according to the newspaper mems
views. The presidents visitors every
day number from scores to hundreds
and a considerable part of these visi-
tors have their seats after twelve
o'clock under the dome of the capitol.
When the members of congress have
finished their talks with President Viii
son, they leave him and pass through
the where ordinarily r gath.
cred ten or a dozen newspaper men
ready enough to learn and to write
what the great ones Of earth have said
to the greater one Of the earth.
There are some members, notably
senators, who can come from the
presidential presence with the prom
Use of a friends appointment to- the
Court of st. James or to that of Bcr'
lin in their possession and yet never
betray by SO much as a sparkle of the
eye or a smile that they have re-
ceived anything better than the prom
Use Of the appointment Of some friend
to a postmastership at an office which
pays a few hundreds a year. There
are other senators who can no more
conceal the fact that they have picked
IN appointment plum than they can
hide the evidence that they are on
earth.
Cannot Quote Directly.
Waeb;pg +or pau,cponar NOV ooonoI
quote any official directly without his
consent. Sometimes a cabinet officer
or senator or representative will say:
"You can use this and say that | said
It," but more frequently information
is conveyed in words like this: "For
your own guidance | will tell you that
such and such a thing is likely to hap
pen. You can use the information but
don't say from whom it comes"
If any newspaper man in this towr
oversteps the mark and quotes di
rectly when he should not do so, he
gets into trouble. If it is known that
he has coupled an officials name with
a statement without permission other
officials will fight shy of him in the
future. 1t is only fair to the CORE
spondents to say that any mistakes
of this kind generally are made
through a misunderstanding.
OF course the president of the Unit
ed States never is to be quoted di
rectly except on the extremely rare
occasions when he gives permission
Most of what the president says, how
ever, to the newspaper men, directly
or through his secretary, gets into the
papers with some such advance words
as 1T can be said on high authority
or Friends Of the president let 1t be
known today" or something of this
nature.