Williams news., 1916-04-27


 A Was ington core @ spondent of the New York Herald. The sen. for Preston died some years ago. The other day the son. in going over his fathers papers. found the manu- script of an address on Washington newspaper life which contained sto- ries of men whose names were known by the nation and which still are known.
 The address of Correspondent Pres. ton Of which the manuscript was found was delivered to students of the Georgetown university and in general it's subject may be put down as expe- rfences in the life of a Washington correspondent. Some of the things which Mir Preston said concerning i'H"spaper work have their application as sharp today as they did In the elder day. Here are some extracts from his address and some stories with them which make their own points felt and make salient their lessons to newspa- per men and to others of today:
 Tn 1872 reporter writes this. Hamilton Fish. secretary of state, re- turned to the city yesterday. The city editor tells him to put cap head on all his matter. But this only makes line. Never mind. put head on 1t. The reporter did so. It read, A distinguished visitor
 -I do not suppose that three words ever caused an entire administration with General Grant at its head, to tear its hair and swear as those words did. Was it malicious? The secretary said it was and it cost the man his place. The president and the cabinet all sum- mer that year remained away from Washington except the secretary of state. He kept at his desk and only a5sented himself two weeks. To be gazetted as a distinguished visitor was enough to cause him anger, espe .ciaIiy in the so-called organ of the ad- ministration. He saw the force of the satire in the heading and the reporter made him an enemy for life.
 Tt is said by some papers that are independent. and therefore not bound
 
 champions of the peoples rights. Per haps they were at one time, and have come under the yoke of the fear of losing patronage and influence in their latter days The late Jere Black told me story how when he was secre- tary of state at the close of James Buchanans administration he met the elder Bennett, founder of the Herald, in President Buchanan's library one evening. The growth of the paper, it's great popularity and it's extended cir. culation. were the subjects of conver- sation. MT. Bennett accounted for all this by saying 1t was the peoples pa- per and the populace in turn showed it's appreciation by advertising in and patrOnizing it. It was, 1 think, the hrst of this class of journals, and nat urally SO stern and firm a Democrat as MT. Black was. he looked with dis favor on any innovation that threat. ened the peace and perpetuity of his party.
 '''i arose. said MT. Black, and with all the vehemence of my nature de- nounced such journalism. 1 saw the president was a little annoyed, but the occasion and provocation were too great for me to keep still To my surprise the owner of the paper did not appear to notice what had said. This irritated me and as I had gone that far I was determined to say all that I thought of this mountebank in modern journalism. 1 continued. MT. President I cannot find words suffi- ciently strong to express my supreme contempt for man who calls such kind of Journalism popular. Why sir, If on that day of days when that most momentous trial the world has ever known took place before Pontius Pi- late. and the sentence of death was pronounced on the SoL of God, if the Herald Lad been printed in Jerusalem. 1t would have been on the side of the people, of the rabble. and doubtless it would have appeared in extra form. with blackest type. and biggest letters repeating the words of its popular SUD-