Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-02-14

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14-Speciai-
lied newspaper reporting Of vents
in Washington has s~upplanted the
former custom of merely recording
the activity on the floors or the
House and senate. At times during
the past fifteen years ne-tenths OF
the newspaper space devoted to the
national capital was given to the
speeches on Capitol Hill. Nowadays,
however, the center OF news writlhs
is the President and his cabinet.
Theodore Roosevelt did more to
bring about this change than did
anybody else. When he became
president, the change from a peace
loving chief executive to one who
loved nothing more than a fight
turned the attention of the writer's
from 1.-THE Hilr' to the White House,
where there vas always news aplenty'
Not alone was it a relief for them
to get away from the dull accounts
of what went on in the House n
senate, but the substitution OF hery
words for these made better reading
and more enjoyable work.
Where many papers and ell the
news services once carried every a
a summary of the sessions of the
House and senate that al from one
to four columns in length, they now
have special stories on only the
principal occurrences there. A. j..
Halford was the last of old-time re-
porters at the capitol. He made
copious notes of debates and IN
dividual speeches in the House n
his stories in the New York Sun
portrayed the vocal efforts of the
national legislators. With his death
passed the system once so general.
There are seats on the senate ana
House floors for representatives OF
the news services, but these are oc-
cupied by newspaper men nowadays
only when the President addresses
congress or something of tremend-
Gus Importance is being debated n
voted upon. The pages use them
throughout the remainder OF the
sessions.
Mr.. Roosevelt sensed the useful
ness of the press and he always had
a story for their Monday papers, be-
cause on Mondays-the dullest news
and advertising day-there always
was plenty of space in them LOT
whatever he had to say. Roose-
veIt's cabinet caught the spirit OF
their chief, making reams OF copy
for the newspapers. This condition
naI1IdllX LuIllCd tiO WV
country from the legislative to the
executive end of Pennsylvania ave-
nue. and almost threw into the back
around the congressional side OF
Washington.
Taft Poor News Source
With the incoming or Mr.. Taft
the press had more of a holiday
than for the seven years previous
- .x.,tttno nnvyS frnm the
White House was concerned. the
reporters went back to Capitol HILL
hut they sought individual stories
The Ballinger-Pinchot controversy
| took their attention for some
months, but even that did not meas
ure up to the former hectic days
when every morning brought forth
a new. nominee for Ananias Cluh
membership.
1t was the announced Intention o.
Woodrow Wilson to hold two con-
~ferences with the newspaper men
each week, This took them back tc
the White House again. Later, how
err. Mr.. Wilson stopped this prac'
tice, but his cabinet members saw
them often, and generally had some
thing interesting to say. IN Iact
! one of the official family contided &c
] them d~llcfenceS he was hdNiie W..
| other members. II know thi o
| be published" he said. land since
[ must tell it to someone and woule
not dare speak of it to any of tho
administration. I'm telling you boy'
about it, 1t was printed.
Only when President Wilson al
dressed congress was the press gal
lery filed and the same holds trut
today when President Harding goe'
there to deliver his message in per
son.
With the advent OF the United
States into the World War came tn
augmentation of writer's in the ma
tional capital. Papers had repre-
sentatives not only to "cover' spe
cial assignments at the capitol, bu
10 handle the White House news, u
be present at the conferences in tn
executive branches of the govern
ment as well as to write other spe
cial articles. Washington was Tn
capital of the world for more thai
two years. or until Mr.. Wilson saile'
for France in December. 1918.
Enter the Omcial Press Agent
When this country declared wa
there Immediately were created
number OF press agencies In tn