Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-06-13
LOOKING FOR LEAKS
Senate Committee on Rules Is Now
Making Investigation.
The GOVERNMENT is VERY CAREFUL
thousands Are often made by seour-
ance of information Prior to Genera
Announeement---St OF Law Stu
dent Who Was Fooled. 20
BV Frederick ]. Ifaskin.


dent Who Was Fooled. "a
- . BY Frederick j. Haskin.
Washington, June 3.-The senate
committee on rules is reported to be
making a quiet investigation of leaks
of news from sources of government
information, This is a recurring acti-
vity which ON one occasion has brought
to light unethical handling of infor-
nation by newspaper correspondents
a practice heartily condemned by the
profession as whole. However 1t
is the. usual thlns-- for Investigating
c6pamittess who fail 'in7their search
for organized leaks.
i A leak is the obtaining of advance
information, of Important government
activities and stheS furnishing of this
information either to persons who will
be able to make, money out OF the
early knowledge or to newspapers
+ which will derive the advantage OF
beating stheir rivals. The word leak
is meant to imply that the information
is obtained as the result of some un-
ethical or DOWNRIGHT unlawful con-
nivance between tie man Obtaining the
inforahationEand some ,goyetnment en-
ploye. ~
The most recent leak was the peace
leak which, it Was alleged, resulted in
several million dollars being made by
wall street SPECTATORS who came into
possessioh of advance information that
the president was intending writing
Germany a note> seeing Ito -induce.
ptaee. The investigation revealed
that some information had emanated
from the White House ,prematurely,
Even more recentiy, a leak I was dis
covered from the sfipseme iourt OF the
United States.
However, most advance publications
of information,s whieh3 appear on the
surface to result from leaks, have no
such explanations. / News. in Washing,
ton which is of particular value, both
to stock exchange spectators ana TO
newspapers desiring TO -outdo their
rivals in early publication, is the news
of decisions in big cases before such
bodies as the supreme court, the inter
state commerce. commission, the fed
eral trade commission or special COM
niittees. 10y
. How Advance News is Secured.
Here is the way advance news of de-
cisions. not infrequently is published.
The big press associations, some of
the importapt trada papers, and>news-
papers have men assigned to do parti-
,culaf work who are especially, equiippeedd! qi e!
for.its responsibilities. 70 iislrecoGhiz-
cd by news managers, for iinstance'
: that an advantage lies in having
man familiar with railroad matters
covering the news ;of the interstate
commerce commission. A big case is
filed. Hearings are held at which Wit
nesses for or against the proposed rate
change in question are hoard. Lawyers
argue the points before the comnfis-
sion. This is all public and any news
paper man or any member OF 'the
public can hear the testimony and the
arguments. SO
Now conscientious correspondent
cove ring the interstate commerce COM
mission%will betfamilar with the gen.
eral -provis.o of the act to- regulate
commerce. He will know the merits
of the pending case. He will hear and
study all the testimony and-the argu-
ments. He will know personally the
members of the commission who decide
tho case. with all their prejudices and
pet theories of regulation.
AS the members Of the commission
study the case the reporter will study
; tho case. Then when, Ire thinks, or
hears through gossip, that the decision
is about ready. ito be-, announced, he
will write, a.is own decision, following.
the law and the force of the testimony
and argument. The members Of the
commission are made of the same gen
eral flesh and blood that the reporter
is made Of In many cases they are
no more careful ard painstqking than
he. Actually, in s5fne cases they arc.
not as we'll informed on the law and
precedent. 1t is not at all unlikely
that the members Of the commission
and the reporter will arrive at the
same conclusion. The reporter will
write news article forecasting the
decision. When the decision comes