The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1922-02-14

WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. IA
Specialized newspaper reporting Of
events in Washington has supplanted
the former custom of merely record
ing the activity on the floors of the
house and senate. At times during
the past Is years nine-tenths of the
newspaper space devoted to the Ma
tional Capital was given to the speech
es on Capitol Hill. Nowadays, how
ever, the center of news writing Is the
president and his cabinet.
Theodore Roosevelt did more to
bring about this change than did any
body else. When he became president
the change from a peace-loving chief
executive to one who loved nothing
more than fight turned the attention
of the writer's from "the Hill' to the
White House, where there was 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 and senate, but the substitu
ton of fiery words for these made bet
ter reading and more enjoyable work
Where many papers and all the
| news service once carried every day a
summary of the sessions of the house
and senate that was from one to foul
| columns in length, they now have spe
cial stories on only the principal oc
| Currences there. A. j. Halford was
| the last of old-time reporters at the
| Capitol. He made copious notes Of
debates and individual speeches in the
! house and his stories in the New Yorl
| Sun portrayed the vocal efforts of the
national legislators. With his death
passed the system once so general.
There are seats on the senate anC
| house floors for representatives of the
news service, but these are occupied
/ by newspaper men nowadays only
| when the president addresses congress
or something of tremendous import
| ance is being debated and voted upon
The pages use them throughout the re
mainder of the sessions.
Mr.. Roosevelt sensed the usefulness
} of the press and he always had a story
for their Monday papers, because OF
Mondays-the dullest news and ad
vertising day there always wal
| plenty of space in them for whatever
he had to say. Roosevelt's cabine
1 tduSHI Tic Spllll VI tllcII Chltl,
reams of copy" for the newspapers
| This condition naturally turned th'
eyes of the country from the Legislative,
/, TO the executive end of Pennsylvanf;
avenue and almost threw into tn
background the congressional side o
| Washington.
Taft Poor News Source
With the incoming of Mr.. Taft, III
press had more of a holiday than TO
the seven years previous. so far as e2
| citing news from the White Hous
was concerned. The reporters wen
back to Capitol Hill, but they sough
individual stories. The Ballinger-Pir
chot controversy took their attention
for some months, but even that di
not measure up to the former hecti
days when every morning brough
forth a new nominee for Ananias Gu
membership.
1t was the announced intention c
Woodrow Wilson to hold two confe1
ences with the newspaper men eac
week. This took them back to tn
White House again. Later, howeve,
Mr.. Wilson stopped this practice, bu
his cabinet members saw them offer
and generally had something interes
ing to say. In fact, one of the offici;
family confided to them differences
[ was having with other members.
/ know this won't be published" he sal
land since / must tell it to someon
and would not dare speak of it to an
of the administration, I'm telling yo
: boys about it." 1t was never printe
J Only when President Wilson a
J dressed congress was the press ga
lery filled and the same holds true t
: day when President Harding got
there to deliver his messages
person.
: With the advent of the Unite
States into the World war came 1.
augmentation of writer's in the n
tional capital. Papers had represen
atives not only to cover" special a
signments at the capitol, but to hand
the White House news, to be prese
at the conferences in the executi1