The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-02-17
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Specialized newspaper reporting OF
events in Washington has supplant-
ed the former custom of merely re-
cording the activity on the floors OF
the house and senate. AT times
during the past Is years nine
tenths of the newspaper space de-
voted to the national capital was
given to the speeches on Capitol
hill. Nowadays, however, the GEN.
ter of news writing is the presi-
dent and his cabinet.
Theodore Roosevelt did more to
bring about this change than did
anybody else. When he became
president, the change from peace
loving chief executive TO one who
loved nothing more than a fight
turned the attention OF the writer
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
better 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 four columns in length, they now
have special stories on only the
principal occurrences there. A. j.
Halford was the last of old-time
reporters at the capitol. He made
copious notes of debates and indi-
vidual speeches in, the house and
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 and
house floors for representatives of
the news services, but these are
occupied by newspaper men nova
days only when the president adj
dresses congress on something of
tremendous Importance is being de-
bated and 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
Il story for their Monday papers,
because on Mondays-the dullest
news and advertising day-there al
ways was plenty of space in them
for whatever he had to say. Roose-
velt's cabinet caught the spirit of
their chief, making reams of
copy" for the newspapers. This
condition naturally turned the eyes
OF the country from the legislative
to the executive end of Pennsylvan-
ia avenue and almost threw into
the background the congressional
side of Washington.
TAFT Poor News Source.
With the incoming of Mr.. Taft,
the press had more of a holiday
than for the seven years previous,
so far as exciting news from the
White House was concerned. The
went back to Capitol hill,
but they sought individual stories.
The Ballinger-Pinchot controversy !
took their attention for some
but even that did not meas
ure up to the former hectic days
when every morning brought forth
a new nominee for Ananias club
1t was the announced intention of
Woodrow Wilson to hold two con-
ferenceS with the newspaper men
each week. This took them back to
the White house again. Later, how
ever, Mr.. Wilson stopped this prac-
tice, but his cabinet members saw
them oftener, and generally had
interesting to say. In
fact, one of the official family con- !
fided to them differences he was
having with ether members. Il
know this won't be published" he .
said, and since l must tell it to
someone and would not dare speak
Of it to any of the administration,
I'm telling You boys about it." It
was never printed. /
Only when President Wilson ad- .
dressed congress was the press GAL
cry filled and the same holds true
.o6ay when President Harding goes
here to deliver his messages in
person. Il
With the advent of the United