The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-06-06
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsK1N. DireGanr.
ERRhingtOn. d. @.
LooKING FOR LEAKS.


senate committee on rules is reported
to be making a quiet investigation of
leaks OF news from sources of govern
ment information This is a recur-
ring activity which on one or two oc-
casions has brought to light unethical
handling of information by newspaper
correspondents. a practice heartily
condemned by the profession as a
whole. However. it is the usual thing
for investigating committees to fail in
their search for organized leaks.
A leak is the obtaining of advance
information of important government
activities and the furnishing of the in
formation either to persons who will
early knowledge or to newspapers
which will derive the advantage of
beating their rivals. The word leak is
meant to imply that the information
is obtained as the result OF some I'M
ethical or downright unlawful conniv-
ance between the man obtaining the
information and some government
employee.
The most famous recent leak was
the Peace Leak, which, 1t was al
legged, resulted in several million dol
lars being made by Wall street specu
lators who came into possession of
advance information that the presi-
dent intended writing Germany a note
seeking TO peace Inc lnNSSNA-
CATION revealed that some information
had emanated from the White House
prematurely. Even more recently,
leak was discovered from the supreme
court of the United States.
However, most advance publica-
tions of information, which appear Aon
the surface to result from leaks, have
no such explanations. News in Wash
ington which is of particular value,
both to stock exchange spectators
and to newspapers desiring to Guido
their rivals in early publication, is the
news of decisions in big cases before
such bodies as the supreme court, the
interstate commerce commission, the
federal trade commission or special
committees
How Advance News Is Secured.
Here is the way advance news Of
decisions not infrequently is pub
lished. The big press associations,
some of the important trade papers
and newspapers have men assigned to
particular work who are especially
equipped for its responsibilities 1t is
recognized by news managers, for in
stance, that an advantage lies in hav-
ing a man familiar with railroad mat
tiers covering the news of the inter-
state commerce commission A big
case is filed. Hearings are held at
which witnesses for or against the
proposed rate change in question are
fore the commission This is all pub
lie and any newspaper man or any
member of the public can hear the
testimony and the arguments.
Now a conscientious correspondent
covering the interstate commerce COM
mission will be familiar with the gen.
eral provisions of the act to regulate
CONNIE cree. He will know the merits
of the pending case. He will hear
and study all the testimony and the
-
the members of the commission who
decide the case, with all their preju-
dices and pet theories OF regulation,
As-the members of the commission
study the case, the reporter will study
the case. Then when he thinks or
hears thru gossip. that the decision is
about ready to be announced, he will
write his own decision, following the
law and the force of the testimony and
argument The members of the com
mission are made of the same general
flesh and blood that the reporter is
made of. In many cases they are no
more careful and painstaking than he.
Actually in some cases they are not
as well informed on the law and pre-
cedeut- 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 down, it will
D6 4OulQ differences,
the conclusions are the same. Some
one, usually some less enterprising
competitor, will claim a leak
This can happen with any number
o. situations To be sure, the reporter
takes a chance, but if he is cOnserya-
tive and painstaking he will be right
in surprising number of forecasts.
The same procedure can be followed
in stories about policies. By studying
the policy of such body as the Fed
oral f@r,
credit conditions in the United States
to a large extent, a careful reporter
can forecast quite accurately what the
next step in the formulation of
policy will be-
Fine Scheme Goes wrong.
One of the most elaborate arrange
mcnts to get advance news was made
some years ago, not by a newspaper
correspondent, but by a broker, who
was eager to obtain advance intima-
tons of supreme court decisions. Some
of the justices of the supreme court OF
the United States lecture in law
classes at the Washington universities.
This broker learned that Mr.. Justice
Harlan lectured at one of the schools
and was in the habit of illustrating his
lectures by references to the cases
which the supreme court had under
consideration. OF course, the learned
justice would not mention the names
of the cases but a person familiar with
the circumstances involved could be
fairly certain of recognizing the cases
he was talking about. The broker
sent a clever young lawyer to Wash
ington and had him enroll as a stu
dent in the school where Justice Har-
Ian lectured- Previously, the young
man had carefully familiarized him
self with all the pending cases, deci-
sionS In which would affect the stock
market. He became so familiar with
their aspects and circumstances that
he could recognize references to them
without any names being used.
Patiently he listened to Justice Har-
lan'S lectures. Finally. one evening
the justice began discussing circum-
stances which exactly fitted one of the
biggest pending cases. He illustrated