The Wilmington morning star., 1945-03-05

with them as much as many OF his read
ers. His articles serve the good purpose
of making people Think
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1945, by King Features Syndicate)
Whether by superior initiative and enter
prise or through flaws in their censorship, our
British colleagues in the newspaper business
have scooped our boys on a number OF i'm
portant stories both in the field and on the
diplomatic front in the course of the last year.
I lean almost horizontally to the belief that
our trouble has been no lack of hustle and
news-sense but interference and too-consclen-
tious observance of the code.
! However, to anyone who worked among
our British brethren quarter of a century
ago Or before, it is pleasantly apparent that
they have stepped up their methods and pace.
This is compliment to our set because they
learned it all from U.S. 1t was the American
reporter, fresh from chasing fire-engines in
| this country and with no more reverence for
noble lord in the Foreign office than for tn :
mayor of Chicago in the City Hail. who taught
them speed in delivery and punch in prepare
ton. The process was rather painful to them
at times.
A few weeks after the Easter uprising in
Dublin in 1916, a small meeting was held in
| the office of the Home Secretary or Colonial
Secretary in Whitehall which pointed up the
difference between the status and methods Of
native English reporters, or press-men as they
permitted themselves to be called, and the
Americans. Wilbur Forrest, now distinguish
ed executive of the NJ Y. Herald Tribune, but
then Of the United Press and not long out of
Peoria, and some other Americans, had whip
ped over to Dublin aboard a British man-of-
war, leaving the English press flatfooted. Our
cousins were quite upset and this little con-
ference was called to thresh things out
An English Journalist, speaking for their
crowd, protested to the secretary who was, I
believe, Sir Francis Younghusband, against
the favoritism to the foreigners. In a wound
ed and by no means demanding tone he de-
| sired an explanation.
But the secretary said, "none of you
gentlemen asked to be allowed to CO. What
was I to do, send for you? These American re-
porters came to me asking permission and
transportation and l sent them their way"
Our English colleague wilted vsibly. This
was revolutionary thing, press-men daShing
| to cabinet member in person with such
request. The correct way would have been for
ones editor to write letter to an undersecre-
tary and possibly, at some future time,
special representative would have composed
scholarly and hand-wrought essay to appear
back among the golfers and electric belts, as
we used to say, perhaps weeks after the ashes
and the story had grown cold.
Our reporters had been using the tele-
graph long before the speed of this remark
able invention occurred to Fleet Street.
would suppose that American reporters who
covered the Civil War sometimes filed by
wire, but during one of the long, dreary
night watches in London in 1916, Hal OLA
herty came upon an item which dated it's dis
covery by our English friends in 1901.
Mr.. OFlaherty was combing the English
blanket sheets for odd fragments of the Bull
garian communique or, perhaps, an attempt
on the life of David Lloyd George for they had
an exasperating and, to u.s. incomprehensible
way of Stuffing big news into obscure corners
under one-heads. You had to read the sheets
literally from cover to cover lest you miss
the greatest story of the day or, for that mat
ter, of the war.
They used to tell of story that broke
few years before the First World Wa- which
illustrated this amusing Indifference to en-
phasis in the presentation of news. There had
been murder trial at Old Bailey which was
duly reported with exhaustive @. and A. by
shorthand men with a lead which ran about
like this: THE trial was resumed yesterday at
Old Bailey of John Henry William Smith
Jones, labourer accused of the murder of his
wife, Betsy under head which probably
read Unusual Incident At any rate, at the
end of about two columns of letter-perfect
monotony, the story related that along toward
adjournment John Henry William Smith, ones
pulled knife out of his boot and took several
slices out Of the judge, the prosecutor and the
witness the stand.
Mr. O'Flaherty uttered a cry as of some
frightened wild thing and fell, as we some
times used to say, prostitute upon the floor
OF the coy little rookery which then was
| sufficient to the needs of the United Press
Recovering, he read aloud the obituary of an
old English journalist who had died, possibly
weeks before, because as l say, haste in pre-
sentlng the news was not one of their vices.
1t developed that our late English colleague
had been historic man in his profession
In 1901 he had been assigned with many
others to await the death of her Majesty Queen
Victoria on the Isle of Wight which sad event
sent them all pell nell, you may be sure, for
the steam packet to the mainland, London
bound. The subject of the obituary discovered
to his dismay his arrival at the dock that
he had forgotten his gums" meaning in our
barbarian tongue, his rubbers and hurried
back to his diggings to get them.
Post haste in the exciting words of the
obt, he returned to the dock only to see the
packet disappearing without him. The next
! available boat left several hours later and
our subject was Sorely distressed about tho
time element. At this point he had a flash of
ingenuity which made minor immortal of
| him.
| For he composed his article on the vesso,
and reaching England went to the looe1
post-office where he sent it to London in 49,
form of a telegram while his colleagues ,r.
aboard the train, warming Themselves
doubt, with few dishes of expense .o no
| tea. 0olt
l Az 0Nf