Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 August 1898 — WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT

Hercules’ Tasks Were Simple Com “pared with Hie. The job of a Washington correspon dent Is far from being a bed of roses, in these days when interviewing is elevated to the dignity of a fine art. In the sphere where members of Congress and high government officials are beset with the cares of their positions and by visiting constituents and office seekers, (Who swarm about them like bees in .Clover time, the Interviewer must have pare tact and be a keen reader of human nature to accomplish his purpose, conquer his man and walk away vic- . torious with the Information he has Steered for the journal In whose mak- \ be must bear an Important part or •mender his place to more skillful keeping. Xbere are now in Washington about 300 newspaper correspondents who hftVf the entree to the press galleries of Bouse and Senate. There are dozens of others who are excluded on account Of lack of room, the rules granting privileges only to those engaged by unity papers, who send all, or nearly all, of their matter by telegraph. The Bouse gallery has been considerably enlarged during the last few years, but It Is yet too small for the orowd of writers who swarm into It when anything Important or exciting Is in progyea. The Senate gallery is too sman by naif, but at both there are spacious ante-rooms for smoking, gossiping and swapping lies. The mere search for sews is arduous work and requires persistence and great discrimination. Add to this the ever-growing determination of the groat journals of the country to extract day by day the opinions of all great or conspicuous mep upon the most delicate and difficult of public questions, and one may easily understand how simple were the tasks which Jove gave to Hercules compared to EO f Washington correspondents of Us which apparently will not be d In their enterprise by the opnfines of this world or tits next