Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 December 1898 — HINTS FOR THE NEW SENATOR. [ARTICLE]

HINTS FOR THE NEW SENATOR.

An Old Senator Tells of His Newspaper Experience. A new member of the Senate was complaining to an old member of some of the difficulties he was encountering. “For one thing,” he said, “these newspaper fellows don’t always get things straight. I don’t mean to accuse them of carelessness or of misrepresentation, but now and then some remarkable stories are printed about me at home.” “You’ll get used to that,” replied the veteran. “That won’t hurt. That’s part of your apprenticeship. I’ve been all along there. Let me tell you of a little experience of mine. Soon afttfr I first came here I picked up a papef from my State and saw It asserted in $ letter from Washington that my colleague and myself had met and arranged a slate, and that all the patronage for the State would be distributed according to that arrangement. “There was no warrant for the statement and I made inquiries for the correspondent. He came to see me and proved to be a bright and most agreeable young man. I asked him for his authority, and he pleasantly refused to give ft, but said that he had every faith in his informant. To that I replied that all I would ask, then, would be the privilege of denying the story—of putting- my statement against the other. He said that was only fair and that he would attend to the matter. “When the correction appeared it read something like this: “Your correspondent’s story about the deal between Senator and his colleague, by which the patronage of the State is to be divided between them, has raised quite a stir here. There is no question as to Its absolute truth. But Senator , who evidently has been rattled by the publication, now solemnly assures your correspondent that he had nothing whatever to do with the deal.’ After that I went slow on corrections.” —Bangor Whig and Courier.