TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12189, 9 May 1905, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

It ia not a pleasant A Glimpse of impression of AdAlexeieff. miral Alexeieff that one derives from reading the article in "Public Opinion," entitled "Personalities of the War," by Mr Edwin Emerson, an American correspondent who has done excellent work with both sides. He wished to present to the Viceroy at the Mukden railway station a letter of introduction from Alexeieff's friend, Count Cassini, the Russian Ambassador at Washington. Alexeieff, however, as soon as he heard that Mr Emerson had already been received by General Kuropatkin, refused to see him, nor did he deign to acknowledge the letter when it was transmitted to him through a member of his staff. Some of the other correepondente explained to Mr Emerson that a sure way of losing favour with Alexeieff was to have been well received by Kuropatkin, of even to make known that one had letters for that' General. Mr Emerson got ample proof during his etay in the Russian lines that the members of one staff hated the members of the other-very sincerely. One day Mr Emerson was sitting on a bench of tie railway platform at Mukden with a German correspondent, when a stout, bearded officer passed, accompanied by another offioer and an orderly. Mr Emerson had met so many officers during tho previous few days, that he took no ohances, but sainted every officer, "on the mere possibility of having clinked glasses with him somewhere." The German, as a former officer of the v Prussian Guards, was more inclined to stand on his dignity. "Who was that officer ?" he asked. "Blessed if I know," was the reply, "but he looks a good deal like the Japanese prints of Alexeieff." Later in the day the German was summoned to the Prees Censor's office, and told that the Vioeroy had been much incensed at a foreigner not saluting him, that the Viceroy had been informed, that the offender was a German correspondent in company with an American correspondent, and that both of them were to be put under a ban. The German, forgetting his dignity, sent an abject letter of apology to Alexeieff, explaining that he had not saluted him because he did not know who he was. Mr Emorjeon had nothing to apologise* for, and kept quiet. Both men were ignored. England will miss the Whitelaw sparkling epigram and Reid. rare felicity of Mr Choate's , speeches, now that Mr Whitelaw Reid has succeeded' him, but the hew American Ambassador to the Court of St. James is admirably -fitted to fill this great position. His career is an excellent example of what can be achieved T>y energy and perseverance. After graduating at College he became owner and editor of a country paper" at twenty, and doubled its circulation in two years. Growing tired of this work, he became a legislative correspondent at five dollars a week, but the ,vigour and raciness of his articles soon gained him more money, and eventually the oity editorship of the "Cincinatti Gazette." When the Civil War broke out, he went to the front as a correspondent, and did brilliant work. Hβ was the only correspondent who saw the battle of Pittsburg Landing, and his graphic story of the fight filled more than ten columns of the "Gazette," and gave hun a national reputation. After devoting come time to cotton growing and to writing /two books connected with the war, he became editor of the "Gazette, , * and then joined the New York "Tribune" as leading editorial writer. Horace Greeley was then in charge of that powerful paper, and Mr Reid had always made that famous editor his journalistic model. When Greeley set out on his disastrous campaign for the Presidency, Mr Reid became editor, and when Greoley died, ho gained, partly by good fortune and partly by foresight, eonfrol of the paper. He was thus proprietor and editor of one of the most powerful papers in the world at the age of thirty-five. Greeley's political -attitude had gone a great deal of harm to the paper, and it required all Mr Reid's energy to restore it to its former position. He was already a rich man when he married a millionaire's daughter in 1881. In 1889 he became Minister to France, and on his return was the Republican candidate for the Vice-Presi-dency. He was special Ambassador at Queen Victoria's Jubilee in 1897, and at the Coronation of King Edward. Since he entered public life it has always been hie ambition to occupy the position to which he has j

lately been appointed. He now has for h» chief bis old friend Mr Hay, who nerved under him years ago on the "Tribune." Mr Beid is said to have a temper which .nothing can raffle, and to show that ktnd. of courtesy which has come to be known as old-fashioned. It is said that whenever any employee, However humble hia position, interviewed him in his editorial sanctum, Mr Reid invariably rose when the interview was concluded, opened the door, and politely showed His visitor out. That Parliament. The Decline ary proceedings are of Parliamentary occupying less and Reporting. less of the British public's attention is shown by the decline of Parliamentary reporting. The golden days of this branch of journalism came to an end with the retirement of Mr Gladstone— the days when "The Times" used to employ one man to do nothing but follow Mr Disraeli about the country, so that none of hie precious wisdom should bo lost, and when another great paper paid a similar compliment to the Liberal leader. Nowadays the utterances of leading statesmen are "cut" to an extent which would have shocked thn journalist of former times. Five years ago Lord Rosebery was worth a full report, now he is saleable by the news agencies at from half to three-quarters of a column. Mr Chamberlain has also suffered a severe depreciation. The Premier, the Leader of tho Opposition, and the leading Ministers are ranked as ono-column men. The long report of several columns is dying out. The tendency is to rely on the Press Agencies for reports of Parliament, these agencies sending the came "copy" to as many subscribers as they can obtain. Some, says Mr A. Kinnear, who writes on this subject in the "Contemporary Review," undertake to report fully "scenes" in the House, and others will furnish a. lively sketch with verbatim passages given here and there. This latter form is the one which is likely to prevail. Within the past two years no fewer than four first-class London morning papers have discharged their Parliamentary reporters, and turned over the work to the agencies, so that there are now only three papers retaining special staffs of their own in the gallery—"The Times," the "Daily Telegraph," and the "ittorning Post." Provincial dailies who still support private reporting staffs in the gallery are the "Scotsman," the "Glasgow Herald," the "Freeman's Journal," and the "Manchester Guardian." A six month's session used to cost a daily paper more than £1500 in reporters' salaries alpne, and now the needed report is obtained from an agency for £120. The process of shortening the reports of Parliament is likely to continue, for the demand for general news is increasing, and there is intense competition among the agencies. The conclusion drawn by the writer is that Parliament is no longer a powerful element in the public life.