"Corruption Stories"

There is a story about Frank A. Vanderlip which is so recurrent as to be almost part of the American saga. Mr. Vanderlip himself has not forgotten it. He repeated it to a recent interviewer.

When Frank was young, he was employed by the Chicago Tribune as a reporter. Street Railways under Charles T. Yerkes were a public scandal, but the public could get no facts. Frank bought a share of stock in the railways, thus enabling him to attend private stockholders' meetings. And what Frank heard at these meetings he reported.

This type of "crusading newspaperman" has disappeared, says Mr. Vanderlip. It is to make up for the extinct species that he has founded his Citizens' Federal Research Bureau.

With a suite of Washington offices, a few assistants, and 40 detectives under William J. Flynn, he has undertaken to dig up "corruption stories" which today's unheroic newspaperman, he says, studiously neglects.

He proposes shortly to issue these red hot corruption stories in mimeograph form to 1,000 newspapers. He figures that at least one paper will print the stories and that then the others will follow, not daring to be scooped. Said he: "Newspapers are now largely purveyors of merchandise. Naturally the business office has influence over news and editorial policy. Publishers couldn't make large newspapers except through the aid of advertising, but when they do make large newspapers, the old function of digging up unpleasant things is cut off. "Then a great many correspondents have two employers--their newspaper, which does not pay them any too well, and a government official who helps along their incomes. "Finally, some of the well-paid correspondents like the social life. They are 'wined and dined' as the expression goes, by the leading politicians. If they turned real investigating newspaper men their hosts wouldn't like it. "Thus, the correspondent is content to take the handouts; he is a very high-grade messenger. They no longer sit at the table with the heads of government in conference as they used to, when I was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury." All this was vouchsafed to Philip Schuyler, of Editor and Publisher, who said of Mr. Vanderlip: "The onetime President of the National City Bank of New York has turned crusader and his zeal is boundless. His eyes snap and his jaw is set. He is angry and his talk is earnest, although not hyster- ical" It was also revealed that Mr. Vanderlip was on intimate terms with Senator Wheeler, whose committee he is assisting. Among the leading Washington correspondents 'described as "high-grade messengers," are: John W. Owens of the Baltimore Sun Theodore G. Joslin of the Boston Evening Transcript

Edward E. Whiting of the Boston Herald William Hard of Cosmopolitan Service Frank H. Simonds of McClure Newspaper Syndicate

J. Fred Essary of New Orleans Item. R. V. Oulahan of The New York Times Carter Field of the New York Tribune Charles Michelson of the New York World Robert Barry of the Philadelphia Public Ledger

It was Mr. Oulahan, for example, who visited the Philippines last win- ter, uncovered the story about Osborne C. Wood's Wall Street luck--newspaper crusading if ever there was.