Mr. Dayton to Mr.
Seward.
No. 197.]
Paris,
September 17, 1862.
Sir: I have been especially requested to call
your attention to the mode in which telegrams are made up in New York
for England and the continent. They have for months past been, as is
thought, uniformly and unfairly colored against us. The general answer
here to our complaint is, they are made up in New York in the office and
under the direction of the associated press, and published with the
assent of the United States government. The fact is, these telegrams are
manufactured from news received in the office of the associated press,
but by an employé of Mr. Reuter, of London. He has, if I am correctly
informed, no business connexion with any person in the United States,
nor is he responsible to, nor supervised by, any person there. He is
simply and solely the salaried agent of Mr. Reuter. That many of these
telegrams for months past have been wrongfully prejudicial to the United
States and its interests in Europe cannot be denied. It is truly said
that the current history of the war and of passing events in our country
is written for Europe in these telegrams. They are received here always
from two to four days in advance of other news. They are at once
scattered over Europe, and, if false, the impressions made are rarely
corrected. I know that your attention has been heretofore called to this
subject from London, and perhaps elsewhere, and am averse, therefore, to
troubling you about it.
I enclose, for your consideration, a letter from the Rev. Dr. McClintock,
suggesting a remedy.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
His Excellency William H. Seward,
Secretary of State, &c., &c.,
&c.
[Untitled]
Paris,
September 17, 1862.
My Dear Sir: You will find in the enclosed
envelope No. 1—1. A letter from D. H. Craig, esq., agent of the
associated press, New York, to Wilson G. Hunt, esq., in answer to
one which I had sent to Mr. Hunt through Mr. Budd. 2. A letter from
Mr. Reuter’s agent, who works in the office of the associated press
at New York, for Mr. Reuter’s account. This letter is in reply to
certain criticisms of mine furnished through Mr. Hunt.
In envelope No. 2, addressed to Mr. Hunt, you will find—1. A letter
of mine to Mr. Craig in reply to his. 2. A memorandum for the
operator, noticing his answers to my former remarks, and adding some
new criticisms on recent telegrams.
From all these documents you will, I trust, come to the conclusion
that our government should appoint some thoroughly intelligent
person who knows both Europe and America to prepare telegrams. I
would not have Reuter’s man either superseded or stopped from
sending what he pleases; such a course would make an outcry here.
But the government agent should work in the office of this
associated press at New York, and should form his telegrams (1) out
of the newspapers of the day, (2,) out of the telegrams of the day
as received at the office, and (3) out of special telegrams furnished him by the government at
Washington. His despatches, thus formed, should contain the truth, in simple and unexaggerated language.
All summaries of official documents, or of anything published or
spoken for the press by Mr. Lincoln, Mr. Seward, or other eminent
public men, should be very carefully made,
and should
[Page 391]
especially
include any anti-slavery sentiment they may
contain, as that sentiment is the chief support of our cause in the
public opinion of Europe. As the history of the war is, in effect,
written for Europe by telegraph, the operator should always have his
past despatches before him when preparing new ones, so as to correct
all errors and fill up all gaps.
The telegrams should be sent to Mr. Adams in London, and to you here,
with authority to both legations to send copies at once to our
principal consulates in England and France, and also to the press in
both countries. This will involve expense, but it will be repaid a
hundred fold in the results.
Very truly, yours,
P. S.—Perhaps it would be better to have the telegrams sent to
the consul in London and the consul in Paris for distribution, as
their offices probably afford greater facilities for prompt work
of that kind at all hours; or, by paying a larger sum, they
might be sent direct from the telegraph office to the legations,
consulates, and journals simultaneously. This would, perhaps, be
best, as promptitude is everything.
