The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-12-09

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| cheap daily, addressed more espe-
aially to the laboring class, eminently
needed in our city, where the only
two cheap journals then and still
existing-the San and the Herald
we're in decided, though unavowed,
and therefore more effective, SYM
pathy and utilization with the Demo
cratic party. Two or three had prom
ised pecunisry aid if it should be
needed; only one (Mr. James Cogge-
shall, long since deceased) ever made
good that promise, by loaning me
81 900, which was duly and gratefully
repaid, principal and interest. |
presume others would have helped
me had [ asked it; but | never did.
Mr.. Dudley S. Gregory, who had
voluntary loaned me 81 900, to sustain
the Neto- Yorker, in the very darkest
hour of my fortunes, in 1887, and
whom [ had but recently repaid, was
among my most trusted friends in the
outset of my new enterprise. also;
but l was able to prosecute it with
out taxing q no longer needed to
test his generosity.
My leading idea was the establish
ment of journal removed alike from
servi.e partisanship on the one hand
and from gagged, mincing neutrality
on the other. Party spirit is so fierce
and intolerant In this country that
the editor. of a nom partisan sheet is
restrained from saying what he thinks
and feels on the most vital, imminent
topics; while, on the other hand,
Democratic, Wing, or Republican,
journal is generally expected to praise
or blame, like or dislike, eulOgize or
condemn. in precise accordance with
the views and interest OF its party. [
believed there was a happy medium
between these extremes position
from which a Journalist might openly
ana heartily advocate the principles
and commend the measures of that
party to which his convictions allied
him, yet dissent frankly from its
course on a particular question, and
even denounce its candidates if they
we're shown TO be deficient in
capacity, or - far worse = in in
tegrity. [ felt that a journal
thus loyal to its guiding convictions,
yet ready to expose and condemn
unworthy conduct or incidental error
on the part of men attached to its
party, must be far more effect
i've, even party-wise, than though it
might always be counted on to ap-
plaud or reprobate, bless or curse, as
the party's prejudices or immediate
interest might seem to prescribe. Es-
pecially by the Wings who were
rather the loosely aggregated, mainly
undiscipliued opponents Of great
party, than, in the stricter sense, a
party themselves-did | feel that such
journal was conscious " needed. and
should be- fairly sustained I had
been a pretty constant and copious
contributor generally uDpaid) to
nearly or quite every cheap Wing jour
nal that had, from time to time, been
started in our city; most of them to
fail after a very brief and not particu-
larry bright career; but one-The
Mao York Wing, which was,
throughout most Of its existence, uu-
der the dignifed and conscientious
direction of Jacob B. Moore, former
" of the Ne,0 Hampshire Journal
had been continued through two or
three years. My familiarity with its
history and management gave me con-
fidence that the right sort of a cheap
Wing journal would be enabled to
live. | had been ten years in New
York, was thirty years old, In full
health and vigor, and worth, | pre-
sumo, about $1,000, half of it in print
ing materials. The Jcfersonian, and
still more the Log Cabin, had
made me favorably known to many
thousands of those who were most
likely to take such paper as l
proposed to make the Tribune
while the Ne,0- Yorker had given
me some literary standing and the
reputation of useful and well-in-
formed compiler of election returns.
In short, [ was in better position
to undertake the establishment Of a
daily newspaper than the great mass
Of those who try it and fail. as most
who make the venture do and must.
| presume the new journals Gin Eng
lish) since started in this city number
not less than one hundred, whereof
barely two-The Times and The
World-can be fairly said to be still
living: and The World is mausoleum
wherein the remains of The Ecening
Star, The american and The h. urier
and Enquirer, lie inurned; these hav-
ing long ago swallowed sundry of
their predecessors. Yet several of
those which have meantime lived their
little hour and passed away, were
conducted by men of decided ability
and ripe experience. and were backed
by pecuniary capital at least twenty
times greater than the fearfully mad
equate sum wherein [ started the
Tribune.
On the intellectual side, my venture
was not so rare as it seemed. Nv