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

memory serves, and is the only assis-
tant with whom [ ever felt required
to demonstrate for doing more work
/ than any human brain and frame
| could be expected long to endure. His
salary was of course gradually increas-
ed from time to time; but his services
were more valuable IL proportion to
their cost than those Of any one else
who ever worked on the Tribune.
Mr.. George NJ. Snow, a friend Of
my old age, who had considera bic
mercantile experience. took charge
of the Financial and Wall Street de-
partment (then far less important
than ii now isl, and retained it for
more than twenty-five years; becOm-
ing ultimately heavy stakeholder in
and trustee of the concern; resign
ing his trust only when lin 1869 he
departed for Europe I'D i'll health; re-
turning but to die two years later. A
large majority Of those who aided in
preparing or IL issuing the first num-
Der had preceded or have followed
Mr.. Snow to the Silent Land; but
two remain, and are now Foreman
and Engineer respectively in the
Printing department. stock
holders and trustees. Others. doubt
less, survive who were with US then,
but have long since drifted away to
the West, to the Pacific slope, or in
to some other employment, and the
places that once knew them know
them no more. Twenty-six years
witness many changes, especially III
city like ours, position like mine;
and [ believe that the onl y man who
was Editor of New York daily be-
fore me, and who still remains such, is
Mr.. James Gordon Bennett, of the
Herd d.
About five hundred names of sub
scribers had already been obtained
for the Tribuae = mainly by warm
personal and political friends, Noah
Cook and James Coggeshall = before
its first issue, whereof [ printed
5000, and nearly succeeded in giving
away all of them that would not sell.
/ had type, but no presses, and so
had to hire nay press-work done by
the token" my folding and mailing
must have staggered me but for the
circumstance that [ had few papers
to mail and not very many to fold. The
lack of the present machinery Of rail-
roads and expresses was grave OBJ
stacle to the circulation of my paper
outside of the city's suburbs; but L
think its paid for issues were 1000 at
the close Of the first week and that tl.ey
Increased pretty steadily, at the rate
of 500 per week, till they reached
10000. My current expenses for the
first week were about 1925; my re-
ceipts 1872; and, though the outgoes
steadily, inevitably increased, the in
come Increased in a still larger ratio,
till it nearly balanced the former.
But | was not made for publisher;
indeed, no man was ever qualified at
once to edit and to publish daily
paper such as it must be to live in
these times; and it was not until MIR.
Thomas Naturalization [ had
barely known as a member of the
publishing firm over whose store |
first set type in this city, but who was
now a lawyer in good standing and
practice-made- me a voluntary and
wholly unexpected proffer Of part
nership in my still struggling but
hopeful enterprise, that it might be
considered fairly on its feet. He
offered to invest $1,000 as an equiv
alent to whatever [ had in the bust
ness, and to devote his time and en-
ergies to its management, On the basis
of perfect equality in ownership and
in sharing the proceeds. This | very
gladly accepted and from that hour
my load was palpably lightened.
During the ten years or over that the
Tribune was issued by Greeley q Nc
Eiratb, my partner never once even
indicated that my antl-slavery, anti
hanging, socialist, and other frequent
alterations from the straight and
narrow path of Wing partisanship.
were Injurious to our common inter
est, though he must often have sorely
felt that they were so; and never, ex-
cept when [ (rarely) drew from the
common treasury more money than
could we'll be spared, in order to help
some needy friend whom he judged
beyond help, did he even look grieved
at anything [ did. nthe other hand,
his business management Of the con-
Germ, though never brilliant nor
specially energetic, was SO safe and
iudicious that it gave me no trouble.
and scarcely required of me a thought
during that long era of all but
uncloudcd prosperity. The transi-
ton from my four preceding years Of
incessant pocuniary anxiety, if not
absolute embarrassment, was like
escaping from the dungeon and the
rack to freedom and sympathy.
Henceforth, such pecunialy troubles
as [ encountered were the just penal
ties Of my own folly in endorsing
notes for persons who, in the nature
of things, could not nationally be ex-
vootoJ RI nov tham R1f fbo-o nan