The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-10-12
Horace Grceiev's Opinion OF Jay
Could.

II HORACE GREELEY had been permitted
to choose his successor in the editorship OF
the Tribune, he would probably have been
greatly taxed to select the man. while
good, fair, and ind iffereut editorial writers
are plenty enough, the men who have the
wisdom and Judgment, the knowledge and
experience to conduct a daily newspaper
and keep IL stocked with ideas, are about
"a scarce ne giants are nowadays. What is
called IA " managing editor IL more easily
got. lie needs rather executive ability
than intellectual force, a "nose for news"
capacity for arrangement and rs Mr..
RAYMOND once remarked, his main func-
ton seems TO be TO manage the editor.
The advance in our metropolitan Journal
Ism within the last ten years has not been
at the head but at the foot, If we may
call IL without giving offence. The writing
in the leading columns may bea little more
Buical than it was then, but IL averages
weaker. Where the gain has been is in the
department of reporting. That has greatly
improved within the decade. A better
quality of men now undertake reporting;
ana they do their work with the taste and
reserve, clearness aud sharpness OF out
line which distinguish the literary pro-
duct of man of education aud training
after good models.
The late Mr.. GREELEY would therefore
have been sorely veXed if in the ordering
of things he had been called on to select
his successor. If, however, lie had been
asked to exercise the process of elimina-
ton, and point ont whom he did not wish to
occupy his editorial chair the task would
have been much easier. III JAY GOULD, his
actual successor, had been proposed to him
for the place, we can well fancy the state
OF mind he would have been in. The
possibility of such IA happening would
have kept him alive out Of the mere sense
of outrage for many years longer. For
JAY GOULD was man detestable to HoR-
ACE GREELEY. as he well might be- Though
the young editor is so fond of him, most
people agree with Commodore WANDER
BILT when he said that when he first
saw him he didn't like his face, and made
up his mind 10 have nothing to do with
him.
But GREELEY is dead, the tall tower is
built the rum shop is ut fun blast, the stool
pigeon losses his Hyperion cluls, and JAY
GOULD runs the paper founded by Horace
GREELEY, From top to bottom, III tone,
purpose, ambition, and character, the
| Tribune of to-day ~ the very antipodes of
the Tribune which HORACE GREELEY con-
ceived and reared. Instead of honest opin-
ions, it offers tricky compromises to gain
support from either political party. In
stead of progress, ii sounds the call for re-
treat. Instead OF vigorous writing, il gives
the incoming of old maids, the callowness of
priggish youth, the gush of effemlnate
musings, the lies of JAY GOULD, aud the
mtolerable English OF his snobbish stool
pigeon.
We will see what Horace GREELEY's
opinion of JAY GOULD was, and from that
we can judge how great gap there is be-
tween the Tribune "a il was under the
writer of the extracts we shall quote. and
| ms IL is under the shark of Wall street
Writing on March ID, 1872, of the overthrow
Of JAY GOULD III the Erie Railway, Mr.
GREELEY made use of language like this;
| "He LAY GOULD had reached the point in
his career where money could no longer buy
what he needed. IL he went into the OObes Of
| Albany, where he had so often gone before, he
| found only rascas who took his bribes and
lacked courage 70 FUN Their bargain; II be ran
| into the courts he found his Judges busy In the
| task of saving their own heads. His own Offices
| were full of spies and raitOrs. or the sixteen
| associates who had plotted with him in the
board room, the boldest and the most ingenious
was dead. Another, versed IN all the arts Of
| corruption and legislative egerdemain, was an
| indicted felon, trembling at the prospect Of a
| cell aud striped icket. third had quar-
relied with him ratner than Join In scheme to
| swindle FIsKs widow. Two or three more
| were known TO he on the point OF desertiun, and
| at last only three stood by their leader. Ii Is
| bitter hour In the life OF m n like GOULD, who
| has learned to think that every human being
| has his price, and that the laws and courts and
| virtue can be bought and sold like merchandise
| when he discovers that gold has lost its pur-
chasing power, and there IL superior force. be
| II fear, or conscience, or public opinion, or what
| you will, against which even the purse of FOR-
| TUNATus could do nothing"
Mr.. GREELEY augured too favorably
from the overthrow of JAY GOULD in the
Erie Railway. 1t was not only not the
ruin of the freebooter, but even the start
ing point of greater success than had be-
fore attended his villainous methods. He
speculated on his disgrace and made money
Iout Of his overthrow. He certainly did