Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-02-27
"Reminiscences of an old Editor.
NUMBER II.


Hayward, Saekett Reynolds, John C.
Wright and Samuel Medary. AS a party
editor, in heated political contest, 1
know of no man who welded a more
trenchant pen than Mr.. Gardiner. The
Ohio Peoples Press, In the campaign of
1910, was tower of strength. Mr.. Gardi-
ner was was at one time State Printer.
served part of my apprenticeship with
him, in 1928. 1 was in his office when Mr..
Clay made his famous swar, pestilence
and famine speech at Baltimore. picked
up the Baltimore american and read these
lines:
81 would rather see my country visited
with war, pestilence and famine, or any
other scourge, than subject to military
rule.'
This language alluded to Gen. jackson.
I thought it a striking passage; one that
would injure Mr.. Clay. The fact, that I, a
mere-boy, had first made the discovery,
and noticed the saliant points of the
speech, offended Mr.. Gardiner, and he
Immediately got up, suffering, and said
stB-y-by God, if you are the editor of
this paper, you had better take the chair!''
He put on his coat and walked out of the
Office without saying another word, and
[ quickly initiated his example. I, too,
put on my coat and marched out, exclaim-
ing: fsB-y-by God, if you want another
hand to serve you better than have
done, you can fill my place. L went to
his residence, my boarding place, related
what occurred and demanded my clothes,
preparatory to leaving. His wife was a
motherly. excellent lady, and besides, had
nine or ten daughters; among the rest,
Miss Harriet, now the wife of Secretary
Thompson. Some of them were about
friends. They all expostulated with me
and begged me not to leave; assured me
that Mr.. Gardiner was my best friend,
and that the little breeze would soon blow
over. I was, however, inexorable, at
least until my wounded dignity was ap-
peased. / wrote him a note demanding
satisfaction. He responded by inviting
me to his house, where he praised me for
my industry and excellence as a compos-
itor; said he was an intimate friend of
my father, that they had worked together
as printers; that he could not get along
without me; that he admired my spunk !;
that he was too hasty in the language he
had made, but if there was anything in
the world he was more sensitive about
than another, it was the manipulation of
exchanges, by any one, before he had an
opportunity of examining them. I was
satisfied, and returned to my work, a
wiser boy. l saw the justice of his re-
mark, though disappearing it's harshness,
and never offended in that particular
again. In after years was much annoyed
in the same way, but never expressed my
displeasure in just as strong language as
Mr.. Gardiner. He encouraged me to write
for the press, and some of my first effu-
sions for the press were written for his
paper. In doggerel verses he had few
superiors. On the occasion of Mr.. Clay's
visit to Ohio, he wrote,
"Little wat ye was a coming,
War, pesti1ence and famine's coming.''
in aliusion to his recent speech. Origi-
nally friend of Mr.. Clay, he became,
after the coalition" a warm supporter
of Gen. Jackson; but, in 1910, supported
Gen. Harrison.
Mr.. Gardiner was a member of the
House in 1928, think, but was expelled
on the absurd charge of bribery. The
accusation was singular one, viz: in an
address, he promised the electors OF
Greene county, that if they elected him
Representative he would labor to reduce
the pay of members to two dollars, but il
he failed to have that accomplished, he
would return the "odd dollar'' to the
county treasury! In these days ef polit
ical declension, and ''salary grabs,'' such
an offer would be regarded as unworthy
of attention; but, for this offense, the
House twice expelled Mr.. Gardiner
but the people took him again, and this
time, for the counties of Greene and Clin
ton, he was elected to the Senate, ant
served out his term without further mo
lestation. accompanied him, on horse
back, to Columbus, and began my caree
there as regular journeyman printer, il
the office of the o. S. Journal. It took u!
two days, in December, to perform tn
trip to Columbus.
I became acquainted, that winter, wit
some of the members, who afterward be
, came prominent in the history of tn
State, viz: Hon. Thos. l.. Hamer, Edwar
King and Wyllis Silliman.
In the years 1S41-2 and 1891, repre-
: sented Warren and Greene counties in tn
! Senate. The Office was gracefully ten
: dered me, without any struggle for th
e nomination, by the Wings and Libert
4 men of the District as an appreciation {
a my services as Whig and Anti-Slaver
d editor. I met, in that body, B. F. Wad
7 ID. It. Disney, Sam'l Lahm, A. Van Woo
his, David Barnet, Nelson Franklin, Sc;
: bury Ford, John A. Smith, E. K. Eckle.
: IT. w. BARLEY and J. J. Farran. The tN
S latter presided in the Senate. Mr.. Fa
: ran, particularly, was distinguished f,
i his fairness and gentlemanly deportmen
: During the first session, the Wings we
d punished for breaking up the Legisl
Is ture, by one of the worst gerrymande
;; ever enacted in the State. In the Hous
) in 1912, were R. G. Schenck, John Pr
r basco, John Clancy, G. J. McNulty al
E. LIE Grande Byington. The two latt
# drilled together and were firm in ther 0
III position TO Banks. McNuIGy was youl
s, man of great ability, an eloquent and
IS genious speaker, and had the happy ia
u nlty, when occasion required it, of spea
n, ing on the rules for an indefinite peri
); of time. On one occasion, he delayed
al vote, under call of the House, by simI
going over the list of yeas and nays,
e. phabetically, and assigning reasons W
| o11 Of khaVO A fO w rhnr
be be present and vote while every one
IT, them was in his seat. This was declal
ly to be in order under the ''call of
tn House,
of During the Kansas war, in the cont
49, between the Free-State men and the B.
70 der Rnffians. while S. P. Chase was G.