New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-03-28
THE RECORD OF FIFTY YEARS
"REMINISCENCES OF A JOURNALIST
BY CaARLFs T. CONGDoN.
nORACE GRFELEY.


WIT AND HUMOR-THE rREsintNiIAL OA"NA'0
NH c FHLEY's DEATH
Go far 1. nv career as a Journalist in that
town was concerned matters IN Boston, after
the Fremont campaign, soon came to an end
II WAS expecied that could write newspaper
ont of predcst;nate insolvency,-a feat which
never has been performed by any writer now
ever clever, and never will he. Tie expert
ment has been tried hundred times, ana II mas
ALWAYS failed Men with more money than
knowledge buy a newspaper because they ""p'
political il fUence, or are possessed ny " huuseI
for Office. Having secured the property, they
,ook about for an editor Having secured the
editor. thcv edit him. They expect BIN to re-
store elasticity to the treasury OF the eStabhsh-
ment by being, in his artic es, powerful, Sa'i1-
cal. or. above all, funny. They are always
.eady kindly to show him how to do H. Ihey
believe in him, or else Why do they pay MN
money for his work They DO not believe III
him. or else why do they bother him Inc
difficulty is that they do not know exactly what
;,cv want. This statement must be mode with
. preservation in favor of dividends. These are
Desired most decidedly. When they did not
come in 10 The lHas Office, it was evident mat
was not the nun they had supposed me to he.
They told me SO, ut some annual OF quarterly
or monthly meeting; and answered them 10y
showing them Il letter from the Editor oi HE
Nrw-YoRK tribune, offering me position
rDon the tiff of that newspaper nave ia"
two or three tIiunphs in my lie, ana th's WIS
one Of them. And this brings me, IN Il" 'e' 4
roundabout way, fear TO The subject OIL 'iS
paper. ,...,
7 do not know any man who has been more
s.unidlv norseDsically, aud malcvOicEtiy written
ohont than Mr.. Horace Greeley. Some even oil
those who desired to speak of him respectfully
have Numbered. When he died, and the Wh"c
country seemed eager to honor his memory
there was most unnecessary tone OF apology
for what were regarded.s his eccentricities and
,,o,lnassas. take issue upon both points.
do not consider him to have been an eccentric
Imost certainly do not think him to have been
q weak man. Itmust be remembered that OF
III Journalists of his time, he put dis ihdiVlu"-
a!Ity into his newspaper lie mace IL somewhat
unc0mmonly the medium OF his private ana
norsoual opinions about matters when were
NOT ar all connected with public affairs. In Tact,
dming its first year, Mr.. Greeley was TIE
TpIRrNr and THE TRIBUNE was Mr.. Greeley.
He did not profess to be merely politician lie
had strong political attachments, but party 1t
self was always his helper, never his master
He had opinions OF which 10 discussion was
ever had in the caucus, upon which no popular
decision was ever pronounced at the polls ana
leploc'aimed these il INTO his newspaper, With
ont once asking whether they would help OF
hurt the business, or his party. In the begin
ming. he entertained ideas of labor reform,
which were afterwafd somewhat modified, and
he turned from the discussion of politics and
tho odvorocy of nominees to press these ideas
upon the public attention. He did not CONSIDER
casital punishment TO be either humane or eX-
pedent and he said so. He was, practically
and Theoretically, a temperance man, ana even
P1obibtionist, and the readers of The TRiB-
uNE were not left in Ignorance OF the fact, lie
was interested in agricultural pursuits, and WAS
as likely to write a leading article about Sor-
gbum as one concerning the next Presidency III
his comparative youth, ne he'd nat human
lelnGs should not eat meat out tnOuIn 1T
cherished this harmless deiusiOn only for a
little while. hc did 50 with such chaIacttrls'l'
enthusiasm that half the world continued &c
tn las. 80 believe that the great Gator sub
sisted entirely upon Graham bread ana po'a-
toes. ,.:.:
Th re- were two great pccnlla'itie'
of his Intellectual constitution, not oiici
found together He was al cnce Speculaly'
and practical. He had a bguIdlcss hosliIaili!
for new opinions, winch he desheG Il
one IN submit to the ordeal Of actua
exD,rimcMt. But ! think that he tonn'
out the failures just as soon as anVbCdy
and certainly no one could comment upon thell
with dlicr slrcasm On more good GmOlet
fr,Tknrss. II he had started Fourier pbalanx
eWould have been the first 20 dscoyerth Weti
wolklDg POINTS. | remember him pulling on
of Lis rocket a small bottle OF sorghum sugar
containing probably five ounces, ana eTmDi'h|
, l.a al halI VIM a.. At =
let production of his cultivation OF that ncV
miami For a mean act lac had no mercy; Tor
CLUMSY or careless one, but little; but his fun'
of good nature was ind0nitable. lie once, IL
some reason reported 9ilher ID H. h KdD
UNE and told the public that among the DeVel
ages provded were "Heidseck, claret, port
cLamyagRe and other WINGS Nnen ne Wa'
chaised about this, 10y those who took Such ND
critics sometimes, lie only Iiusheu ana ssiu
aWell / am the only man IN THE TRIBUNE One
who could have made such Il mistake as that,
which, an afraid, WAS literally true. Amos
ALWAYS OxcrwOrkeG, he was naturally Illiate'
by mtruSiOnS upon his privacy. For Il lOhi
time his efforts 20 clOlstcr himself up we've,
am sound TO say Illuminating failures Al
sorts Of people, with the greatest possible va
ricty of bees III their bCnncts, managed 20 eVad
the slight barriers, ger into his presence, an
interrupt his industry-people WIN machine
nj Delpetual motion; with theories about splnt
uailsn; with notions about the next election
with business plans only roqullng small lOa
TO launch them upon the full toe oI dlvideh
having experiment. There were others with
passionaie desire 10 borrow small OF large sum
OF money wi Ii anxiety to become writer's upo
THE TRIBUNE; with manuscripts which ne
WISHED to have recommended 10 some PuDNSHe
of books ; with rev religions; wit schemes tc
the abciition of every religion whatever; wit
mining s,ocks sue to pay a thousand per cent
with sto,ies OF personal destitution harTowm
10 listen 10, and yet only requiring the loan Z
n few shiilngs to enable the petitioner 10 90
his friends; widows whose sole claim upon hil
OF mon ANYBODY was that they were widows
orphans, sometimes suspiclousiy well grow
who had nothing TO plead but their OrPhahaee
irishmcn who had lost everything III deSperai
attempt to give the green island a better COX