The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-11-07
FAMOUS EDITORS.
Sketches Of Leading Newspaper
Men by "Gath."
San Francisco C,ronicle.

S4n fdBclSc0 SsTOnlcie.
1t has occurred to me that l hav,
said nothing about any of the leading
editors except Greedy. Henry j
Raymond [ never had any acquaint
ance with after met him in the pen.
insular campaign. He was a medium
sized, sallo " skinned man, with "A yer,
vulgar nose, something on the negro
order, and ragged black whisker.
combed out from his cheeks. He was
neat in his dress aud very particular
in his behavior, being suave, disliking
to have quarrels, and although he
would pass anywhere for a gentleman,
a careful person would look at him
twice to see whether beneath that
plausible and almost engaging manner
there lay happy mind at ease with
itself. He was one of the most rapid
workers on the newspaper press in his
time, and wrote pretty hand and
very clear copy. He was a reporter
NOT an extraordinarily, and Me-
Elrath once told me that the Tribune
made its first strides to circulation not
through Greeley's editorials. but
through Raymond's report of a MUIR
der trial. Raymond had a count, y
college education and started in at the
birth of the Tribune. about 1871, at
$48 a week. Ten years later he start
ed the Times, having quarreled with
his employers. Greedy and Webb.
When l had my brief acquaintance
with Raymond the Times was about
eleven years old and a financial sue
cess, and Raymond had been lieuten-
ant-governor of New York and pub
lished the organ of Lincoln's sdminis-
trstion. being in with Seward, while
Greeley was intensely anti-Seward.
Raymond had come on the press so
young and advanced so rapidly that
his faculties were altogether ahead of
his judgment. While he was more
popular than Bennett and Greeley in
miscellaneous circles, he had not their
pride in bis profession and was seek
ing to get popular honors. He was a
waspish man, notwithstanding his
agreeableness, and had very little lib.
eraity or philosophy. Success was
his idea of life.
A MAN OF INCEssANT ACTIVITY.
There were original and verdant
spots in Greedy, and even in cid Ben
nett, on which one could rest; but
Raymond was the spirit of motion,
flexible. limpid, tolerably thin, aud
yet he believed that he was altogether
more of a man than any of his CON-
temporaries. and many other persons
thought SO to.
Raymond told me lying in bed one
night on the peninsular. that he was
tired of newspapers and newspaper
writing and pinned for public life He
was an agile parliamentarian, which
is the mark in most cases of man
more adroit than honest. His favor
lite field was in the state legislature
or in a convention where he could ex
tract an advantage by sharp practice.
said to HIM: "Don't you think
publishing a great newspaper like the
Times is place of more power than
holding political office at the hands
ola party!" He said he had lost his
enthusiasm for newspaper work, that
it was very hard work and did not
give him scope enough.
While editing the Citizen l one day
wrote comparison between Greely
and Raymond, giving Greely his ideal
place as man Of sincerity. of simplic-
ity and ofhumanity, while l expressed
nearly the same views Of Raymond
that are here set down. Mere success,
without some force of character some
where, and that an honest force. does
not constitute q great man. All of
Raymond's work seemed. after little
time. to be unsuggestive. | possess
his Life of Lincoln" published in
1864, to assist in The denomination of
that president. There is not a SEN
tence in it showing that Raymond was
a thinking person, or had any partic-
'ular delicacy of expression. In short,
he was a newspaper hack, for whom
this world was good enough, who
naturally followed the respectable side,
that is the majority, but out of whom
could come nothing but worldly grace
and facility. He was sent to con-
gress and at once struck out to be the
leader. That fatal facility soon made
him Knocked for his uncertainty on
things of principle. and while he could
talk more glibly than almost anybody
in congress, his record there would be
a cipher were 1t not for the severity
IF some Of. the repartees he received.
One member said to him when he
asked to be paired with some
democrat: GAS the gentleman is