Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-02-13
MIR. McELRArH's GOLDEN WEDDING.
Interesting Recollections of the Oldest
Newspaper Publisher In NeaC York.

interesting fec0Hectt0nS Of the oldest
Newspaper Publisher In Neac York.
New York World, 10TH
The house of Mr.. Thomas McElrath,
% West One Hundred and Twenty fourth
street, was handsomely decorated last
night in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Noel
rath's golden wedding. Fifty years ago
Mr.. McElrath aad Miss Price were mar
ried by the Rev. DR.. Krebs, of the Rutg-
ers street Presbyterian church. DR.. The
odore l.. Mason, the groomsman, and Mrs
Francis A. Ripley, the bridesmaid, are
still alive, but were too infirm to have been
present last night. In conversation with
a reporter of the world, Mr.. McElrath,
recalled the appearance of the city as it
was when he got married, and spoke
with evident satisfaction of the many
marvellous changes which the past half
century has witnessed. Speaking of
himself he said: eyes, for long time
was publisher of the Tribune. Mr..
Greeley started the paper on the 10th of
April, 1S41 In July of that yearI loaned
HIM $500, but refused to become his
partner In August, however, we had
more conversation on the subject, and l
concluded to join him. Before doing so
stipulated that he should discontinue pub
fishing the New Yorker and start the
Weekly Tribune in its place. The Weekly
was begun in September. The day
after my name appeared in the paper,
Dr. BENJAMIN Drake, DR.. VIM. Turner,
Charles Riddle, Mr.. Green, James Kelley
and some half dozen others, members
of the Wing organization and prominent
supporters of Mr.. Clay, came into the Of
flee and subscribed for the paper. Twas
known to be an adherent of Mr.. Clay, and
while Mr. Greeley was great friend of
General Harrison he was not supposed to
be favorable to Mr. Clay. These gentle
men did the paper great deal of good.
l was sent to the legislature in 1888 by
the Clay element. In those days the city
elected thirteen members at-large.
81 introduced into the Tribune the
large size of type which is still used. l
also had the number of sheets in a ream
changed from 480 to 500. The custom
then was to publish death and marriage
notices free. charged for marrisge no
tees and for all besides the bare announce
ment of death. I had the advertise
ments set like those in the London Times.
excluding cuts and refusing to allow dis
play type to be used. These regulations
continued in force for few years only.
Advertising was a different thing in
those days from what it is now. We
thought man large advertiser if he
spent $50 month, while man spending
500 per month was an extraordinary Gus
toner. Our first years receipts from
advertising were $4,000 second,
900; third, $1,000, and fourth.
s45, 900. After that they ran rapidly up.
There was custom in those days of Civ
ing man about two inches of space.
changing his advertisement as often as
he pleased and sending the paper to him
for $40 per year. never took but one
advertiser on those terms and that was
Simeon Draper.
81 started Lthe Tribune Almanac. The
cover used until few years ago was de-
signed by Mr.. Chapman, an artist who is
now in Rome. For some time it had a
picture of Mr.. Clay upon it. The Weesly
owed its success IN great measure to its
literary character, and as far as literature
was concerned it was under the charge OF
MIR. Henry Raymond, although his
uoAtS nC'SA oPPO~ACO. udu sample
copies of it sent to every clergyman in
the country, and 1 offered it to
them at 81 year, the regular
price being 50. We got great deal of
support from them and their friends, The
politics were OF course dictated by Mr..
Greeley. l never lnterfered in the poll
tics of the Tribune in any way. 1 did
once alter an editorial of Mr.. Greeley's.
After rewriting it I sent it up stairs. The
foreman came down stairs and told me
the Prlnter'-this was what the men all
called MIR. Greeley-would raise hi if
that went in. l said, Never mind. II
he does tell him l did it, and so it went
in. l never heard anything about it. be.
cause, suppose, MIR. Greedy saw that he
was wrong and was right. That was
the only time did such thing, though
left the Tribune in 1858. / suppose
can say that am the oldest publisher in
New York to-day, for the greater part OF
my contemporaries have died"