The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-02-01
Written for the Sentinel.
EARLY EDITING IN INDIANA.
by An Elk Editor. I

Il
FORE waiting in long expectation for the distinc
ton that seems to follow these employments. But
so far, am sorry 10 say, have waited In vain
-til. WREN go to indianapolis, see many editors
in The Legislature. and those who are not mem
GERS are either Doorkeepers, or Clerks, or Fish
Commissioners: SO 1 take heart and return to the
rural districts, hoping that lIghtniug will strike
me some day as 1t has done my brethren.
Al one time1"oe;ore the var edited met
the proprietor. myself, permanent devil, who
was always with Us, and few trsmps or scabs oil
we're not drunk. set type occasionally. The pro-
prietor was and is as good man as the State has
ever had the honor 20 produce. He had risen to
lion of publishing country weekly. We had no
steam engine In our establishment The propri
etor made the rollers; set the type and
sionally. when we were short, which happened
the devil were manifold His chief duty. was
to act as picket. What became OF that boy / am
unable to say. But often in my army experience
loDeed for bis keec, quick eye and his warn ne
signal. At Shiloh that ''devir' would have saved
the army from that surprise which promises TO be
vexed historical question for all time to
come. His usual position was on the
stails. Our "scabs" OF printers boarded
with an old colored man down on the
river. These printers were very much like the
young lawyers of the city. 1hey never missed a
meal or paid a bill. The old dsrkey used TO
the boys had money, TO dun for his bills. On such
occasions IL was the main duty OF the 'devil'' TO
sound clear, shrill whistle. As soon as this sig
nal was given every printer took to his heels up
ladder TO the attic and remained there until the
old man had made his sad inspection aud de-
Iarted.
Ii is needless to say that our paper was very
much in favor OF the people. Our proprietor could
have truthfully made the same speech that Sena-
isIature last Monday. We were decidedly in favor
of the exemption law-it saved the Office several
times from the Sheriff. We were opposed to cor
poratIons, ana particularly banks. I have always
noticed that the people whom the banks refuse 10
accommodate are down on this species of
monopoly. lean not see what use a bank is unless
IL viii loan the poor man money. AS banks never
DO thai, they are OF no USE and II is probable
that If edited paper now ] would be on the
it happened that an adventurous fnancier came
10 our city. When man is utterly broke and has
no employment he becomes q hnancler.' This
building in which the paper was issued. Here,
thought, was q fine chance. Here were the bane
and antidete quite handy, As 1 was the sole
sOme pleasure and distinction In demo.
ishiDg this bank while it was still
in the egg. It's name was at that time
novel and taking, though 1t has had many sue.
Manufacturing Company" and mad the audscity
10 make promise-which ii never kept-to re.
paper was issued. But this fnancier was long
headed. He understood the power of the press
To control this he devised the devilish scheme OF
she BANK and sSe local sdior OF
the rival Wing paper Vice President,
reservlng for himself the vastly more important
there was to be ettack from the press he
commenced opera ions. some OF this money was
paid out and the heart OF the old colored man was
Ieioiced at receiving some new, crisp bank bills:
But although the press was silent 1t happened
singularly that the people would not take the
money. One fellow, with the mean. malicious
q
81 bill aud presented il for redemption
This was OF course the last thing thst the fusn-
had located his office. He had been too smart =
for the sake OF muzzing the press he had ruined
himself. The practice in Indiana under the gen
ial banking law was to particularly avoid hav-
ing an Office. The money was nominsliy issued
from some cnuntfy cross roads. but the people
OF the locality were blissiplly ignorant of
No detective IL our flush times of banking could
ever find cashier to whom TO present his bills for
payment. This financier tried in vain in our es-
tablishment to borrow g. with which to rsdeem
his bill. and the bank broke and disappeared for
ever. The freedom of the press was TINS happily
restored and. as long as remained on It's STAFF
i believe that is the correct Word-it slugged
banks and corporations with great yigor.
AS an editor differed very much from
as rule, adopt personal journalism.
Sometimes OF course, my Whig opponent and
bad it tooth AMI toe-nail. On these occasions our
aunts and cousins were ali commented on in the
mo tuniavorable manner There are few crimes
that have not been accused Of. But L usually
got even
But some things did not do-thiogs which in
these days s 80 to make axe up Journalism; H..
and Colonel brown and Hon. John Jones
went hunting, publish 1t to the world. These
% r. o Se e Clients a 20
that they did such thing as TO shoot birds and
rabbits. / saved their feelings. Now If 8 man
takes a chew OF tobacco on the street the Local
editor has it in the paper the next morning
When few friends get together at private
house to play game OF whist did not publish
the fact mex, m1rning with Jul list OF all who
against playing whist | am not sure thai
it is not immoral. L an sure that II Is
editor Of great city daily, which has steam en-
gines until you can't rest and is lighted By the
electric light, into silence on this question by
the old man . business would be ruined If he pu
lshed that he was playing whist. This was al
that saved me. The item would have gone In
and we would all have been In disrepdte for tht
balance OF our lives il it had not been for tn,
lucky change that the young mans father had
did not publish full description Of all TN
eralize, and say that they were ali beautiful,
dressed. know one poor woman who has giyeI
up parties. She has but one dress. Ii Is beauti
fnl silk: but she has. must say worn IL a grea
many times. Still, why shouldn't she? ] neve
had but two dress coats In my life. one 60
| when / was married, thirty years ago. and on
after got fat, fifteen years ago. If can wear
coat twenty years, why can not
| woman wear black silk for tn
| same timer AS a principle, l believ
in the equality OF the sexes. This poor woma
after every entertainment dreaded tho sight Of
| newspaper. There 1t would be. "Mrs. Coloue
! smith dressed in q beautiful black silk, Gu
cecollete. en- train. with bias, trimmed with lace
/ ornaments pearls"
In 8 few minutes the neighbor women woui
come in to see the paper and compare notes Tha
"Old black silk again" would be the comment
Such snickering, such hiding Of the face wit
lens; comments like this: at looked very nice
| you turned it. didn't your etc. The poor woman
| coeldn't stand it. and all through
the realism of local editing society has lost IL
most brilliant light, while the great fist busban
tuIns out every time with his twenty-ye caro-.
coat. and iancies he is a Chesterfield.
l had intended 70 say something about ltOe
| but that is unnecessary. On this subject the ed
| tors OF Indiana may say, as the boy said
| the preacher. .. You cannot tell me anytn1n
about Moses Or the Sentinel may quote oil
| .EDess, who in discussing the destruction {
/ Troy. said: ''All OF which saw. and q pars {
| which was"
lean not advise my brethren as to the law c
\ libel. i reSpectly refer th-m to the on. John
Shoemsker-vho has happily settled the Law i
/ this State for many decades TO come. There ar
many other questions 10 which the language {
Hamlet and the Democratic platform OF 1876 woul
! apply, Reform il altogether" BIT the rule wa
| and is that communications should be Snort. /
' obedience To this rule must Qui-