Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-09
JOURNALISTS IN CONGRESS.
Newspaper Men Who Have Figured
as National Legislators.


solegation from New York city will be
.averaI journalists, fact that recalls
.on,e "reminiscences Of newspaper men
Tho have figured among the national
LEGISLATORS OF the republic. Amos j.
cummings, for example, will take his
.oot as a Congressman, and his record
Eli he watched with interest. He isone
nj the most brilliant writer's on the Amer
;nsn press. He was born in New York
Srara forty.siX years ago; his father was
a clergyman, and at one time the editor
Of a religious journal. He has set type
IN nearly every State In the Union. He
,ninad the Walker expedition to Mica
TTauyua in 1857, was captured and only
snrured his release through the lnterpOsi-
tion of the American Minister to Mexico.
IN 1867 he enlisted in the Twenty-sixth
Nv Jersey V olunteers, and was officially
oazetted for gallantry at the second bat
lie of Fredericksburg. Returning to New
Work. he became a compositor on the Tri-
hume. but in 1864 took part in a printers
strike. Some months later Sidney How
ard GAY, then managing editor OF the
naner. asked the veteran foreman,
t.TomD Rocker, to suggest some
bright printer who could act as ex-
change editor of the paper. Mr.. Cum
mings had been an exceptionally rapid
hant toward journalism now led him rap
Idly forward in the newspaper world. He
became the exchange editor, then the
editor of the Weekly Tribune. and was
excessively night, city and political edl-
Tor. He Joined the staff of the Sun in 1868
and has been connected with that journal
ever since. He is very graphic descrip-
five writer, and has done notable work for
the sun. He was twice President of the
writer for the same paper, Truman A.
Merriman, has been twice elected to
Congress, and, by the way, still another
member of that staff, Joseph Hendrix, was
anpointed Postmaster of Brooklyn by
President Cleveland.
The first printer or editor ever elected to
Congress from New York City was Horace
Greeley, who was elected to fill an uneX-
pired term and took his seat Dec. 4, 1913.
With Mr. Greeley's early history most
nersons are familiar, but it Is not so gener-
ally known, however, that as a triendless
youth in New York he was 80 poor that
he was nearly reduced to starvation.
Neither is it generally known that the
elder Bennett once proposed to Mr..
Greeley that they should form co-part-
nershIp Tor the publication OF a newspaper
and that Mr.. Greeley declined to do so.
Another printer, David B. Mellish, came
10 New York from his native State
OF Maine, became Stenographer, then
court official, and then Congressman.
lie ended his days, however, in an insane
asylum. Then there was Arson Herrick,
known as Deacon" Herrick, from the
sepulchral gravity of his features and
manners. He came from Maine to the
metropolis and established the Sunday
Atlas which was for many years an in
duential and prosperous journal. He
was elected to Congress in 1863, and does
not appear to have made any mark any
more tnan "Ben" Wood, OF the News,
whose legislative achievements during
several terms were limited to winning
fortunes in draw poker on single hand.
JAMES BROOKS WAS ANOTHER NEW
YORK EDITOR
who was elected to Congress. Like a
number of men who have won distinction
in New York, he came from Maine. He
was far more influential than any other
New York editor ever elected to Con-
gress with the exception of MIR. Greeley
AID had much longer experience in
Congress than the founder OF the Tribune.
He was never on very good terms with
Mr. Greeley. They belonged in early
days to the same party but to different
wings. He was elected in 1S49 ana served
many terms. AT the time OF his retire
ment be was one of the oldest members of
the House. He was one of the first cor
respondents sent to Washington. He
came to New York in 1886 and established
the Evening Express, which for thirty
years was marvel of "make up" 1t is
said that Sam Bowles, OF the Springfield
RepIblican, amused himself during the
most of night spent IN Ludlow street
jail on a charge of libel brought, believe,
by Jim Fisk, in endeavoring to solve this
Delphlc mystery and retired beaten
man. Merged with another paper, 1t has
within a few years become prosperous
journal. MIR. James Brooks apparently
believed, with a certain Frenchman, that
"Only TOOL never changes his mind" In
the course of his long public career he
made complete sOmersault in his
slyely an anti-Slavery Wing, a pro-
Slavery Wing, Native American,
or know Nothing" Democrat
and champion of the Irish and Ger
mans, whom in earlier years he had ve-
hemently opposed. His death was has
tened by the charge that he had been
Beneficiary of the Credit MObllier schem-
ers, whose poisonous touch was pOlitica
humiliation to other distinguished
figures in public life, who compelled
schuyler C0lfaX TO withdraw from the
Olympian game OF national politics amid
the stony silence or the loud Kissing OF
toe amphltheatre that had once shouted
with applause. 1t is fair to MIR. Brooks
memory to say that he always denied the
cHarge that he mad ever been benefited by
the Credit Mobllier conspiracy.
SIX PRINTERS HAVE BEEN ELECTED TO
CONGRESS
from New York within the last forty
years, five Of whom also won distinction
Us journalists. One became distln-
gulshed General and Minister to Spain.
IL was Daniel f. Sickles. His career has
Ceen the most varied, the most pictur-
5sque and the most interesting OF all.
his father was q lawyer, but sent his
son to printers Office TO learn the trade,
and he served his time. During his APP
premiership il is said he equaled the ex-
plolt of the hero of Edward Everett Hale's
story, "the man VINO stole meeting
house,' by making away with an entire
printing Office. Two persons had become
involved in a litigation re-
specling the printing estab-
hsnment in which young Sickles
was employed, and he took sides warmly
win one OF the contestants. One Satur-
uay night the office was locked up s
usual, but on Monday morning it was
found that all which constitutes print
ing establishment had disappeared. The
auslf was involved in complete mystery.
Eases DO not commonly disappear through
seyh0les, nor can presses be carried down
lour Nights Of stairs by young STRIPPING
VI ~, which was then Sickles' age. Moth