New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-05-09
EDITORS UNDER FIRE.
TRAGIC AND COMIC FEATURES OF FLOR
IDA JOURNALISM.


cot isE NJ Cheney With a boyish ardor and
natriots convictions he enlisted at the outbreak OF
the war; in a Massachusetts, regiment serving uh'ii
the rebels laid down their arms. being promoted I'M
Al no wore coonels shoulder straps. In 1867 he
came 70 Jacksonville for the purpose of starting
Republican newspaper He bought The Union,
feeble Democratic weekly, which he turned into a
sound Republican journal Party patronage added
10 his financial success and he enabled to trans
form The Union into semi-weeky. trI-weekly,
and finally. in 1870, into daily, the first daily
ever printed in Florida In December Of the same
wear The onion establishment totally destroyed
bv fire the insurance company IN which 1t was IN
sured for 900, conveniently failed. and MI.
Cheney lost everything. With characteristic puck
he started in again. necessarily on credit. By that
time the Republican leaders had all got az logger
heads with each other, and with the editor. Inc
latter found the load too heavy However UoVef
nor Stearns wanted an "organ." On condition tha'
he wonld paw the debts. Mr.. Cheney made MN
present OF The Union. and it passed INTO the
hands of a company composed of c. F. Mawbey re-
comfy from New-Jersey; c. II. Walton, formerly
foreman IN The Nec- York Uord Office. and Marcel
lns r. stearns Mr.. Cheney was retained as editor
until 1876 In 1868, while running The Cmoa, MI
Cheney bought The tallahassee Sentinel ard made II
n good Republican paper and this office got all the
State printing Governor Reed thought Inc Sent-
rcf not DONG the tdT lHlnS ny Hliu anu Nv
bought IT in the name of Reed & Patten. Upon re-
firing from office Reed sold the paper TO {. II. wal
ton. The daily issue of The Union was suspended
IN Nav 1877; at the time. | believe 1t was the
only aightout Republican daily newspaper Ill
the South The Tallahassee Sentinel came to an end
q few weeks later
There Is a story in connection with these suspen-
sions that so far as know has never been told.
and it may as well be told now while the witnesses
are living Among the Florida Republicans who
went 10 Washingt to see President Hayes lnaug-
urated was Dennis Eagan, Commissioners OF lmml-
grafton in Governor stearns Cabinet, one of the
most active aggressive and successful Republican
leaders in the State. The Florida Republicans
had worked hard during the campaign I'M
der great disadvantages. None of them were
men of means and they made appeal after appeal
10 the National Committee for funds, but always
in vain 1t may be said in parenthesls that the
Florida Democrats were as hardly served by their
National Committee; all the help they got was
promise of assistance made by MI lllden to the
chairman of the State Committee which was never
kept. Under all the circumstances the Republicans
of Florida congratulated themselves on the success
achieved at the polls; they were congratulated
too by their fellow Republicans in other States
But they we're deeply disappointed TO find President
HAYES perfectly Indifferent both TO their achieve
ments and 10 their future welfare In conyersa-
ton with Mr. Eagan the President SAID substan-
tally that IT was lmnateral TO him whether any
Republican organization was maintained IN florida
or not OF in any other Southern State. The cold
ness and unconcern of his manner hurt more than
the words themselves. The UuiOn, having lost all
political patronar with the advent OF Demo
cratic Administration was being run at a loss
consultation was held, and upon review of the
facts the Florida Republicans decided not TO pull
4la,r s+r;o 4o sain This
conclusion was reached Saturday night; and The
Union of the next morning Sunday, May
-. 1877, contained the announcement OF
its suspension. There has been no Republics an
party paper in the State since.
Colonel Cheney was a very clever editor; he was
sharp iacsive andextremely logical writer But
these qualities were not sufficient TO sustain ne
publican editor In the South in those DAYS The
man who took pen in hand to point out the errors
of Democrats also took his life IN his hand.
Fortunately the steady light that shone IN Cheneys
ewes was never for a moment mistaken b. the
bIusterers Of this section. cannot tell how many
challenges Colonel Cheney received while he was
editor of Ihe Union. This story | can vouch for:
One Bravo. hot. noble SoUthroDer and bit OF an
exquisite in his way. took offence at an edltOra!
which appeared IN The Union. Tue cause was pretty
much imaginary. but Bravas associates pestered
HIM about 1t until he finally concluded to take
action. lie wrote q mean clllcism on inc tuipolld,
inclosed 1t with still letter 20 the editor,
and after the STYLE of men of honah, entTustei II
10 one Colonel" Bava. a gentleman of the chlvalry
school for delivery. Colonel Cheney sent an answer
TO Bravo bv coored mana "nigger" This was
an outrage and Bravo and his associates met to
consult about il. Several days afterward
Colonel Cheney went. as was his custom, into
Lyman's restaurant for dinner. accompanied by
General Guy, of the United States Army,
now on the retired list They had
not been long seated when Bravo and several com
panions entered. After taking little courage
az the bar. Bravo crossed over TO where the two
gentlemen were sitting.
GOOD morning" said Colonel Cheney, cheerfully.
81 sent YOU a letter, " SAID Bravo. savagely.
81 sent YOU an answer. didn't ?" replied Cheney,
the smile on his face fading be looked his enemy
IL the eye.
"Do you intend to publish it, asked Bravo
Certainly not"
Bravo had been drawing off one of his kid gloves;
at this he dropped 1t the edge OF the table,
whence 1t fell OF INTO CheneYs Zap me iatteI
picked II up with his thumb and hnger. looked at III
moment, and tossed 1t over to tle colored water
with Instructions to keep that TIL tine owner calls
for IT, ~ I he arrangement, as IL was subsequently
ascertained for Bravo 10 slap Cheneys lace
with the glove. Cheney expected this when he
saw the fellow tugging al his glove. II Bravas
courage had not failed hlm, he probably would
have been shot then and there As 1t was, instead
OF being hero. he became the butt of his friends
ridicule which so preyed upon his mind that he
took 10 drinking with great desperation. and he
died from the results thereof IN less than four
months.
Many Democrats of that day had no hesitancy in
cuunseliing violence toward Republicans Among
the persons of this class Il. Il. McCailum. an
ex Baptist minister and Democratic carpet bag
GER from Georgia. who first edited Democ ratIc
paper AT Lake City and then The Semi Weekly Press
in Jacksonville He was a little man, in poor
health wonderfully active. and he hated Republi
cans whether from the North or native whether
white black. with hearty c0rulailtS. lie seemed
10 look upon every one of them a personal
enemy Week after week In the Lake City paper
be assailed Republicans. and particularly singled
OUT state Senator Harvey. who lived at Hartts