Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1889-10-18
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1s. 1859.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1s. 1859.
History of a Wonderful Newspaper
Career.
On the 10th inst. very extraordinary
event took place in the city of New York,
being no less than the laying of the cor
ner stone of the Worlds new sixteen
story building, which will stand on the
site of the old and famous French's
hotel. Few events have ever called to-
gether a more distinguished audience,
ex-President Cleveland, Governor Hill,
Chauncey M. Depew, and multitude of
the most famous men of the day, from
all lines of life, being present. And it
was certainly thing worthy of the
attendance of the wisest and the wittiest,
the gravest and the gayest-this
laying of the corner stone OF building
from which will be issued journal
which embodies in it's history the great
est success in the whole history of jour.
nalism. Many bright and brilliant
things were said by Hill, Depew and
others, and the ceremonial went off with
all proper eclat.
The success of the World is utterly
without precedent. Beginning with q
trifling circulation, under the consum
mate newspaper genius of Pulitzer it has
been run up, since 1883, to a circulation
which averaged 342, 206 copies daily dur.
ing the past six months.
This is said to be one seventeenth part
of all the daily issues of all the news
paper presses in the country. This
triumph, utterly without parallel in the
annals of the journalism Of the world, was
achieved by q man who went to New
York from ST. Louis perfect stranger,
and was not afraid to challenge victory
in an arena in which so many had failed.
We believe Mr.. Pulitzer began his
journalistic career in st. Louis by acting
as the private Secretary of Mr.. Carl
Schurz, when that gentleman was editor
of the Westlche Post. Like that famous
man himself, be was foreigner, and he
quite rivaled his patron in the ease with
which he acquired mastery acquaint-
ance with the English language. He
quickly drifted away from Schurz, and
indeed became quite antagonistic
to that gentleman. His first
journalistic exploit was the purchase of q
defunct German newspaper at Sheriff's
sale in st. Louis. He had no competitors
for thing which was regarded as dear al
nothing, but his keen intelligence had
taken note of the fact that the dead Ger
man daily possessed an asset which NIGH
be made of value some day wiz. "a franchise
Of the Associated Press. Pulitzer locked
this up and bided his time
Shortly after this Q clique, at the head
of whom was McCullagh, started the
Globe in opposition to the Demo
crdt, which represented certain wing of
the Republican party that had powerful
enemies in that organization. Notwith-
standing the vigor and ability of the new
journal, it was powerfully handicapped
because it could not get into the Associ
ated Press. No matter how much money
was offered, and the offers ran up to an
enormous sum, the Associated Press
journals held the fort, and the Globe was
obliged to stay outside of the charmed
circle.
1t was just here that Mr.. Joseph
Pulitzsr's thoughtful little purchase came
in. He had bought with far more than
the wisdom of Toodles, and when the
suspicious time arrived he was ready to
produce his doorplate, with Thompson
spelled with P on it in fine relief; and
he sold the little German plant. which
he had bought for few hundreds OF
dollars, to the Globe, and is said to have
pocketed thereby sum variously stated
at from $50, 900 to 100000.
1t is impossible to hold down a man
like that. With the money obtained by
the sale of the press franchise, Pulitzer
started an evening newspaper, the Post.
Dispatch, which he placed under the
supervision of Col. Cockerill, and which
gradually made its footing good, and be-
came journal of note and value.
Having perfectly established the Post
Dispatch-we have not attempted to al
lude to the circumstances attending the
amalgamation of those two journals
Mr.. Pulitzer looked around for new
fields to conquer, and he went on to New
York. A man of his calibre is always
sure to be backed by friends, and he
risked the purchase of the World, which
Mr.. Manton Marble, who had married
rich widow, was allowing to run down at
the heels. The change of ownership was
signnlized by newspaper tactics as bril-.
liant as those employed by the first Ma.
poleon on the ensanguined fields of Ma
rengo and Austerlitz.
When Mr.. Pulitzer acquired the World
he took on with him to New York, Col.
Cockerill, who had been editor of the
Post Dispatch, and who had been 80 I'M
fortunate as, in resisting murderous as.
sault made upon him in his own Office,
to kill his assailant. The World is run
on the principle Of giving all the news in
crisp and readable shape, is strongly
Democratic in the tenor Of its editorial
articles, which are never of undue
length and, if it is not free trade in prin.
ciple, it is 80 strongly devoted to reduc-
ton of the onerous Republican war tariff