The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-19
HE WON'T TAKE A DARE.
ANECDOT ILLUSTRATING j. q.
BENEFITS PECULIARITIEs.

An Inside View of the Herald Editor.
His Tribute to the Old staff-some
of the Journalistic Achievements
Under His Mansgement-His Meth
DDS and Moods.
(Copyriahk)
NEW YORK, Oct. Isl do not think
the time is far Distant said James Gordon
Bennett not long ago to friend in Paris.
when shall endeavor to call around me
again those who survive of the old
staff Of the New York Herald. Comparing
the work done by them during the lfo time
and since the death OF my father with that
which has followed, they are certainly to be
credited with more ingenuity and origi-
nality than has been shown by many Of
the younger generation. As a body they
were compact and devoid Of jealousy,
for they had in view but ono end-the
supremacy Of the Herald, and 60 attain
this no personal sacrifice was too great.
Take some Of my reporters during the war
who went to the front and were wounded in
the discharged of their duty to the paper; take
the man who, many years ago, went into
the Modoc lava beds where Gen. Capby lost
his life by the treachery of the indians, and
who by desperate riding reached the
coast and sent the news to the
Herald before it was printed In the
San Francisco papers. Take STAN
ley, who went in search of Livingston, and
paved the way to present African progress;
Macgahan, our Asiatic and Turkish GORE,
spondent, who bravely died in harness
O'Kelley, now a member of parliament; !;
who was sent to Cuba to watch revolution
then in progress, and was sentenced to be
shot; Collins, who froze TO death at the
mouth of the Lena river in the polar ex-
pedition; MoGill, who, whea the steamship
Atlantic foundered off the coast of Now
foundland, did not hesitate, even at the
peril of his life to descend in a diving bell
hundreds OF feet below the surface Of the
ocean and interview the dead take all the
men of my old staff who, when an emer-
gency called for enterprise, had the ludg-
ment to charter steamboats, and locomo-
tives and pre-empt telegraph lines In order
to secure beat for the Herald, and tell
me where you will find another body of
men like them in the ranks of journalism ~
If the foregoing remarks accredited to
Mr.. Bennett are true he has done but tardy
justice to both the living and the dead. He
might fill volume with stories Of the jour
nalisic achievements that have made his
paper what it is, and given TO 1t that touch
of individuality which is its characteristic
the world over. In many instances, the
worth of these old employees has been sub
stantally recognized. In the time of the
elder Bennett, q pension fund existed
and some of those who survive
him, still enjoy its benefits, drawing
every week from the treasurer n sum sutfi-
cient for moderate support. During the
| career Of the younger Bennett, however,
his policy ia the recognition of an extra
ordinary service, has besn to bestow re-
wards. Now, it would be a sum Of money ;
| in several instances it has been valuable
watch duly inscribed with record of the
| circumstances that called forth the gift; in
| one clse he presented to a favorite official
! the means to secure handsome city resi-
dence; IN another he doubled his salary !;
as for promotions, they are always
sure to follow the exemplary
performance of even routine duty. When
the idea of illustrating the Herald was
broaohed to Mr.. Bennett, he condemned 1t
at oHce, but the advantages were so per-
sistently pressed by its originator that
he finally yielded his consent that the
experiment should be tried. The innova-
tion proved to be a success, and not long
ago, the employe who was bold enough to
urge it, received thousand dollar check
and a cablegram from his chief, telling him
to take the choice of a trip acre So the conti-
nent with his family or to Europe, and to
PVAA"No
| was his reward.
Mr.. Bennett is, therefore, generous and
appreciative man, although whimsical in
his methods and irregular in his system.
Nevertheless, he is willful and obstinate !;
perverse when you expect hun to be pleas
ant, and aggressive when you have no dis
position TO be contentious While tenacious
in his opinions and strong in his prejudices,
he warns to an honest fighter and will
take the severest "back t4lkn from q
subordinate who Is honest in his con-
viotions With kind of subdued admir-
alton. Few men, however, dare to en-
counter him in his ugly moods, for he ia
then the combination Of a Scotchman and a
devil. man so many-sided must perforce
make many enemies, and, unfortunately,
too many persons have good reason TO be so.
But the purpose of the present article is to
separate the f1ner from the coarser fibres
that run through this strange bit of hui
manltY.
That he was born rich, household pet
and spoiled, Is no fault Of his own. From
both father and mother he inherited much
that makes him what he is. AS a boy he
was a young tyrant; stalwart, brave to
recklessness, early accustomed to athletic
sports, he became the accepted leader
among all his chums. Before he was of
age ne knew more about BEATS and guns
and horses and dogs than the majority of
his seniors. When he owned yacht
he forthwith made bis way to the head by
boldly racing across the ocean; yet, when he
thought he owned the Herald and began to
give orders to Frederick Hudson, then
the managing editor, he ran against
Scotch snag in the shape of his father and
was shipped to Europe The EUentng TeLe-
gram was made for MIN as a toy TO play
with, and teach him the first lesson in
journalism.
Young as he was, man more fully
equipped for the management of a great
enterprise like that of the Herald, could
scarcely be found. He was wealthy, well
informed, master of several languages, fa-
miliar with the politics Of his own country
and of Europe and rigid deciplinarian.
To his staff Of ready workers he h IS paid
tribute in the words that begin this article.
but TO himself belongs large need Of the
praise which attaches 70 the sometimes
remarkable achievements Of that paper.
He possessed not only the genius of Journal
ism but he had the money to pay for the
results he sought 20 accomplish To him a
S10,0 ,009 cable message describing the batte
OF Gravelotte was bagatells compared with
ente prise During the so-called poverty
times in New York, when many OF the
poorer classes were suffering from hunger.
he established soup houses throughout the
city, and, with royal munifcence, chose no
less a person than DelmoDico 70 be his
caterer. II cost him more than 100000.
~. hfu