Wichita eagle., 1890-01-09
Daily eagle
THE CHICAGO REPORTER.
THE POWER AND INFLUENCE He
ExERTS IN THE GARDEN CITY.
Some of the Old Timers Recalled-Only
Four Of the Group Still Remain-Some
Interesting Personalities Brought to View
by John McGopern.

Four Of the Group Still Remain-Soms
Interesting Personalities Brought to View
by John McGopern.
Especial Correspondencel
CHICAGO, pec. 3L-I am credibly informed
that Demos, the people, will not cease his
awkward interest in the newspaper reporter.
That unknown, unrewarded, cynical, stoical
plodder-who is hea Where does he hEes
Why does he not seize the springs of wealth
and fame which he aids the strutters and the
quacks to get? How long does he work!
Does hs lie awake nights thinking of some
new story to tell for the glory OF the latest
Spectator come TO town! Does this veteran
reporter know how Demos loves him2 Let
Demos see him once more. Let Demos gaze
over the ropes at the Chicago reporters-she
men whose minds have most nodded the
daily chronicles of Chicago for twenty years
back
| wish I might be of more service to Demos,
for like this eternal fitness of things where
by the last become first / like to be told
that the people dwell with particular atten-
ton on the votaries whose abandonment
of the garish world has been most absolute
The reporter has made many men. They
resuund through the known world. They go
to Europe and they come back. A new pane
gyric is written for them with every season.
And yet, as the sum of putting descends in
the ocean Of hogwash, the people gaze with a
fishy eye-they begin TO know all about this
and that prominent citizen. Now tell them
about the invisible scribe, the taxidermist
who stuffed these specimens-the newspaper
reporter--the genuine old timer-the man
who believes there is no prominent citizen
without straw under his belt; who believes
there is no good, no bad, nopatriot, no traitor,
no orator, no bore, until the reporter has
written it up or written it down.
The people are getting cynical, too. In
troduce them 10 the scribe himself. He alone
is not bogus. He alone in all America has
pricked the bubble reputation. Look about
on the sons Of their fathers; on the great
philanShropists with brothers who are poor
clerks and sisters who are typewriters; on
theeloquent statesmen with reporters speech
es in pocket; of the crack Drained women
who are hailed in the literary notes as she
Shakespeares-gather it all, and there it is,
the heavens and the earth made by report
er in seven days. for he gets no rest Sunday.
The reporter is the daily paper. Upon his
ability rests the entire destiny Of the morn
ings news A sublime event which he back
caps becomes an item, greedily forgotten by
a Irving age which seems Like the hoary past.
/ wish the reader would help me with such a
thought We have become SO forgetful, SC
dulled that our own heroes must sink into
Oblivion, while old Horatius lives on. A
stupid wedding of two idiots, with the re-
porter's toll, becomes thing to set world
lie tha n
The people cry for more vengeance. The
reporter pulls another string, and villains
prosper. The people beat the tomtons and
light the public temples
The men who have done these things in
Chicago have, of course, varied in number.
Twenty years ago there were but thirty in
the lot l can remember Fred Hall, Tod
Cowies, w. S. Walker, Charlie Northrup
Jim Haynie, George Gordon, W. K Sullivan,
Meacham, Sam Medill, Johnny English,
Johnny Gallagher, John Rrtchie, Mel Stone,
Sam Steele, Guy Magee, George Armstrong,
Leo Canman, Fred Cook, the Goodsells, Hine,
Jim Chisholm, Eaton, Midgley, Colebrook
and, later, Stanley Huntley.
The group Of today may number 100. In
that group remain jun Chisholm, Sam Steele,
Leo Canman and Hine. They alone have
kept to the profession in Chicago. They alone
have continued to stuff prominent citizens
suppose any one of these veterans has made
at least 1000 grateful-efnsively grateful
heroes. no one of whom viii today speak tc
his creator if it can be helped.
Fired Hall writes editorials ON The Tribune
Tod Cowies is managing editor of The St
Paul Pioneer Press. He and Sam Medil rep
resented The Times and Tribune behind
Weston when the little pedestrian walked
from Portland to Chicago W. S. Walker i
rich and in life insurance. Charlie Northrup
Walkers partner, is dead. Both rose TO bt
CITY editor of The Times in its best days. jim
Haynie is Partisan, and calls himself Henay
TO help the French out. George Gordon i:
east. w. K. Sullivan is chief at The journal
and has been there for at least fifteen years
He has been TO the legislature and on the
board Of education. He is a man of success
and is probably well satisfied. Meacham, the
philosopher, is dead. He edited The Tribune
''horse," and kept journal of the first visit.
of the plague of baseball when nobody coulC
lick the Red Stockings of Cincinnati, unit
Mart King thundered to Hades to Come IL
tber,s Won --ln followed witt
acclarnation and the sound symphonious o
ten thousand pirates. Sam Medill is dead
Johnny England is rich and acts as privat,
secretary of Republican functionaries at ont
taxing building or the other.
When the Republicans have the city hal
Johnny is the mayors man. When the Re
publicans save the whole country Johnny
goes to serve the postmaster. Johnny Gal
lagher is dead. He was young and beautiful
He could sing an air from ''RigoleeroH in {
vay that made ME his slave. he becam,
night editor of The New York World.
wish he were alive, if I may file an objection
against nature. John Ritchie is in shor
hand, with frequent excursions to jourpal
ism, when he reports the national politica
conventions. he is learned, restless anc
wholly abandoned to praise OF the Atlantic
ocean. Mel Stone is rich and has retirel
from The News. Guy Magee is in the specia
assessments. George Armstrong was il Da
kota ten years ago.
Leo Canman (3iSmarck) is now, rs ever
the railroad reporter of The Tribune. HI
stands head and shoulders above other new:
f-a-hp~a,-- i- rh-s h-a,7rA of intelligence. Hi