New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-09

told me Mr.. Watterson regarded Whitelaw Reid
as the best American editor.
Yes, he said, at one time think Reid ana
John Russell Young and myself could 60 INTO
cOmp0sing-rOom at o'clock in the morning, where
there was a demoralzcd foreman. and bring order
out of chaos quicker than anybody else. by that,
| mean we possessed the technical ability.
good managing editor should understand every
thing, from typesettng up. The great m9naging
editor is the man who can find at the eleventh
hour that there are twenty-five columns Of news
and only fifteen columns TO put it in, and decide
on the instant what shall be left out and what
shall go in. Henry j. Raymond, who was also a
fine writer, splendid managing editor l
don't know how il is now There may lie dozens
of the boys who do that. l suppose there
are. As TO writers, have just bought two
volumes Of George Smalley's letters: and ! know
of nothing that can beat them. What have l
done to form my own style? l hardly Know.
/ am not conscious now of having any style when
| write. have not built it up on any particular
model. At different times | have had different
loves At one time ii was Macaulay, at another
Edmund Burke. at another Thackaray at another
Jeremy Taylor and the early English eccleslastlcs
| was thirty wears old before / got the courage
to kick away the stills and start out ON my own
account
energetic style was well revealed in letter he
had recently written to an eminent New.lork
politician and this led to one of the most inter
psting phases of our conversation.
Its true he said thoughtiully, that icttcr
really looked worse in print than ! thought 1t
would But there was nothing in 1t that anybody
could take offence at. AS the only oIncia repre-
sentative in this State of the Democratic party,
had right to send it, 1t was written after
counsel with people in New-Nork and washington
and there copy IN cach OF Ih3sc clllcs.
After the garbed version had appeared In print
and was tclegraphcd to for permission to use the
New-YorlI letter it never crossed my NINA tnaI l
ought to ask Governor Hills consent especially
as he had never answered II. ii lie never IT,
reived it, of course that's not my laull
" His irritation" | suggested, must Ne n sign
that he's infatuated with the idea of the PreSl-
dency." ,, eouso
If that letter was impairment, had written one
year before 10 Mr.. Ccvc land that was far more
impertinent, only instead of Mr. Clevelands
taking il as Mr. Hill did. he replied in spirit
Of cordially and acquicscence. | haven't spoken,
of that since partly from sentiment But should
have no hesitation in publishing It II Mr. CIeve-
land would permit it, ~ true tnaI M; Ar d;dn
land asked my advice, and Governor I'M dldn I:
There is an impression | said. "that III
writing to Governor Hill you were approaching
stranger" ,; ,,.o, .,,,o,rort
I was within the mark. II is true Governor IN
and | had had no correspondence Bnt ine nrSt
time met him he poured out his grleis lhto NY
Cleveland troubles, and in his differences win
Mr.. Cleveland | think Mr.. Clcv, land IS lafGcE
in the wrong In fact, Eve told Mr. CleVrlahu
as much But there was nothing III my Grp mtr
would moi say if Mr. Hill asked them II ne
had gone to Mr.. Cleveland and sad, lierf' vi,
Cleveland, there Is an lnpu'd'iVii ',"u IN,
Won ont in 1855 il is not true, Int am GoiI5
10 elect vou and if he had then taken holh anI
nominated him and managed me canvass aliI
elected Cleveland. nothing in the w0rld co. ,
have kept Hill down in l9'9 ne WinIV on,b
would have cone for him with tremendous chlhu,
siasm As il is. he will into the Ncnalc anu
he lost lie is nothing but good "rGanlzcT' any
how or course he's bright. lcvrEhc2ned man.
INT he's not an orator or dehatcr. Ihcre are
plenty Of men in the Senate who WIN oNrtIn" uon
hin Ntoroon GRAY, Voorhees,. Reagan, ''orI'
R"tlcr lie will lose control OF the machine. ana
that will bc the end Of him. .,, -.
Gid il seemed 10 me Governor I'M han nceh
in prctty small business in replying TO MI water
sans statement about his never having heln ONCE
,,Jtb a snccr rs 10 his brilliant career IN Ton
crcSS. -, 80, r,uod ,Lo
bod clothes obout him q" don't remember, he
cid slowly whether 7 said in my letter thal
was a Democrat who had never sought nlu MI
Office or one who had never sought once. II
The first, il was slip Of the pen. Bui II Is 'ruc
that.I have never sought office. ! nave dcclih'l y
scores and scores of times. Nhcr was h",hi-
mated for Congress it was against my own ues.Ic.
| didn't want il. II was dead against my Own
interest But when poor Ned Parsons dl'd' Vt.
ridden teleeraphcd me he wanted me L" axe ms
place He wouldn't hear of denial We were
heavily in debt here with the new touricr,journhi
building on our hands, lialdfmah az" r. i"
tbey said 'Oh. YOU won't have 10 90 to WASHING
ION until ncyt winter and | finally consented
As far as doing what | was sent Tor, thongI !
might rs we'll have been in the Fijl Islands. Wy
nomination was never SOUGHT anu 'l't N'e ""''
NJ Wattcrson's tone and manner, during all
this exclamation were absolutely DEVOID of plpu"'
and was strongly impressed WIth ms evident as
interestedncsS Governor Hill will he edited 10
Ieorn that Mr. WattcrSOnS close associates VINO
bove been accustomed for years 10 solicit his
forecast Of political situations declare that events
have almost invariably shown his Judgment 70 DO
correct. l. H.