The Portland daily press., 1892-11-28
FIRED Sans CEREMONY.
One Of the Peculiar Phases OF Jour.
nalistie Life.
No Glass of Workers Treated with as Lit.
tie Regard rs Washington Core
spondents - The Tyranny of
Managing Editors.
Especial washington Letter

Managing Editors.
Especial Washington letter.
Margherita Arlina Hamm, in recent
article printed in the Journalist, COM
mented very truthfully upon the treat
ment which newspaper workers usual
ly receive from the managing editors Of
great daily papers Among other things
she said that the average newspaper re-
porter and society writer, as well as the
editorial writer, were regarded by the
managing editor and the business de-
partment OF the paper as the farmer re-
CARDS his horses and cattle. As long as
they are fast upon the track and able
to win money for their owners, or as
long as they are good, Woodworking
plodders along the field they receive
compensation sufficient to keep their
souls and bodies together and to dress
themselves sufficiently well to appear
to advantage in the company in which
they must necessarily go, according to
the assignments given them by the
managing editor. But when they cease
to be of frstrclass value their salaries
are reduced or else they are Immediately
discharged without having any warning
given them in order to have time to Sc
cure employment elsewhere. Miss
Hamm also gave some experiences in
this line and followed them with some
good advice to newspaper writers of
less experience than herself. Another
thing she said was that it was always
necessary to keep cheerful coun-
tenance and an appearance of pros
perity before the world; because when
any newspaper writer, or anyone elise,
makes an acknowledgement of failure,
or even partial failure, or a temporary
reverse, the entire world seems to be
like lot of hyenas ready to break the
bars and tear the unfortunate one to
pieces.
Miss Hamm's article upon this sub
ject reminds me of the experiences of
number of gentlemen who have repre-
sented reputable leading daily papers
Of the country in the national capital.
have not consulted with any of these
gentlemen, but do not suppose that
they will object to the publication of
facts concerning themselves; because,
: inasmuch as they publish facts regard
less of the wishes of public men, it is
not likely they will object to the pub
j LEGATION of actual facts concerning them,
selves.
Mr.. E. B. Wight, one of the most in
7 defatigable newspaper workers in this
country, or in any other country, rep
: resented the Chicago Tribune for
number of years. do not know ex-
: actly how long, but it must have been
at least ten years. One afternoon in
7 1884 or 1885 a young gentleman whom
he had never seen before walked into
v his Office with letter from the man
aging editor of the Chicago Tribune in
i forming him that he, Mr.. Wight, would
no longer represent the Tribune in
Washington, but that the young man,
whose name was Pepper, would here
after have charge of the Washington
bureau of the Tribune. According to
my recollection that was the first noti-l
fcation that Mr.. Wight had received
that his services would be dispensed
with. He was not given any time to
seek employment elsewhere, and, SO far
as the managing editor of the Tribune
knew or cared, Mr.. Wight might be left
without employment for the support OF
himself and family. But that did not
seem to enter into consideration with
the managing editor. He had made up
his mind, purely for personal reasons,
as presume, to make the change in
the management of the Washington
bureau of his paper, and he sent
young man to take the place.
1t must be said in this connection
xtn4 he ear% >ra of Ha hast man who
ever came to Washington in sending Mr..
Pepper. That gentleman still remains
here at the head of the Washington
bureau of the Tribune, and he is
worthy successor of Mr.. Wight, and
that is saying great deal, because Mr..
Wight is gentleman of exceptional
ability and probity and high culture
and standing.
Mr.. Fred Perry Powers represented
the Chicago Times in WASHINGTON for
eleven years. He was a gentleman OF
education, culture, refinement, wide
acquaintance with public men, had
perfect knowledge of the executive de-
partment in the national capital, and
was one of the best equipped correspon-
dents upon Newspaper row.
Two or three years ago the managing
editor of the Chicago Times, without
giving Mr.. Powers any notification
whatever, removed him from his posi-
ton as Washington correspondent of
the Times and turned the paper over to
another gentleman, whose name l do
not now recall During the past two
years there have been several CORE
spondents of the paper which Mr.. Pow
ers represented for so many years; but
recently the Times has been under the
management of other men and Mr..
Powers has been reappointed Washing
ton correspondent of that paper. His
dismissal from the Times few years
ago was regarded by all of the news
paper men in Washington as an excep-
tional piece of unkindness, to say the
least of it.
Mr.. Jules Guthridge, OF tina New York
Herald, was the representative of the
Chicago News, and rendered that paper
very fine service indeed. He is self.
made man and has been a hard worker