The Portland daily press., 1892-11-28

mediate future in this matter Fortu-
nately, however, men like Wight,
Powers and Guthridge cannot be cast
adrift upon the sea of life, because they
are Industrious men with more than or
binary ability, and such men will not
long remain idle in this workaday world
where good men are always wanted.
One year ago Herbert Preston, who had
been connected with the Washington of
fee of the New York Herald for at least
fifteen years, was as suddenly and un-
tremendously removed from his posi-
ton as either of the gentlemen named
above. He Is man of a great deal
more than ordinary ability, who has
been upon the lecture platform and de-
ltvered some of the finest discourses
ever heard upon the subject of journal
ism, because that is subject with
which he is as fully familiar as any
other man in the United States. His
writings have always been of great
value because they are and always
have been emanations from cultured
brain which has been trained, not
only in books and letters, but in the
richer and ripper field of experience with
public men in the capital of this repub-
lie.
have had a little of the same ex-
perience. In March, 1889, was offered
a position on the Pioneer-P Press, of ST.
Paul, at better salary than / was re.
ceiving from the st. Paul Globe. I tel.
egraphed to the Globe Office that had
received this offer and, without waiting
to receive a reply from them, declined
the proposition which had been made to
me by Mr.. Garlic, of the Pioneer-P Press,
because had been with the st. Paul
Globe continuously for three years and
did not care to make change. On the
evening of April 1, within two weeks
of that occurrence, I received tele-
gram from the st. Paul Globe inform
ing me- that they would close their
Washington Office on that day and date
/ had received no other warning and no
intimation that any change was to be
made in Washington, and the telegram
came, as you may well imagine, as a
great surprise and shock to rne. I'm
fortunately the place upon the Pioneer
Press had already been filled, upon my
rejection of the offer which had been
made to me. Thus I was left, SO far as
the st. Paul Globe knew or was con-
cerned, without any support for myself
and family.
The gen tlemen named above are still
in Washington representing good news
papers and making very good livings
for themselves; some of them, indeed,
accommodating fortunes. Not one of
them, so far as know, has suffered the
least inconvenience from the treatment
which he has received, and none of
them has any complaint to make con-
corning the manner in which he was
unceremoniously dismissed from the
employment in which he was engaged.
The gentlemen who have been ap-
pointed to succeed those who were re-
moved from their positions are men of
ability and render their papers good
service.
do not presume that the managing
editors who caused their dismissals
ever gave any thought to what might
become of them or what effect their ar
bitrary removals might have upon them.
This letter is not written for the pur-
pose of finding fault with or question
ing the right of the managing editors
to treat their employees as they choose.
Simple statements of fact have been
made as they have occurred before me
during my experience here. l will
venture to say, however, that the judg-
ment of ninety-nine readers out of
every hundred who learn of these oc-
currences, and the manner in which
faithful workers are treated by their
employers in the newspaper world, will
undoubtedly Say that it is little less
than brutal to treat any class of work
ers with such degree of disrespect, not
to say disregard, for their welfare.
When the organized laborers of the
country rise in rebellion against the
dismissal of their fellow workmen with
out cause, they may be assured that,
as long as they are within the law in
all of their actions, they have the sym
pathy of the newspaper workers at the
national capital; particularly those who
have been here for a long time and have
had similar experiences
SMITH D. Fry.