The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-03
HORACE GREELEYS WORK.
A Letter Suggested by Recent Book BY
Mr.. Charles Southeran.
TCpaofa1 CorrecpopTa,ca

A Letter Suggested by Recent Book by
Mr.. Charles Southeran.
Especial Correspondence.]
NEW YORK, March Horace Greeley
has been dead nearly twenty years, but his
fame and his influence are today almost as
much matter of discussion and public in
terest as they were at the time of his
death, when he had just been defeated for
the presidency. This of course indicates
| that Mr.. Greeley's services were of endur-
ing consequence, and in this respect he
stands alone among the great editors of
the past. James Gordon Bennett is almost
| forgotten, except that his name is asso-
ciated with the creation of The Herald,
and his genius as collector Of news has
| left an impress in all of the greater news
| paper offices.
| William Cullen Bryant is no longer re-
membered as an editor, although that was
his life business and the writing of poetry
mere incident in his career. James Wat
! son Webb, the fiery Wing editor; NJ. NJ.
Noah, his antagonist as political jour-
nalist; Manton Marble, who was a great
editor in his day, and even Henry j. Ray
mond, are only mentioned through remi-
]
/ those things in life which seem likely to
/ make his fame enduring, not SO much as
! the editor of The Tribune as the political
writer and theorist who was a power in
/ his day, and whose teachings are still be-
| lieved to be sound by great numbers of the
! people.
! The influence Of Greeley in this respect
| is suggested by work which has just
! nd hx-M ri nd
which is designed to prove that Mr.. Gree
! ley was a true socialist in the best but not
commonly accepted meaning of that term.
The book contains some 800 pages. much
of the material being taken from the writ
! ings and speeches of Mr.. Greeley, while
| there are numerous interesting and char
| acteristic anecdotes. To those who knew
Mr. Greeley or were familiar with his
views such work is not necessary. There
is no doubt that he was firm believer in
the duty of the state to exercise paternal
supervision over the people, and to do all
those things which it could itself do rather
than to leave them to private enterprise or
corporate competition.
Greeley himself often defended his ardent
views in favor of protective tariff OH pre-
cisely this ground OF course this made him
distinctively the opponent Of that other
view, which Insists that the government do
nothing which private enterprise is able TO
perform This distinction has of course
been the dividing line between the two
parties which have existed under one title
or another from the beginning of the gov
eminent until the present day.
Greeley first indicated his sympathy or
tolerance with a pronounced form of state
socialist when be allowed The Tribune to
be used more than forty years ago to ex-
plot and defend Fourierism At that time
Mr. Albert Brisbane was one of the edito-
rial staff of The Tribune. Mr.. Brisbane
had spent much of his younger life in Eu-
rope. He possessed wealth and was stu
dent, although quite man of the world
He was intimate with Mendelssohn and
with the coterie of artists and budding
geniuses vino were found in Italy about
1880. He also became acquainted with the
doctrines OF Fourier, accepted them and
returned to America to expound them in
The Tribune The discussion which fol-
lowed the publication of these articles was
a genuinely sensational one. Everybody
was talking about Fourierism. Greeley
was accused of madness in giving the col
umns of The Tribune to such use.
Henry J. Raymond, with whom Greeley
had quarreled, replied in series of yigor-
Gus articles, and the community was
divided between the advocates and op-
ponents Of this ism Il was the first genu-
Inc and earnest attempt to create q state
socialistic sentiment in the United States,
and il was during this controversy that
Mr. Greeley applied to Mr. Raymond u
nickname which stuck to him for many
years-that of Little Villain. F"
The atmosphere of The Tribune Office
was in those DAYS decidedly congenial to
the state socialists Here some of those
who had undertaken the famous Brook
Farm experiment found congenial abiding
places. Mr George Ripley left Brook
Farm TO become literary editor Of The
Tribune, p1st he held for forty years
George william Curtis also wrote fire.
quentiy for the paper. Mr. Greeley en-
gagged Margaret Fuller, the prophecies OF
the Brook Farm circle. TO write for The
Tribune. and Charles a. Dana came On
from that ideal but unsuccessful expert
mental colony 70 become the managing
editor OF The Tribune M Greeley did
not sympatLize fully with the Brook Farm
experiment. bat lie was the friend Of II.
end rs members had always free aeeess 70
The Tribune columns
s.
the faith than many Of those wbo went
into the Brook Farm movement With 20
much enthusiasm Greeley constantly
preached some OF the doctrines and IN
questionable looked forward 70 TIE TING
when the natioa woald become as i2eal -
industrial community Is was Brook FasH1
although not exActiy o. the szase methods
II J. interesting 20 NOE thzE al o. these
sfz;e socialists rho were gstaeyea s4~5,1t
N- Greeley have lad 4Saa ths pet fer
ever ex1 eytiag &r. Dana aEd George WI
has. Cur1is Mr. Dana certainly j. r5t a
state socialist nosv and u IS believed 70 y
bis yiev INA, -aei. i.sdisitiuz4 IS g5y@a ihe
working oat y els e@u pecal.iary iaGe-
yeraaence. NJ Curtis aRs fneiless ~. sa1
5 Low the sa,Tivog ss thai gE.4sefs4l ard
charming literary slhool which begAa
, aluat Lsse Mr. Bssbsa.s dSesl sfossE =
ye&T Aso. sill esaF3nced u tEe irstA - 1;
J. "a FoaEseF.ssa- &a2 4F. = g4as gsz~zes.
Axsy f.s years aao, Sgt Ar haa4 icSS
slsIsssal-sf'his socsa,ist.c seIsss>zs.s u '1s-
Eer sszyz. = J. EDxAED&