The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-08-25
TIE DRAMA OF A NEWSPAPER.

It is announced that the New Y ork
Times has been sold to Mr.. Kohisaat Of
Chicago for something less than quarter
Of million. Another stage has thus been
reached in the career OF piece of prop
erty which has seen many vicissltudes.
One wintery night in 1851 three gentle
men were crossing the ice to the city Of
Albany. They were Henry T. Raymond.
who was beginning to be known as Wig
orous editorial writer; Edward b. Yves
ley, who was man of wealth and enter
prise. and George Jones, who had kept a
bookstore in Troy. AT that time the press
of New York consisted of Benefits Her.
aid, Beach's San, which was in decay !;
Greeley's Tribune. struggling for a foot
hold; Webb's Courier and Inquirer, Bry-
ants Euening Post. the Morning and
EUenjng Express. owned by the BrOokses
and the Journal Of Commerce, owned by
BOollock & Stone. To these three men,
who were trudging over the ice that night,
it seemed that there was room for new
paper, and then and there they resolved TO
start one. Wesley was to furnish the
money, Raymond the brains and Jones
the business management So the New
Y ork Times was conceived.
1t had desperate struggle for life. For
several years 1t did not pay expenses, and
new partners had to be taken in TO supply
needed capital. Thus Fletcher Harper of
the firm of Harper & Brothers became the
owner of a third, and the MorganS of Au-
rora and subsequently, the Morgans of New
York acquired an interest. But in its
seventh or eighth year it began to pay, and
before the war broke out it was on diyi-
dend- paying basis. It was conceded to be
the abest paper in New York. and yet it
never rose to the first place in jOurna ism.
Raymond had few rivals as a writer OF
editorial matter; he was matchless as
cOntroversialist; he was honest devoted to
principle, aud truthful at all costs and
hazards. He was never swayed by fear,
favor or affection. What he believed to be
true be said, neither more nor less; and
he discerned tile truth Oftener than most
people. But he never captured the audi
eEce TO which Bennett truckIed, nor did he
please the class which reveled in Greeley'S
iims and his affected bonhomis.
RAYMOND died suddenly in 1869. The
paper fell into the hands Of Jones. Wes-
ley died. Harper sold out Jones proved
equal to the occasion. He exposed the
Tweed gang at the peril of lis fortune,
and rendered to New York a service which
was never adequately requIted. Jones
had the faculty of discerning the true
course to follow. and it was mere waste
time to try to argue with him that the
prosperity of his paper would be promoted
by the surrender of his convictions. He
was above all things conscientious and
intrepid.
But when he died there was no one to
take his place. A syndicate was formed
by the leading editorial writer. Mr..
Charles Miller. and it has been under
stood that they bought out the Jones heirs
and the other owners. Mr.. Miller was
placed at the head of the paper. His
long training under Mr.. Jones had mbued
him with the faculty of arriving at sound
conclusions on questions as they arose,
but his mind was essentially didactic, and
he never managed TO get in touch with the
masses of newspaper readers. They all
admitted that he was oftener right than
other editors: but they secretly preferred
papers which were sometimes wrong, but
always lively and interesting. His audi
ence dwindled to a select circle of scholars
and men of information. He shot over the
head of his public.
We shall now see whether Mr.. Kohlsaat
will repeat the performance of Mr.
Pulitzer. who took the World when it was
worthless and has made it one of the best
newspaper properties in the East. Mr.
Pulitzer's success has been mainly due to
his placing at the head of his business
affairs an ideal business manager. Mr..
Kohlsaa's reputation justffes suspicion
that he may follow the example.