Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-11-18
NEWSPAPERS OF THE PAST.
A Decided Revolution Since the Days
Of Horace Greeley.
aAIp a CENTURY OF PROGRESS
xcn wcldo r. nay Was tae Limit 81 Ter
srams In Those Times-New stories
c,e That rarnou. Editor.

There has been such complete revolution
in ,be manner Of conducting newspapers ana
IN he character OF lhelr contents within tue
pn5t is~ decades mat II 10 now almost I'M
pcs,lpls to unierihnd the power that was
exhriel by Horace Greeley, and other gfea.
editors 10 tle days jest preceding taa ssa'
Citn Wa and during that struggle.
The discovery OF es lnaenious uermsn
chem,p that fairly goo5 print paper can be
rna.e fscn wo51 pulp. the Introduction OF
type.svttlnR maobi1es. and tie improvements
Of tho wonderful wab preiqss Of "a. presehs
time have com ioioly irantisrmod mo ms
cnanlcAl depa -tmcnti Of All the leading ae"s'
papers, ami made ~ possible to issue paper
Of maximum sika at minimum OF cost
Dcn PsfIey Poase, tho ljnE ums famous
washlngion eofrnap13itnt. told me snort
time b.i3rs hia death thar when he hFs' went
to washlrgton IN ls5F no wai ebso' lteiy
limited to ten wofda rer day BY Telegraph
The remainder Of his report was sent ~
mall. the publishers OF that news aref and
iis readers being perfectly ton;sni 20 walt
a dAy or two Tor thelr news. The psice OF
teiegrabhInH at that dime between Waahing-
ton and Boston wa 10 cents per word.
To-day ths leading daillsa receive. during
the sessions Of Congress- 10000 and 1000
wafda day. They Are members OF one or
the other OF the great neWs gathering as
foclRtlous tina, cover the entire globe. and
send over tholr speelal wiros from $4,000 10
10000 words per day. The telegraph out
strlps the sun. aud ofteh the people are
reading in their afternoon papers OF things
that happened IN Europe a. an hour earlier
than that at which tho paper went to press
An these conditions % the present are 90
dlaerent from those that prevailed in 1888.
when Horace Greeley and Francis Story
started the penny Morning Post In PHIL
adephiA that there Is almoai nothing 10
eofnmoD between tho two. In the nrsI and
meat important particular the Newspaper
was not then a necessity Of everyday liie
II was simply called Newspaper out Of
courtesy IL contained very ilttlo Of what Is
now understood as news. II was more tho ro-
neeilon Of the editors opiulons, and people
then. as now, could 1--we without opiniona. II
the editor waa brilliant and could write In
terostingiy the paper usually succeeded, II
he was duil and stupid the paper was short
lived. Tho attempt Of Story and Greeley &c
publish the Morning Post" AZ l cent per
day waa dismal failure.
IL now seems almost unaccountahle that
the publication Of that inalgnincant weekly
sheet. the Log Cabin" IN 1870. by Nj,
Greeley. In New York, should have brought
him into National prominence. But the
brilllaney Of the oditorlala and the unique
way In whlcn National matters were pre-
scented made In that day and generation
profound imprealon and Mr. Greeley was
almost Immediately brought Into National
ronown HIS counsel was sought. and he
was In several Important matters able TO
adluai differences between the great Whlg
lCadera.
Captain @, u. Henry. who figured proml-
nently In politics for many years. and who
was al tho time Of President GarAelds
death Marshal Of the District OF Columbia
knnw Mr. Greeley well. aud Is an admlrer
OF his genus, In recent conversation
with the Captain he related numerous In
clapnh ana ehArnctorisdoa Of the great
editor that are entirely new or forgotten
by those Of the present day who read nowB-
papers. Those pnlnu give good and AIT
'trtart0ry key 10 tho character and power Of
the great editor,
Greeley had a way Of meeting an OPP
poaent that was practically unanswerable"
said the Captain. 81 remember that cer-
tain editor N Now York Tor whom no had
great contempt was continually pitch nE
into him and trying 70 draw him into dis
euAhi0u. Greeley stood IL uuul he thought Il
was about time to ropy and finally printed
the following editorial paragraph N thl
editor who wears mourning undOr hlA hngor
nails Tor his departed yeraclty, VAL sur
prlas his system with a bath we viii at
tempt clean discussion with him.
This Of courae ended the slurs and in-
Hinuatona that had up uii that time been
very frequent IN ne opposition sheet"
One 1i the mdet remarkable Instances Of
Gfeeley'a renarieO wah IN contest with
Jamea Watson Webb, tho editor OF tn, New
York Courier and Enquirer" a rival Whip
paper. webh had heen In the army aud
waa quito merry In disposition, Ito hal
fought duel with Thomas y. Nmrahull Of
Kentucky In Junu. 1853 In which no was
severely wounded whcn iadoted for duol.
Ing he pleaded guilty having had an under.
standing that tue oncnNa would DO con.
adhered technical one, and that Governor
Seward would pardon him. lie was. ar.
cordlnRly found guilty aud plrdNned
Some years after. when IN discussion
With Greeley, Webb, who was fine dresser
had occasion 10 refer to MIR. Qreeley'u
slu,only appearance and remarked that hr
attracted great deal of attention when
walking on Broadway Mr.. Greoloy's reply
waH Hs follows;
"The Courier and Enquirer s,ya th,,
the drels u tho editor Of this paper AT
tracts great deal on attention when n,
wAlks alony broadway. In reply wo wise
% ray that had II not been Tor the oXoeutly,
elemeney OF Governor Seward. tho elatho,
wcrn by James Watson wonh would attfsei
great deal more Alteration II worn on
Brcadway"
There was no further elseussien of IN,
question ~ clothes fer some time 10 com,
IN the columns oi the Courier Ana al.
urrcr"
TIE famous political par.nergh,o, eons,s,
iNg o. Thuriow Weed, william ii serara
ana Horace Greeley. dated from Inc un,t
Greeley nrat caue To New York. ana Wee6
nnd Seward recognized that no waa eelns
to te very imp0ftlnt element IN for,nlny
Political sentiment. For sunher az yesr,
this partnership controller TIE aolltlcq ii
,he Empire state. hNlng tho pefsans wht
rlqit rms
Creeley'u edi,briai and political rival wa,
Henry j. Raymond, who was nine war
yourssg, aud who came TO Now ysri,
THOROUGHLY equipped to take very inrnr.
tant part ~ all that MAS going on, tle w..
or Votel W Greeley as an Assistant "a,
itof " ISL Tut two years later ,vrnt ~
the "Cnp'isr and Enquirer" nnJ be,l ~,
EDITORIAL position there uil 1851 Nhen w.
fol1le5 the n 'rae1." 81 WHICH shs.f n.
WAS editor IN his death In iSgS,
greeley nNd often proiessel that n. dtt
~ ceslse 10 bold oiilcD. aaA Wesl sNa
sfeord "a come 10 regard thogs mot
pqrs - slr'rroi They. therefore t4,tali.
mane Up their States without rafcreoor "
kisnH ny place upon the iicket 10 him
u 'eoi, hpNevcr. Mr., ,ifecioy MD deeliNi
,nti no Would llke 10 tt1Hd Ir tleufsntnt'
Governor lie had az yet not mad M NJ.
r'te- hnowh % Weed and seward and thsy
heso-elasi9 proceeded TO make IN Nj,
nei"i fpd elected Naymonl .of ths asi.o
me W., 'dflnf ne lsll l.io Grsnley'a SOU