New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-06-09
PIONEERS OF EMPIRE.
MEN WHO START NEWSPAPERS But WIN
CANNOT CONDUCT THEM.

cr.ccrssFI,L WESTERN EDITORS
,, T., tho West is a graveyard OF
.nars Sometimes the files are pre-
r,.od and curious young fellows 20 paoh o'e
them from time to time. cleaning ma'e','i 0' ~,
confusion OF the oldest inhapitahl anu ~ a.,
crediting of his stories but more often "o M
a wrannod I'D with the other personal effects
~ rho editor who failed. ana nave disappear
with him into oblivion when mas 10 p''"@
ton day. -, 81, s,rruire
This editor who failed Is part Oh ''e , n
and IRRESPONSIBLE West. Every new STATE anu 50
ZION settled within the last MY years mas
,ar,ained him. by no means unaware ana ne mas
gone away on the same train tha' p'o"H"' ~
a., h,s,.ss customs He always Soou
.r,er alvovs a practical printer. always Oh Ui'
noInt OF achieving riches. ana ai"'SS "' -,
Usually be was Indifferent IN the mater =" P
Tics lkel one place as well as another VIM u"
i've, ,berc-and knew more OF the inside history
NJ States and cities than 1t was at an sae 10 '''
ia had no business ability but possessed a peau-
,,eiI and abiding faith in the future ana rc'uSe'
to learn wisdom In any school OF experience -
rule he carried an ever-lncreaS'hs p'"'N 49,, ~"
nm NJ the men who stood charged or creu''e" -
do,onds on the point OF view-with having caused
his various defeats in the past. Ever determine"
TO get even with them. he no sooner gre" s''o"s
orouyh IN strike than prosperity sofenod his heart
or1 no forgaye as freely as-he deserved 10 De to'-
given. - IN
or all the men who have started newspapers ="
tho Wost John Harper. OF Illinois doubtless mas
,h largest record Whether he be living now the
writer does not know. man at the "oI'u r""
,oII him Uarpor was dead But he saw later III
trade journal that n newspaper had been s'"'.''
M Girard and. knowing the town ne cannot We
leve any one but John Harper "ou!d nave H"'
,ho courage FOR such a venture. Ten years ago
he had a record o. twcnty-sx newspapers anu
had then been eleven months III one 'o"" '' "
naturally long term OF residence
U,rn.r could start n paper anywhere. ana con-
due, II In accordance with any principles non
orahe men could entertain. lie coui get "''''
tisomcnis from merchants who couldn't pay tn''
store rent ard subscriptions from people VINO
couldn't read With the handicap OF failure against
him b could get credit In any type foundry IN the
coun,rv and papcr enough for all possible needs
Generally he was a Republican, and whenever Ms
hackers turned him loose he had n particularly
unplcasant literary style. which he employer IL
the expense OF the opposition. Being pracucai
nr.nt.r his Office expenses were always lsht' ana
y, r.,liv needed only a moderate income to Insure
financial success True. the burden o. debt ne
assumed In the beginning seldom grew shaier'
and when the final day OF reckoning came NJ
either sold out at loss or permitted his place 10
be closed by creditors.
IN lSs5 when John \ Logan was elected United
states Senator from Illinois Harper vas publish
Ing a rapcr in Ncnard County. The LEGISLATURE
was a tie on Joint ballot. far * politics was
concerned except that Elijah Haines. a Demo
crat refused 20 vote Until his party couli agree
ON some candidate Any day for three moh'hs me
democrats could have elected senator; but every
a,v they quarroled and finally Judge Sh'"' o,
caes County a Democrat. dici. Harper. mindful
-, many .xneri.nces ~ once suggested to the
Logan committee that they max" "A sth hnht '"'
shaN.s successor The Democrats. with 50" ma
iorlfv. nominated man. Bur the ihlhs s'''"'.'
al, assured that rot hfN ~ The party voted
sN.
/ lorieI A candidate silently proceeded WIN th'.r
/ canvass and II VAS not tn o'clock on election
l,v that the Democrats discovered that they ha'
been fooled Harler's plan succeeded ana H'-
publican Legislature At ono" elected John \ Logan.
The veteran Editor expected something substantial
/ by way ID, recognition. but falling. wroi" "R'pub-
ucans are ever unrraiefuL' ana suspended his
Mcnarl county paper
! + pcit'cr hoycrcl along the Missouri and
Kansas border from nfcon 10 twenty years ak'
siariirr a newspaper on an afcras" ~ ono" 4
fwely,nonth and FORMULATING Democratic s'nu-
ncn,S At Joplin with al the nre which 'hara'-
,cr.z.l his Republican uiicranccs ~ Sah'ih'
| once when he found TWO men who wanted paper
A. P.,ishurs Kan. h. wrote 70 typ" foundry i'r
rates AMI received In rely this letter
you have hai $50 OUTFITS OF us without phyns
,or them Why don't you try somc house You
/ haven't workclT'
/ ~.n.rc are none" wrote Polilcr you had bot
ter have YOUR material down here ~ the holy
cause 81 P.tishurs asa'n@' Hateeve than eating
| No Insurance r1oney there I'm Chicago
| And oven after that they trusted him.
| Further west IN Kansas Kellar s"carins"n FOL
/ low.d the fortunes OF railroad towns. startine
r,pcr as soon ~ ;hc surveyors could b" com
| miticd to any.ccrfain course. lc VAS At a Oli'
town on the Ncrligris River ~ one time. halloolng
for the railroad. ard when the nrsi engine crossed
! the bridge into the town he had crowd waiting
! 10 celebrate the great event There w"r" speeches
J M
kellar sent down a roll ~ old roller composition
To- Ice used I'm loading IN" cannon. Each rl'c" or
the eummy substance VAS wrapped IN an OH c"nY
- the paper. When the powder was hr"i thlH
composition. made OF glue and molasS"7 refused To
leap from the muzzlc chung TO the slcs of tn" gun
and blew the ordnance into a hundred pieces li'is
Of roller conposltlon with kcllar's star Of En-
prc" wrapped about them were extracted from
about half m" participants In the days ''l"bra-
ton one title. '"rhc Future ~ the Ncrigr's Val
ley" was found imbcddcd In the neck OF IN" chl"'
surveyor 81 the railroad party II WAS IN" most
penetrating article he had ever penned.
About the first thing n professional papcr-sarter
does after printing his first issue Is 10 mail copy
| OF the sheet to the passenger agents OF all the
| nclghborng railroads and ask them Tor passes.
| Before the Interstate Commerce law was passed
| this was easy: and II is not dliicu, now. as the
railroads issue the passes and cvade the law by
charging straight rates for them giving the editor
credit by an equal amount for Advertising.
John Warner. who once had the honor of a part
| ncrship with Opic Read. started about dozen
papers In Kentucky. Tennessee and Arkansas.
| Along at the last his equipment was very light.
and as nc set type while Op.c wrote copy he would
turn to his partner and say: Here don't put any
| more cap Ms In your copy: the Ms are out In
the course OF preparing the forms II often hap
pened that there not enough rs. and the .
box was empty. and the Is were gone; and Opc
would have reconstruct his paragraphs. using
| words I'm which those letters did not occur.
| Chief among the resources OF these adventurous
| ncwsmen were the advertisements OF the tradesmen
| who wanted n paper and by their patronage en-
| couraged IT, But usually the merchant with the
| biggest "ad" would want to dictate the business
and political conduct OF the paper. II the editor
| was indepen dent and rebcllious. the merchant
could usually bring him to time by refusing to adj
vcrtIsc; and so little head for business has the
average paper that there is no contract to
rely upon. Not only is so much patronage lost
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