The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-07-25

or The newspaper methods of Mr.. Weed.
Nevertheless, it is notable that each, in
early as we'll as in later newspaper con
duct, struck out original methods, i'm
bned with personal idiosynoracieg. At
tho time Mr.. Raymond, in 1857, in COLI
nection with tho late George Jones as %
business partner, founded the New Y ork
Times, MIR. Weed had already become
recognized as political Nestor, and
Messrs. Bennett and Greeley had also
been already acknowledged as potent
monarchs in the realms of journalism.
EDITORIAL WARFARE.
Messrs. Weed AID Greeley had then al
ready become ACKNOWLEDGED makers of
Governors and Presidents, and Mr.. Ray
;nond had taken rank as an Albany legis-
lator, at An era when a new radical state
constitution had called for tho services
politicians in both Wing and Democratic
parties. Mr.. Bennett, then, as always
nfterward, stood without active political
affiliations, but with tendencies some-
what antagonistio to the whiggery of the
other three. His favorite editorial
amusement was to pet ono party on a
Monday, for instance: the other party on
n Wednesday, and on Friday knock
their heads together in mischieyous and
pienant editorials. In him strong ten
lency to notwithstanding always existed.
Enemies had called him malicious but
Of ljoor In ri
They simply mistook mischief and prac-
tioal jouundity for malice. Both Messrs.
W eed and Greeley were very serious edi-
tors, but Raymond combined slight
love of mischief and satire wit h prefer
ouoe for serious views of Lie and its vic :
issitudes. The personality of each editor
was so strongly infused into the newspa-
per directed by each of the Quartette that
until their deaths the sayings by any one
quoting either paper was Bennett, or
Weed. or Raymond. or Greeley, says SO
and so this morning"
New York city finally became ne jour
nalistio workshop of the entire quartette,
by the removal to it of MIR. Weed on pur-
chase of the Oldest daily newspaper in the
state-the Commercial Administrations
conservative history suited the CONSERVE
tive leanings of Mr.. Weed in his declip-
ing years.
NOT A CONGENIAL GROUP.
Although one would surmise that CO.
operation in similar grooves of occupation
might be calculated to draw the member of
-.
ship, the singular feature was presented
of their non assimilation. While Messrs
Weed and Raymond remained upon the
most amiable terms throughout their
editorial careers, the utmost personal an
tagonism ensued between Messrs. Weed
and Greeley, and between the latter and
MIR. Raymond; while Mr.. Bennett, who
had never except casually met any of the
others, constantly waged a guerrilla war
fare upon all three with his editorial pen.
For them he prepared nicknames thus
Weed was to him and Herald readers the
ALBANY drummer"-in allusion to the
enlistment of the Albany editor during
the war Of 1912 as a boyish drummer. For
that service Mr.. Weed yearly received n
LenBion to the date OF his death, and
which went into the conduct of his we'll
known and system ATTIC charities. Mr..
" A helard, " in allusion to some CORES
pondnos had with lady contributor
(Heloise), which had been surreptitiously
obtained and published in garbled
form. Mr.. Greeley was similarly re-
ferred to as the "white-coated philoso-
pher" in allusion to tho traditional light
colored overcoat that the Tribune editor
had adopted during his New England
youthful days and always wore In after
life. Upon one occasion Mr.. Greeley 8
pen termed Mr.. Weed leader of the lob
by" alluding to the latter's persistent in
tereEt in the doings of the legislature. On
another and notable occasion Mr.. Greeley
in an editorial denominated Mr.. Ray
mond as the villain"
IN PERSONAL APPEARANCE.
Allusion has just bsen made to the &C.
centrieity in dress of Mr.. Greeley
Throughout life he was addicted to loose
and ill-fltting garments. Indeed one of
his biographers gave an instance of Mr..
iGreeley's losing job as printer be-
cause of his alleged slovenliness in attire
when he came asking employment. His
enemies-who declared Diogenes to be
really q ooxoomb in affecting odd Co.'S
tumes-contended that Mr.. Greeley took
as much pains in making himself negli-
gee as Raymond did in obeying thu oele-
brated lines ofsthe English poet:
Tho wrong the mode comply; more
sense is shown
By following others folly than your
own.
Yet Mr.. Greeley was always neat and
there was never about him the Grub
street air that belonged to the literary
men of DR.. Johnson's era. Mr.. Greeley
was, as Carlyle has phrased it, Inter
nally clean" also, for he abhorred wine,
spirits and tobacco, and preferred vege-
tartan diet. Mr.. Weed to an extent
shared Mr.. Greeley's distaste toward
dress, and his gray shawl and slouohed
Kossuth hat became in time portion