The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-02
"BRICK" POMEROY.
His Career One of Remarkable Ups
and Downs.
His Paper, The Democrat, Had a
Country Wide Reputation.

N. ", in 1888, and when lad served an
apprenticeship of three years In the otbce
of the Corning Journal. Later on he
published the Coming Sun. In 1857 he
published a paper in Hcricon, Wis.,, to
which he contributed number OF
sketches OF well-known Wisconsin men in
an extravagart vein, labelling them
"Brick- Dust Sketches" From thGt time
until his death he was known as "Brick"
Pomeroy.
lie was Democrat, and in his Horizon
paper wes SO outspOken in MS poIltlcal
opinions that he attracted the attention
of party leaders and was appointed
deputy United States marshal.
During his term of Office he arrested
well-known desperado. While on the
road to Milwauk o the prisoner attacked
Mr.. Pomeroy and escaped. On his return
to Horizon this marshal wrote and pub
lished an account OF the affair which
gained for him some fame as humorous
writer.
Mr.. Pomeroy was an enthusiastic ad-
mirer OF Stephen A. Douglas and his par
tisanship led to hIs- losing has place as
marshal. lie then went TO Milwaukee
and became city editor OF the Daily News.
lie next went to Ia Crosse as one OF the
editors of Governor Swinford's paper,
the Union and Democrat.
MT. SNlnlOfu was DtIlO-
crat, and the fact that MIR. Pomeroy was
a devoted disciple of Douglas led to dis
sensions which were highly amusing To
the readers. Mr.. Swinford controlled the
inside pages of the paper, while Mr..
Pomeroy Published his opinions on the
outside pages, and week after week the
rival editors pounded away at each
other. Eventually Mr.. pomeroy ousted
Mr.. Swinford and assumed control OF the
paper, which then became Douglas
publication.
AT the outbreak OF the war OF the re-
Dellion MIR. Pomeroy was o Union man,
and his paper contained patriotic edl-
torials. He personally assisted in lifting
out several companies and was commits
stoned as a second lieutenant unattached.
In this capacity he started for the front,
acting as correspondent for the Chicago
Times and several other papers.
Once on the field his sentiments under
went change, and his dispatches! in
stead of being illed with patriotic re-
joicings at the victories of the Union
troops, contained denuncintions OF the
commanders of the Northern army, who,
he alleged, were paying more attention TO
the business OF cotton brokerage than
they were to the prosecution OF the war.
Because OF these dispatches he was
ordered out Of the lines, aud came home
TO La Crosse. There he continued his OBJ
jectionable policy until the Democrat
office resembed fortress under siege, for
arms were kept constantly at hand TO re-
pei possible invasion of indignant clti-
zcrfs.
Mr.. Pomeroy hid in the woods about
40 miles away, sending IN his copy each
day by messenger. At one time, after
particularly violent editorial attack
upon President Lincoln had appeared in
his paper a mob gathered about the Office
w N lVnnhinn
Mr.. Pomeroy.
Carl Snyder writes that at the close OF
the war Pomeroy's fortunes were at so
low an ebb that he sold his gold watch
gold watches in those days easily brought
sI50-in order to keep the paper going.
But in another year the tide turned. The
country was in teverish and almost
hystericnl condition, and one OF the chief
questions of the day was what TO do with
the enormous quantity of paper money
which the government had issued TO
meet the expenses Of the war. Pomeroy
esroused the cause of the fiat dollar, and
indeed was one OF the the first 10 break
out with that mania which few years
later came TO be known as "g reen back
ISM.
The country was ripe for the greenhack
doctrine and Pomeroy's editorials being
quoted widely he soon found subscrip-
tions coming in from the most distant
parts OF the country. The Democrat
promptly became the most bitter and sem
sational rag-money PAPER in the United
States. And its circulation grew apace.
From few hundreds 1t leaped into the
thousands, and by 1868, when the craze
reached its height, the circulation of the
Democrat was very near TO 100, 000 copies.
That Bgure was equivalent to what three
times that number would be now.
Pomeroy's Democrat,ss he mad come TO
style it, was with probably the single ex-
ception of Horace Greeley's New York
Weekly Tribune, the most widely read
paper in the country. La Crosse was at
the time about as far west I'm the eye OF
the east as some town like Rawlings on
the plains of Wyoming is now. Pomeroy
boasted that he had sent 1000 copies OF
his paper into New York and the New
Eng land States.
Tha daiIy rocaiptQ from en- he inf ions