The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-01-03
The Plans Of Mice and Men

The late Joseph B. Mccullough OF tn
ST. Louis Globe Democrat was the invento
Of the newspaper interview. The inter
view happened in this way:
After the wa. while Mccullough wa
employed Oh the Cincinnati Commercial h
had been sent on tor through the Sout
| to write IN the condition Of the states 1
which The war hid actually been fought
and it was while On this trip that he wrot
the first considerable interview ever pub
lished-a three-column talk with Alexande
H. Stephens. vice-president Of the falle.
Confederacy. who was then at his home Il
Georgia. The prominence of Mr.. Stephen.
and the striking ideas ELECTED from him b.
the interviewer. created a sensation, and a
once opened new field In modern journal
ism.
In that interview Mr. Mccullough brough
out the fact that Mr.. Stephens consideret
the second inaugural Of Jefferson and Lin
coins second inaugural the greatest OF on
state papers. This created considerably
| comment throughout the South and SOM
Of the Southern papers severely criticised
| Mr.. Stephens for his utteraEces. The PEG
pie of the Sunny Southland had not We
| learned to view Mr.. Lincoln in the broaC
light in which they see him today. The,
looked upon him as illiterate, narrow ant
partisan.
In the same interview Mr.. Stephens wa
| asked why 1t was that he had not liberated
his own slaves. His answer was that hs
| would have set them free long before bu
for the fact that he did not know how they
could be taken care Of He said the farm
| would not produce enough money to sup
port them, and that as they did not leave
1 ut he af bo no still haf
some OF them on his hands at the time OF
| the interview.
Through a talk with President johnson
which Mr.. Mccullough reported. he came
| to be on terms Of intimacy with Lincoln's
| successor in the presidential chair, and II
was the journalists Talk with Andy John
son and Ben Wade that made for him the
| reputation that brought him to the fore
most rank among the men OF his chosen
profession. He made good use Of his short
hand accomplishment. and not only record
ed the words of the men he was sent to IN
terview but also made a note of their man.
ner Of speaking, and their personal pecu-
liarities. He was exact in everything, and
the authenticity of his interviews, as well
as what they contained of interest to the
public. aided him in reaching the future
goal of greatness.
While engaged as q Washington cores
pendent he became the secretary OF John
Sherman's committee in the Senate, and
this position gave him the opportunity OF
knowing the details of the story of how
Vice-President Johnson got drunk on his
Inauguration day. Great preparations were
being made for the Inauguration and ad-
mission was to be by ticket only. AS sec
rotary of the committee the correspondent
was enabled to remain in the building over
night, which was bound to insure his pres
ence on the inside when the ceremonies be-
gan the following morning.
1t was raining hard Inauguration day, and
he was sitting in Senate committee room
in the Capitol with Colonel John W. For
ney when they saw two men try the door
of the Senate 1t was locked and they were
unable to bulge 1t. One of them turned
around and Colonel Forney recognized the
yice-presidcnt. He went to the window and
tapped on it. The two men came over and
were allowed to enter that way. With
Johnson was physician, and as they were
both cold and shivering the doctor asked
Forney If he had any whisky. The latter
went over to cupboard and brought out
a black bottle and set it and glass on the
mantel.
The vce-president walked over to the
mantei and poured out big drink, about
half a tumbler full, and swallowed it at a
gulr. Then he sat Gown beside the fire for
a little while. but presently went over and
poured out another drink as big as the
first. After sitting in front of the fire for
time Mr.. Johnson got up to go into the
Senate to attend the ceremonies. and it was
plain to be seen that he was under the in
fuence of liquor. He was very laxative,
and when it came to taking the oath of Of
flee he made several maudlin remarks that
plainly told the condition he was In.
Later-after the assassination of Lincoln,
when johnson became President-in an in
terview with him Little Mack as the
correspondent signed himself, reminded Mr..
Johnson that something he had said con-
corning General Grant would get him into
trouble If published. Henry Wilson of Mas
sachusetts, afterwards vice-president, had
suggested the name of Grant for the presi-
dency. There was a strong temperance
element in Massachusetts,, and to a GER
tain extent Grant was the choice Of this
class.
Johnson compared Grants drink habit
with his own, to the disparagement Of the
General. He said that Grant could drink
all the whisky he wanted to and still be
popular with the temperance people, but
that il he took glass he would be report
ed as being in a state of beastly intoxica-
ton. The interview was published and a |
storm of Indignation followed.
Three years after the war, in 1886. Mr.. |
resigned from the Commercial |
TO become editor OF the Enquirer. where he |
two years, and then went TO Chi |
cago to take charge OF the Republican, |
which he ably conducted until the great |
ire, which wiped his paper out Of existence |
and left him without employment or money. |
In his extremity the owners Of the Missouri |
Democrat extended him an offer to come !
,ere and take the editorial management OF /
heir paper.
The Democrat was then owned by Mckee
Fishback & Co., and after the dissolution |
If partnership and the establishment of the
3lobe by Mckee and D. NJ. Houser as a
ival publication Mccullough experienced
,hange OF heart and went over to the latter
ust at time when his move made the con-
'oldation OF the two papers possibility. 4
he became editorial manager of the Globe
Democrat, In which position he continued
o the beginning of his last Illness. He
made interviewing the special feature OF
he paper and frequently sent reporters to
,thers cities to interview delegates and
thers in attendance at great conventions
Ilong some particular line
4