Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1897-10-23

CHARLES A. DANA.
bers of his family had kept themselves
in constant readiness to go to his bed
side at any moment. The cause of Mr..
Dana's death was cirrhosis of the liver.
On June 9 he was at his office, appar-
emily strong and healthy. The next
day he was taken i'll, and he never
afterward visited New York. He was
IS years of age.
His Life.
Charles Anderson Dana journalist. born
at Hinsda1e, n. H. August 8, 1919 His Amerf-
ancestry is traced to Richard Dana, from
whom Chief Justice Dana and the two Richard
Henry Danas were descended and who is men
toned early 1910 When quite boy
Charles was sent to Buffalo, n. Y. where he
was clerk in a store until he IS years of
age. by which time he had fitted himself for
college He entered Harvard in 1889. but a
serious trouble with his sight temporarily dis
abled him and prevented his finishing the uni
verSity course.
In 1877 he settled in New York and
member of the editorial staff OF the New York
Tribune from that time down to 1851, during
considerable portion of which he was its man
aging editor and the man most trusted by its
eminent founder, Horace Greeley.
Assistant Secretary War.
On January 20, 1864. he was nominated as as
sistant secretary of war for one year. He was
renominated January D. 1865, rendering the
ment under the above commissions and as as
sistant secretary by visiting the army head
quarters of Rosecrans. Sheridan, Sherman and
Grant, advising confidentially with the COM
handing officers, and corresponding freely
with President Lincoln and Secretary Stanton
He resigned a assistant secretary July l. 1865.
In 1855 he had begun to plan, compile and edit,
with George Ripley, the New American
Cyclopedia- The original edition was COM
pleted in 1868, and became the American
Cyclopedia' between 1873 and 1876.
Friend IF lincoln and Stanton
For the value of Mr. Danas services to the
union during the war of secession it is
but just to award to him the supreme COM
mendation which is his due. With intense
zeal, equal to that of the great war secretary
whose assistant he became, and vet, with clear
vision and cool Judgment, he gave himself un-
reservedly to the work for which he had been
selected He went to the front wherever vital
battles were to be fought made himself
welcome to every union commander; mas
tered every SitIIation: gave helpful ad-
vice on the spot; and wrote letters to
Stanton and Lincoln full of facts which they
would not otherwise have known and of
suggestions which were of the highest impor-
lance. If he had done nothing but his service
in preventing the abandonment of Chattanooga
by Rosecrans after the battle of Chickamauga
he would deserve the gratitude of the nation
His letters undoubtedly caused the super
sedure of RoSecrans by Thomas and the trans
fer of the command of the operations the
Tennessee to Grant, the conqueror 0f Vicl<S-
burg in season to prevent RoSecranS from re-
treating and to make possible the deceive vic
tories around CHATTANOOGA
The Founding of the sun.
At the close of the he invited ID be-
come the editor of new paper in Chicago. the
Republican, invitation which he accepted.
He stayed there only n short time, however. as
the paper in question failed, owing to causes
quite outside of his connection with it He re-
turned to New York and organized a company
which purchased the Sun, at that time an old
and moribund property. Its subsequent sue
cess has been continuous and remarkable Mr..
Dana issued the first number of the Sun under
his editorial supervision January %, 1868, a
democratic newspaper. and from that time 1t
was an important factor in political journal
ism.
A Free Lance Politically.
The Sun supported Mr. Tilden for the presi-
dency and bitter over the manner in which
after styling Rutherford B. Hayes in its col
ums the Fraud President" In 1880. when
Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock was the candidate
of the democratic party for.president Mr.. Dana
important contribution to the literature of thai
time being the statement in the columns OF
the Sun that the democratic candidate
for president "a good man and
weighs 250 pounds In the cam paign of 1SS!
the Sun was pronounced in its opposition to
Grover Cleveland, the democratic candidate
In 1888 the Sun was again hostile to Mr.. Cleve-
land's candidacy, but in 1892 the Sun gave him
an enthusiastic support. When the demo
cratic national convention in 1895 nominated
Mr.. Bryan on a free silver platform Mr.. Dana
and his paper virtually deserted the democratic
party.
There one thing that was matter OF
pride with Dana-never to be coerced or driven
This quality was largely responfble for the wal
between the two great newSgath herring organiza
tionS. the United press and the Associated
press The Sun kept bSying the sock of tbs
United press until it practically owned the
whole concern, but at last IL was decided 20 lei
the United press go and last spring that organ
ization went into bankruptcy.