River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-10-21

first employed by Elizur Wright. who was
then publishing paper called the Chrome
tyne I'm Boston. He earned five dollars a
week From this point his rise was rapid.
In 1917 he went to New York, having been
engaged as city editor on Horace Greeley's
rising paper the Tribune, at ten dollars a
week. The follc wing year he was sent as
Epecial correspondent to Europe. His work
there soon gained him renown as a CORE
spondent, and on his return to New York
he became Greeley's principal assistant
/ His salary gradually was increased from
| 81. 900 to s., 500 year. this being the highest
salary paid at that time by any news
| paper.
Mr. Dana's leisure hours were spent in lit
| erary work. He published a volume OF
poems, and in 1855 he began. in association
/ with George Riley, to edit the New
/ American Cyclopedia."
/ From the first Of his connection as man
aging editor of the Tribune and until he
I resigned his post thereon in April, 1867
I Dana fought with Greeley. through the
Tribune. against the spread of slavery in
states and territories where II had not al
ready gained & foothold. In 1861 Mr. Dana
1 vent to Albany to advocate the election Of
Mr.. Greeley to the United States senate
and he almost succeeded in his endeavor
In the following year they differed on the
proper conduct of military operations, and
Dana resigned from the management OF the
paper. after a service of Is years.
June i6, 1862, he was appointed to the
war department commission to investigate
claims at Cairo. Ill: on March Il, 1868. as
special commissioner of the department
to report on the condition of the pay serV-
ice in the western army. June /, 1863, in or
der that he might be subject to military ex-
change If captured when visiting the front
of the army he was appointed major and
assistant adjutant general, and on De
cember 81, 1868. was nominated to the sen
ate for that office. but he never formally
accepted II, and the nomination. at his re-
quest, after he had returned from Vicks-
burg, was withdrawn on February "a, 1864
January 20, 1854 he was nominated for as
sistant secretary of war for one year, from
January ~, 1864. confirmed January 20
and took the Office on January q; renom-
mated January %, 1865, and confirmed on
the same day. He renderd the principal
part of his service for the war department
under the above commissions and as assist
ant secretary by visiting the army head
quarters at Rosecrans, Sheridan, Sherman
and Grant, advising confidently with the
commanding officer End corresponding
freely with President Lincoln and Secre-
tary Stanton. resigning as assistant sec
rotary July l, 1865.
When the war was over, in 1867, he went
to Chicago. and for a year acted as editor
Of the Republican. Then he returned to the
metropolis ami organized the company
which now publishes the New York Sun
The Sun was already an old-estabiished
journal. having first appeared in 1888
Dana's conduct of this journal was so fear
less that I'm 1873 his criticism of the Grant
administration led to an attempt on the
part of the heads Of the government to
hale him to Washington for trial in a po-
lice court on a charge of libel Justice
Blatchford, then of the United states dis
trict court I'm New York, declared the at
tempt an invasion of constitutional rights
and refused TO grant the necessary warrant
OF removal. For nearly 30 years Mr.. Dana
made the Sun an independent democratic
Journal In its issue of October IA. 1897.
in the heart of the Greater New York
municipal campaign, Mr.. Dana repudiated
democracy of every stripe and declared for
the principles and policy of the republican
party. This was on the ground that the
democracy OF William ]. Bryan represented
principles. tendencies and purposes which
the Sun abhorred. and that the gold democ-
racy was impractical and without definite
purpose or significance