The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-28
singerly,s Newspaper Career.

Philadelphia Bulletin, Dec. a.
Twenty years ago last spring, when Sim
gerly and some friends took the Record off
the hands of the younger Swain, after his
failure to attempt to break down the
Ledger, it looked as if he had bought q
pig in a poke. At that time he was known
only as the manager of the horse railway
system which his father had built up out of
the Fourth and Eighth and Girard-avenue
Railway Companies, and the prevailing inn
preston was that he was a hard or linty
man to deal with, and yet, withal, an IAN
gel' for Cassidy, Tom Barger, Sam Jo-
sephs, George Mcgowan and the rest of
the Democratic clique that had fallen into
the sheriff's office as a snug harbor when
the first of the great Republican local re-
actions struck w. Elwood Rowan and
landed William II. Wright in the row." 1t
was generally allowed that Singerly was
fool for taking up the Record, which had
come down into the ditch after a short
season of skyrocket prosperity. Later on,
when he lowered its price to / cent, the
late George w. Childs, Frank Mclaughlin,
w. w. Harding and pretty nearly all the
rest of the publishers labored to convince
him that he was a downright idiot. His
capitalistic chums, like William H. Kemble
man to whom he plighted his faith--said of
him, half seriously, half jocuarly, that he
ought to have known better than to wait
until forty-tve years of age before learn
ing how to become a newspaper man. And
yet Singerly, in journalism, mastered or
surpassed every man who was then his
contemporary, including even Mr. Childs.
He saw the tables turned upon the
VINO had advised him to seek n retreat in
kirkbrideS for daring to publish q good
paper at cent, and who derisively halted
the Record in those days the stable
Boys own" or the Railway Gift Organ"
And now it is curious to note that in this
climax of his trouble his newspaper is the
one great source of profit which is ex-
pected, chiefly, to tide him over the crisis
in his af1airs. This is supposed TO be worth
not far from $4,000 10 100000 year. Mr..
Singerly this morning announces that in
1886 its profits were $4,000, q revenue ex-
ceeded only by the Ledger when years ago,
under Childs, II paid an average profit of
paper starveling which Singerly nourished
into life again at Third and Chestnut
streets has become ms mainstay. 1t has
been his sheet anchor against the storm
and clamor of creditors, and il is now his
great resource in preparing to regain his
lost ground.
Mr.. Singerly has regretted that he never
entered journalism earlier in his career
He has enjoyed not simply its profits, but
quite as much tho sense of power that came
with q paper read by more people than any
two papers in Philadelphia had ever before
been known to reach. The quality of the
man IS perhaps best known IN the loyalty of
all his men from the veteran Jack Bailey
down TO the latest tyro on the reporters
staff. All of the responsible members of
the concern shared with the trusted Bailey
the habit of accosting him as boss" and
all the juniors who have not been admitted
10 that degree OF familiarity also generally
speak of him in a half affectionate, half
admIring way as the boss" or, OCCASION
ally, as the ''old man." No millionaire has
ever been more democratic in his habits
A man who might enter his Office would be
just as likely as not to see Mayor Filter or
p. A. p. WideneI or Austin Corbin in one
room and Sam Josephs, George Mountjoy
and the squire IN the other. He had al
ways had something of that Grant-like
blindness I'm not seeing quickly when he
was imposed upon by men who have used
him as a convenience. He had always had
In large degree the Grant-l!ke fidelity to
friendship, no matter how humble or insig-
nificant might be the man to whom he felt
that he was under an obligation. III he
could have heard all the pleasant and CRATE
ful things that were said OF him yesterday