The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-18

Harry o. Collins. editor OF the Missou-
liam. May his shadow never grow
less; IL IL does his substance will have
become as ethereal as many of the
Ideals Of his earlier days.
h Is to be a sketch of Mr.. Col
Inns. To his biographer will be left
the task of relating when and where he
was born. whether he was bright or
stupid. lazy or studious. tractable or
rebellious. healthy or weak. religious
or sceptical during the kindergarten
period Of his existence.
The fact Is. of these elemental mat
tiers the writer has no knowIedge-the
acquaintance between Mr.. Collins and
himself dates back to about ST. Pat
rick's day of 1892. in Denver. Col. At TIE
time many of the residents of that city
were for prudential reasons averse to
giving too much publicity to their ear
lier history, and some even declined to
answer the of asked question. What
was your name i'm the East?' 1t is not
TO be inferred that the subject of this
sketch was one of that class. yet II
can be said that he did not display a
o a Of arms on the panel Of his car
riaSe. or exhibit the family tree in the
picture gallery Of his residence.
Denver at that period was the home
Of as bright a coterie of newspaper men
as ever graced any city of like size in
the United States. Among them were
o. III. Rothaker. Eugene Field, T. w.
Patterson. John Atkins. c. o. Zeigen-
fuss. Will Stapelton. George ID. Easton.
Ed Cowan. Eugene Bertrand, w. l..
Dawson. &. F. Hayward and others.
whose names are not now called to
mind. There were five newspapers In
the city. the Denver News, The Tri-
bune. The Republican. The Evening
Times and the Evening World. Each
had an exceedingly capable stan. edi-
torial. news and local. n the rivalry
was healthful and jealous.
Under such conditions and with such
competitors a man had to have some
thing in him to hold his own. much less
achieve success-and Mr.. Collins did
both. He was on the staff of the News.
That paper was the mouthpiece - the
democracy of the state, n Denver
was a republican city by large odds. 1t
was the capital and the abiding place
of many. and the frequent resort of
all. of the leading politicians of Color
ado. Consequently all the year round
there was politics for breakfast. din
ner N supper. The position Of Col
Inns ON the News was unique. He a
a field peculiarly his own. He was a
free lance i'm political writing. h
pered by the responsibility Of the eli
torial we" N virtually unrestrained
by the editors. he slashed right n left
at political opponents. and his work
was all the more telling because he had
shining marks for his objective point.
Abuse was not his weapon. he rather
ran TO ridicule and satire. He was also
possessed of an Imagination. n when
he was short on facts he was long on
fancy.
Collins knew the politics and politi-
clans of the state, was on speaking
terms with the m~illionaires who were
willing to occupy exalted positions n
also with their henchmen. and was not
offended when asked to sip wine with
the one or punish beer with the other.
He played no favorites. An opera u
ratification meeting with distinguished
orators. or a ward meeting, a conclave
of the bosses. or n back-room gather