The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-19
CONSTANCY; CONCENTRATION.
SUCCESS MOTTO OF CHARLES EN-
DRY SMITH. POSTMASTER
GENERAL.

Politician and stump Speaker OF
Fourteen Editor OF a Daily News
r,,.er ~ Tventy-Three-Ot other
Events i'm Early Life-speal<s of the
Trend Of Events in American
st,teSmanship-NOC Champagne he
for, SUeaI.ing-FaVOrite Novels.
American Biography stimulating.
po,xer of Journalism in Public
Iife-A GreeIex StOry-EmbarkinS
in Philadelphia journalism.
Washington Feb. 17.-Posumaster Gen
.ral Charles Emory Smith, now reapins
the richest rewards Of journalism and
statesmansnip, has fulfilled the amoi'ioh
Of his boyhood The boy editor and ora
tor has by constancy and concentration
achieved brilliant success along the very
lines he laid down as a lad. Eacn step
in career fun of interest has carried
him higher. Mr.. Smith began life as ne
told Horace Greeley. "a country editor
in reality he began as a boy editor.
THE first seven years Of my me-
said he. were spent on farm near Mans
field. Conn. That the farm exercised any
particular influence on me I am unaware
unless it was 10 breed distinct resolve
NOT to be a farmer. From the time began
TO read and think Of the future wanted
TO be a journalist or a lawyer. to achieVe
the right to have my name menuoned
among public characters. My parents re-
moved to Albany, N. Y, in 1919 and soon
afterwards the first indications of my de-
cided bent came
A Newspaper with One Copy to the
Edition.
81 had not been at the Albany Academy
long before 1 started my first newspaper
the Academy Record, one copy 20 the
edition. all written out by hand. but made
nm as far as possible like the printed news
napers of the day BY this time / had
decided that journalism was my goal; the
law was no longer in question. When
tried a. find out what l should do to Mt
myself specially for the career mao Sc
lected. l CROPPED in the dark. Journalism
was not a profession; nor had the lhu-
mate relations of to-day been at that time
esta blished between journalism and states
menship. / felt sure, however, that Hor-
ace Greeley was a model for any boy
knew he must be a scholar as wei as
sneaker. a statesman as well as a writer.
There was certainly no time to lose IL 1
set myself such an imposing task.
"7,be nolitics Of Albany, the capital city
If the Empire State, is always interest
ing I learned all l could about Il whiie
I was at the academy. The presidential
campaign of 1852. when the famous old
ubie partv Of Webster and Clay went 10
nieces found me with rather more than
The bov's ordinary interest in national al
fairs I began reading the history of my
own country. which to this day ma
the most fascinating, as well as fruitful,
of studies.
FerVid Politician at Ia.
.vrbe excitement of the Fremont cam
raioc IN ,56 appealed to me as strongly as
20 roost Of the lectors A boy of IA, with
NV etudies to look after, l attended all the
meetings, listened eagerly to the speaking,
took part In the parades. Inc Hepup-
lican organization formed TO support Ere
mont was full of the vitality of youth, fer
yjd with the solemnity of conviction. The
feeling of national unrest, the PRESENT.
ment of national disaster, infiamed the i'm
aeination even to the schoolboy. This
PARTY was the political organization with
which l desired above all things to be
connected. Its orators became my in
structors. It's principles as announced on
the stump were so many new text books.
Politics was a part of my education.
BEGINNING Newspaper Work.
$50 il came about that when / had fin
ished my academy course l was able 10 Of
fer 20 the Albany Transcript edited by
one of my former teachers, editorials
which the editor liked well enough to war
rant his engaging me TO go on writing
them. The conditions of journalism were
so different then and now that 1t is hardly
necessary for me to say my engagement
on the Transcript did not establish pre-
cedent. Few outsiders get into the sane
tum nowadays. The newspaper business
has broadened out on the lines of other
successful business organizations and the
beginner must start at the bottom as a
rule.
IT had year of this work. which was
also a year of the study and practice of
politics and then l went to Union College
at Schenectady. The war fever was al
ready in the air. l went into the presi-
dental campaign of 1860, and stumped the
counties adjacent to the college, and ae-
quired a marked taste for political speak
ing. taste unmarried by the stage fright
recent years l have experienced time and
time again a feeling of apprehension or
hesitation, when rising to speak on some
theme of grave import. That this feeling
was not experienced in 1860 it seems to me
must have been due TO the deep prsonal in
trest 1 took In the canvass. In all the
neighboring parades and PROFESSIONS of
that eventful time when the Wide
Awakes began to cut a figure in the pub
lie eye, the college campaign club. of which
! was captain, took an active part.
While / was active as aide TO Gen.
Rathbone in raising and organizing volun-
teer regiments, the next three or four
years Of my life were also devoted to po-
litical study, organization and activity
BY 1864 I had become familiar with open
air campaign speaking. My leisure time
l employed in the study of general his
tory, American history and economics,
with a continuation of activity in writ
ing, which resulted in 1865, when | was
g. IN my becoming editor of the Albany
Express, i'm which / soon acquired an in
teresL The Transcript on which l
had begun my journalistic career. had
been purchased by the owners OF and
merged into the Express.
Public Man Cannot BE COnviviaI.
THE years Immediately followind tbe