New-York tribune., 1899-03-27
STORIES OF JOE" MEDlLL'
THE LATE EDITOR OF THE CHICAGO
TRIBUNE" ONE OF THE FOUNDERS
OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
From The Chicago Tlmes-Herald.

Joseph Mednl was too much In earn,es. ~ en-
that he did 10 be a humorst. bnt ne hssss,, ~
toyed good story and was the supJect hii"'0
Mr. Medil was the "old man OF The Cnsessn g,yen
Tribune" This afectionate appeliation was - 81 the
him forty years ago and retained py III" ~
How he first became compositor. typeset'er'
told by Mr. Medlll himself in ms ns,,s ~ coun-
when law student lived near sa .''' there
ty seat and was fond Of going over there III h1, by
were two papers published In the ,o"a,,ner owl I T.
Elliott nephew Of the late Commander E,ho,t, va
the editor o. one. and particular irlenn y, ~ Rim
was fond CT going into his ONCE ana "a'oi''"e
Why don, you take me on? said to him n, one ,os
heip,. - 49, ,S - ,n' ~ ,'.S.,1 .,.u .,v. Won tn.
same chance as any one else You can pay 10, gt
board and clothes for the privilege OF being
ana Elliott laughed not ihnkng th1r ,s n earnest
he go; me stick and showed me how 10 no noo "a, ~;
across the top and how the small letters "e'e
pacsa sto,. ,,, z,,,,... ..,, .o ..,o. 20 and ,ck
UP your letters caTefuly and be sure TO have, the
hicks outside and the letters right and left. IaSe
ambitious. and thought I had learned the case az
The hrst casual glance and Just 70 SHOW ~ np% pry
much worried whether picked the right le''er o'
me how 70 dump r. Then they took a proof and
showed # 10 me There were probably i25 mstskss
in that proof and n was hung up IN the once as
standing joke on me for a long time"
HE BEGAN AT THE CASE.
wasn and by aad " By could SET
up so ems I'm an hour which was not very bad
good thng out of me- Elliott had me grind of
his papers and Ink tho rollers and set type, and.
word Then the other ofaae got mad and sent for
me; declaring that it vas only far Ihat eerns anS
and help taem out So / weat over mere aha ,hl.
slaved when not studying; think some on ne ne
work dld ~ tnose t~o olces "VGlu 1S Su uas ex
pected 70 grind out 80 or 80 sheets for eaeh OF
,h1se m people ana tel You me f%en' ,Se would send
for and remark Say. Medill. think up some
Can't think Of IT, I'd say. Too busy. and
don't want 70 work. anyhow m
oysters tonight; and wen nave spread an ana
the result would be that would go at the case case
and as I thought Of what wanted 10 say would
when Harrison was first nominated for President
the convention was held In Chicago. Gresham was
a strong candidate FOR the nomination. There was
general understanding after Mr. Medill had Sc
cured Chicago "a the place IN which the conVen,,
as neutral ground and that the Chicago dailies
should not make editorial comment on the dongs
OF the convention and The various candidates until
Mr. Medlll had an editorial favoring Harrison and
smashing the other candidates. Finally Congress
man Horr OF Michigan. strong Gresham man;
accompanied by a delegation Of pro;estants, called
at Mr. Medills once 70 urge him to desist. After
they had entered and Mr. Horr had begun 70 Pro-
test Mr.. Medill laid down his ear trumpet MT.
Horr talked earnestly for thirty minutes, using
every argument possible 10 change the policy or
Mr. Medin IN this matter ,,.,,,
When ne had nnished Mr.. MedtN picked UP his
Ibid YOU say something Mr Horr?"
The delegation fed AZ this reception. and Mr. 4
Medill continued 10 do with The Tribune as hs
pleased privilege which he maintained 10 the
How Mr. Mcdill came 70 found the Republican.
party when he was bur thirty-two years OF age is
story but little E. known 70 The outside world;
Senator Douglass kansas-Nobra bill had set
wrote letters to the leaders Of the dseruntied and
disoreanzed Wing party asking them II they
party on the ruins OF the old Wing Organization
First OF all he wrote Horace Greeley. with whom
He had been correspondent OF The New-York
Tribune. had visited Mr. Greeley In New-York dt
forty years ago that the Young westerner had Seen
introduced by the chief TO Mr.. Dana) and when
Western Reserve II was M Medill who had en-
terained him
FOUNDING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. r
Mr.. Greeley's reply to Mr. Medin would be q
precious document bur for the unhappy circum-
1871. which consumed The Chicago Tribune" to-
gether with about thousand letters from premi
place Mr. Medn had only such a version his
tenacious memory could supply but that is worthy
OF reproduction. Mr. Greeley wrote:
NV }rend a4eTd 1a wh cog y9 PROPOSED o
have the best of luck The time has come 70 bury
our beloved party. j. is dead. We have many fool
and Will recover but teli them it is dead, stiiI
! dare not YET IN New-York announce the demise
but do YOU 90 ahead on the, Western, Re-,
Repubican ! was, opposed 70 J WATSON Webb
ear If YOU can get the name Republican started
agree 10 the name and the new christening"
Some OF the other replies We're interesting. y.s
Watson Webb cung 70 the name Of Wing. 'Ttl
was" he said. "a good enough standard. II was,
the standard under which the best battles for
pie" And especially he saw no reason for assurn-
ing the name under which imperial Rome fell.
opinion the tine had not Yet come FOR the re:
survived defeat before and would survive again.
He scoided me- Nj. MefN put u, Tor running
Sw9y and ad me % oa wRg sgqrf 9i
William II Seward answered briefly: Go ahead
aHe aT5u y @ replies G "ag da Is FROM E1D Mr. Meds other
correspondents. some OF them were editors in
Nearly all were DESTROYS of The proposed change.
but none OF them had the courage to take part in
gether' Thus. the Editor OF tine Columbus Jour
Would XIII his paper outright the sentiment OF the
such western Reserve rsdicasm" John De-
peere Editor Of The Indianapolis Journal" after
ward Public Printer under Lincoln and an intimate
I'm his state were 50 blue he did not dare mentioni
such a scheme but he would talk with Mr.. Medill
about 10 later on.
THE FIRST CONVENTION. 3
Meanwhile in his Cleveland paper Mr. Mednr
kept hammerug for new party organization. He
brought matters so rapidly "a a focus that ono
night in March. 1884. he was able TO call to meet
ing in Cleveland twenty Whis. Free Soil and Demo-
era nc leaders whom he could safely propose tho
instant organization OF party. Salmon =.
Chase was one Of these twenty men. Mr.. Medlll. I,
as soon as the meeting was opened proposed that
he new party be formed and that r. be given the
name Of the Republican party, To this name Mr..
Chase was opposed He asked that the name be
Free Democracy. Finally. AZ midnight. vote was
taken on the party name. and two-thrds present.
voted for the title Il National Republican party,
Then the platform was drafted. II was:
NO more slave states. No more slave territory,
Resistance 10 pro-savcry aggression. Slavery ~,
section Liberty is National"
The platform was written IN part by Mr.. Medill,
and in part by Rufus Spaldng. The last two
clauses were by John c. Vaughn: This work was
ali done in the editorial room % Ny Medill IN The'
Cleveland Leader office.
Mr. NedlTs own comment on this work was.
hna
Salmon = Chase was never quite reconciled toi
tbe change IN name He grurbied for years and