The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-01-29
REPORTERS AND EDITORS.
Senator Depew Speaks of His Great
 EXperience With Each.

|
 ator Depew spoke extemperaneouely
 but at the special request of the Sun
 day News he has written out his re
 marks. Sena tor Depew said:
 My experience with tn,
 American reporters is more frequen
 and varied than that of any other mar
 in the country. He Is at my, house a
 breakfast to secure copy for the af
 ternoon paper; he comes in the after
 noon and the evening to my house ol
 office for views or news on the financia
 or railway situation, expressions or current events and living or dead peo-
 pie, who may for the moment fill the public eye, or to secure a dictated ar- ticle, ostensibly for one paper, but, fail ing that, to be sold for space in the open market. The efforts of the male
 reporter are varied by the almost daily 1 appearance of that modern light of
 journaiem, the lady reporter. As a rule
 she Is young, pretty, fresh and inex-
 perienced The autocTat of the editorial
 room has blue-penciled her to secure
 views on Is marriage a failure?' and
 Whether 1t Is better to enter Into do- mestic happiness young and What l WOulu' you up WlliI YDuu IL you lldu
 never had dollar beforeT Whether
 it pays to be honest?' and the general trend Of the notices in the copy book. l T never have received anything but consideration, kindness. and fair treat-
 ment from the reportorial fraternity, and never have been knowingly mitsre- ported or misrepresented. I have gone
 so far as to tell the whole story when | it would have been injurious, if not
 ruinous to me to have it all printed at 1 that time trusting to the honor of the reporter to print only SO much of it as
 was, wise to reveal, because that much could not be understood by him and
 intelligently written up unless he knew the whole. The fly in the amber of this relation to journalism is that al- ways yielding. to the request or pres- sure of the reporter for an interview, the editor, who seems to be eternally
 antagonistic relations with the report
 orial corps, generally remarks in his
 column that. as usual, Chauncey has sought out an opportunity to ventilate his vews for the public.
 T count it one of the valuable rem, iniscences of a varied and busy life, which has brought me in contact with most of the notable people in this coun- try and in Europe in the last quarter of century, to have known intimately three of the great leaders of American ournalism-Thurlow Weed, Henry J. Raymond, and Horace Greeley
 Weed was a great editor and con- summate party leader. He controlled the policy and the organization of his party for thirty years in the State of New York. There was not a trick or device not a method or plan by which control could be had Of the party ma chinery or success had for the party at the pools which was not always at the command of this extraordinary man. He had a double nature. On the one side, a practical politician who believed all things fair for success. and on the other side, man with very high ideal of statesmanship, and an uncommon. anxiety to have New York represented by that ideal in the Government at Washington. He selected a philosopher, q man of ideas, statesman with no faculty for party management, or for partisan success, and gave all the bene- fit of his skill, his labors and his genius to keep that stateeman-Wil1iam H. Seward-in public life, aiming to crown his effort by having his ideal and his | idol become President of the United | States, and retiring. disappointed and | grieved when Lincoln carried off the | prize
 Henry J. Raymond conspiouously refuted the principle found in mental that two faculties of the r mind cannot work at the same time. I served one term in the Legislature in he State of New York with him, he veteran and I a boy I have seen him tit at the reportorial desk In the House if Assembly writing editorials for The New York Times, of which he was the ,ditor--editorials which became inspira- ion and text for newspapers and ora- ors throughout the country--while he vas participating In an important de- ,ate and following it so closely that as occurred he would take his ,lace upon the floor to reply to an at- ack or to lead an assault. Those ed- orials, as I would look them over, not nly preserved the continuity of his idea ut were without interlineation or rasure.
 Horace Greeley was a man of genius,
 great editor, but a failure in the prac- ical affairs of life. He cared little for material gain, and was ready at any ime to sacrifice his fortune or his in- ome for an idea. His editorials were he inspiration of millions of readers, yho regarded him as an inspired proph- , t. He was uncertain because of his , nature, but always ready to , onfess a fault or acknowledge an er- , pr. Illustrating his absorption and im- s atience of interruption, I was waiting ! his desk one day while he was writ f lg an editorial A subscription fiend , anne in, constantly trying to interrupt, f reeley kicking at him with hie foot T nile his pen went On. He finally turn s l sharply and said, in his high, shrill ] z oice. screaming 1t out: Tell me what Y ou want; tell me quick, and in one Y sntence.' The man said: I want a f MT. Greeley, for cause i hich will prevent thousand of our a ,llow- beings from going to he'll MT. f reeley shouted: I will not give you a f mt; there don't half enough go there q 1w,' and resumed the writing of his + tack upon the political enemies who, T thought, ought to remain permanent |
 there. re."-Charleston (S. O News. f