The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-12-27

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way that induces sympathy and not
ridicule.
There is another writer who might
portray both the purely foreign and
the "old American" life of New YORK
most interestingly and effectively II
he only would. This is James L.
Ford author of THE Literary shop,
whose clever satire, tempered with
occasional flashes of genuine humor,
! has made the book a faVorite with a.
somewhat limited circle of readers:
| Mr.. Ford has spent mOst-perhaps all
of his life in studying New YORK
folk of all grades, and there Is, per-
haps, no other man living who knows
the town as we'll as he. Some of MS
half sketches half stories, have AZ
forded glimpses Of this intimate
knowledge, but nearly everything ne
| does is married in some degree py
too great a tendency to the satirtcai:
AS the years pass the probability
! grows less that he ever viii DO the
work for which he is so we'll fitted ana
this his friends regret exceedingly.
| Even among the most conservative
| classes here conditions are changing
constantly and rapidly, and some OF
| the phases which Ford knows so well
are swiftly passing away.
Passing developments in the ship
building combine investigation have
made James Smith, Jr., the receiver
thereof. a parsonage of considerable
| CONSEQUENCE in New York despite the
fact that his home is across the river
in New Jersey, at Newark. In New
! Jersey he has been person or proml-
nence for many years. He has wealth.
popularity, ability and the prestige of
several years of great political sue
cess. He is now only 81, and he was
a United States senator ten years ago.
| Had his party been able to retain ITS
| hold on his state, he might have been
| in the Senate still, but, unfortunately
for him, the Republicans got in in the
| middle nineties and have held the fort
| ever since.
Mr.. Smith was the leader or boss"
| of his part Of the state some time be-
fore he succeeded in going to the Sen
| ate In the years of his dominance ms
| home was an interesting place to visit.
| Neither r. c. Platt nor Richard Croker
| were ever more supreme in New York
| than was James Smith, Jr., in Newark
| and the adjoining regions. He looks
like a Catholic priest with his smooth
| shaven face. A part of his house, at
| that time, was fitted up as a suite
| where he could receive his constituents
| without disturbing his family or any
! SOCIAL
/ in hand. There was separate en-
trance, one large reception room, lit
| tie ante-room and the small apartment
which served as the sanctum of Him
self
Visitors who were of only ordinary
| importance were shown into the large
| reception room by the Senator's man,
| while those who, in his judgment,
| ought to take precedence were shown
| h. NUhpTn thew
could be received out Of turn without
| the general run of callers seeing them
! at all Save on exceptional occasions,
| newspaper men, whether of the Sena-
| tors political faith or opposed to him,
| were shown into the little room and
| received at once; the Senator had
| great respect for the power of the
| press and great skill in handling It's
| representatives.
Mr.. Smith is a leather manufacturer
| has become very comfortably rich in
the business, and stands chance OF
forging away up to the front when
ever his party shall come into power
again.
The coming contest over the mill
| lions of the late Henry Willard, to be
made by his daughter, Mrs. Bell
against her brother, Oswald Willard,
is sure to attract much attention.
AS chief legatee of his father. Os-
valid Willard is the owner and editor
of the Evening Post, founded by
William Cullen Bryant and edited, aft
er that poet and hlgh-class Jour
nalist laid down the reins, by the
| late Lawrence Godkin. Young Viii
lard is doing his best to justify as the
] editorial successor of Bryant and God
| kin. and most good judges of the sort
of journalism he goes in for consider
| him success. Mr.. GodlSin would hold
UP his hands in holy horror if any
one were to term his Evening Post
yellow sheet, but his journalistic
| principles are very similar to those
upon which the two big sheets often
est termed yellow were founded-to
find out all the evil that is going on
and expose it. There is one great diff
! ference however-the Evening Post
never attacks a man on the ground Of
his personal life and habits, holding
that the public has the right to scruti-
nze mans public life only.
The other newspapers in question
have often made personal attacks
their strongest ammunition, but Viii
| lard has resolutely set his face against
| that sort Of Journalism. He hates T..
! C. Platt as a matter of course, but has
never taken up his private life, though
there have been several opportunities
for him to do so with telling effect.
Here's the sad, sad story of a Park
Row policeman who has recently lost
a certain and very pleasing source of
graft" Until about a month ago it
yielded him 40 or so cents a day. never
less than enough to buy his midday
| lunch
Here was his scheme: On Park
Row, as everywhere else, the news
boys play craps. 1t was this particu-
lar pollcemans duty to break up the
game" whenever he saw 1t in prog
ress. His common procedure was to
sneak up to the lads unawares. His
appearance would always bring out
the frightened cry. Cheese it! The
Cop!" and a scattering of the kids.
The pennies they were risking would
be left on the sidewalk and the police
man would calmly gather them in.
Some man. friendly to the newsboys,
tipped them off" to place their PEN
MES in the hands of a playing
stakeholder. instead OF putting them
down on the sidewalk, and thereby
earned the never dying resentment of
the cop, who now has to pay for his
lunches out of his own pocket
Duane.