The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1903-07-09
A MAN AND A NEWSPAPER.
How and Why E. P. Greer
"Went Back On" His Trade
With George Clark.
c. T. Scott in the lola Register.


4 story went the rounds OF the
newspapers a few days ago to the
effect that Mr.. George Clark, ex-sec-
rotary of state had bought from Mr..
Z. P. Greer the Winfield Kan. } Cour-
Ter. A day later there followed a
dispatch that the deal was off. And
thereby hangs very interesting and
significant tale OF a man and news
paper, which we trust all the people
at interest will pardon the Register
for telling.
Some weeks ago. through a friend
at Winfield, Mr.. Clark made Mr..
Greer an offer for the Courier. After
due consideration the offer was &C.
cepted and MIR. Clark went to Win.
field to close the deal. Arriving there
Mr.. Green met him in the office OF a
mutual friend and stated to him his
understanding Of the offer. Upon
being answered that his under
standing was correct, he replied:
"The paper is yours" and arrange
ments were then made for another
meeting at ten O'Clock the next day
to draw up the necessary papers.
The three men met at the time
agreed the next day, but they did
not draw up any papers. For the
first words Of Mr.. Greer were:
George, it's all off. l can't do it. "
And then he told why.
He had thought at first that he
Icould sell the Courier as easily as
any other property that he owned,
He had large interests elsewhere that
took him most OF his time and he
could give but little OF his personal
attention to his paper, and so he had
concluded to sell it. The offer Mr..
Clark made was all he thought it was
worth. But when the papers were
all ready to sign and he began to
realize that he was on the verge OF
actually turning the Courier over to
some one else, he didn't feel comfort
able. And so he talked it over with
his wife. They recalled the way in
which he had started as a "devil" in
the Office thirty years ago, and learn.
ed his trade, and the slow steps by
which he had been able to make and
save money enough to buy the pa
per; and they remembered the pride
of his father and mother-now asleep
on the hillside-when he became the
editor OF the Courier; and how out OF
OF its earnings they had built their
home; and-"and the short of it is, y
said Mr.. Greer, with tears filling his
eyes, II have found out there are
some things a man owns that he
cannot sell.
| All OF which may sound "to the
Greeks, foolishness." But a man
who has once wrapped his heart
strings around a newspaper will un.
derstand it perfectly easy. 1t is one
of the peculiarities of the newspaper
business that man who is in it for
the love of it comes to look upon the
) paper which he owns almost as il it
were a living personality, with per.
ceptions and sensibilities and emo.
tions OF its own.
Indeed, the public share in this
feeling to a certain degree, because
they commend, criticise and discuss
and cuss-a newspaper by its name,
often without any illusions to its
editor, as il it had conscience identi-
ty quite apart from that OF the man
who owns or controls it.
But to the editor himself, this feel
ing is intensified. And the reason is
not hard to comprehend. When a
man puts the very best that there is
OF his heart and mind into q news
paper for twenty years, when he has
given to it all the energies of his ma
ture, when he has coddled 1t along
through periods Of depression as a
father might nurse q child in it's Ill.
mess, when he has deiendedi it against
attack and has felt at the same time
III was defending him-what wonder
10 it that be should come to feel after
Iawhile that It h bone Of his bone and
flesh Of his flesh, and should find 1t
nearly a. hard to cell as would be
one OF this children?
| Il IL just about twenty years now
since Ed. Greer became editor Of the
Winfield Courier. And every true