The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1903-07-09
A Man and a Newspaper.
lola lKansasl Register

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from Mr.. Z. p. Greer, the Win
field Courier. A day later there
followed denial and there by
hangs tale of man and news
paper, which " trust all the peo
pie at interest will pardon the
Register for telling.
Some weeks ago through q friend
at Winfield, Mr.. Clark made Mr..
Greer an offer for the Courier.
After due consideration the offer
was accepted and Mr.. Clark went
to Winfield to close the deal. Ar
irving there Mr.. Greer met him in
the Office of mutual friend and
stated to him mis- understandin ing
Of the offer. Upon being answer.
ed that his understanding was cor.
rect, he replied, "The paper is
yours" and arrangements were
then made for another M Getting at
ten o'clock the next day to draw
up the necessary papers.
The three men met at the tim Q
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. can't do
it, And then be told why. He
had thought at trst that be could
sell the Courier as easily as any
other property be owned. He bad
large interests elsewhere that took
most Of his time and he could
give but little personal attention
to his paper, and 50 he had con
cluded to sell it. The offer Mr.
Clark made was all be thought il
was worth. But when the papers
were all ready to sign and he be
gan to realize that he was on the
verge Of actually turning the Cour
Ter over to someone else, be didn't
feel comfortable. And so he talked
il over with bis wife. They re-
called the way in which be had
started az a "devil" in the Office
thirty years ago, and learned his
trade, and the slow steps by
which he had been able 70 make
and save enough money to buy
the paper; aud they remembered
the pride Of his father and mother
NOW asleep on the hillside -
when be became the editor of the
Courier; and how out Of his earn
ings they had built their home;
and land the short Of il Il" !"
said Mr.. Greer. with tears filing
his eyes, ~ have found out there
are some things that man owns
that be cannot sell"
All Of which may sound "to the
Greeks, foolishness. (" But man
who has once wrapped bis heart-
strings around = newspaper will
understand it perfectly easy. Is
is one Of the peculiarilies o. the
newspaper business that a man
vino Is in it for the love Of it
comes TO look upon the paper
which be owns almost as II it we're
a living personality, With percep-
sions and sensibilities and emo
lions Of its own. Indeed the public
share in this feeling to q certain
degree, becaaee they commend
and oriticise and discuss-and
cuss-a newspaper by it's npme,
often without any allusion at all
10 It's editor as II II hao con-
scious identity quite apart from
that Of the man who owns or con
trolls il. But 10 the editor him
self, this feeling is many fold in
tensifed. And the reason is not
hard to comprehend When a
man mas put the very best that
there is of his heart and mind ir-
10 newspaper for twenty years,
when he has given TO it all the eu-
ergies Of bis nature, when be has
coddled it along through periods
Of depression as father might
nurse a child in its illness, when
be has defended it against attack
and has felt that at the same time
il was defending him-what won
der is il that he should come to
'feel after awhile that it is bone ef