The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-26
One Who Figured in the Newspapers Making Of the
Period Describes the Situation Twenty-Five
Years Ago and Earlier.
BIZ CHARLES ". . ,yOHNsON.

CHARLES W. YOHNS
and he squared his politics by the
same rule.
The Greene-Wheelock Northern Pa
cific Controversy.
It was not long before Mr.. Greene
prectpitated a controversy with Mr..
Wheelock, the editor of the st. Paul
Press. Colonel King and a coterie Of
his Minneapolis and St. Paul friends
had taken a contract from the North
ern racine railway to build a section
OF Its line across the state of Mime
sofa to Bismarck. 1t was a very lucra-
tive contract.
The men concerned with King in
this contract were D. Morrison, w.
w: Eastman, J. S. Pillsburys.W William
l.. Merriam, A. H. Wilder, Russell
Blakeley. Later D. c. Shepard, r. B.
Langdon, Charley Nichols, P. H. Kel-
ley and George A. Bracket got into
the deal.
Greene alleged that the Press had
forced 100000 in stock from that COM
pany as the price Of it's cooperation
in the construction deal. There was
involved in the deal also an election
Of United States senator and some
other trif1ing details. Mr.. Wheelock
replied to Mr.. Greene's allegations and
criticisms In characteristic fashion,
and wordy and bitter contest ensued.
Mr.. Greene used italics; Mr.. Wheelock
used satire. Strong efforts were made
to induce Mr.. Greene to modify his
Language and drop the controversy;
but he did not. It was his paper; he
was responsible; he claimed to have
the facts; claimed to be exposing
wrongdoing and acting in the interest
Of the public. Nothing was proven.
The construction company went on,
"''ilt it's section of railroad, made it's
money and divided it's profits. Mr..
Greene established a reputation for
independence and for sincerity. Then
he sold the paper and went into the
linseed oil business with the money.
During his ownership of the paper,
better property than when he took
hold of it. It had stood for itself and
for what it's editor thought was best.
The Old-Time Search for News.
May not make comparison be-
tween the methods of gathering news,
especially city news, between the pres
ent and the past? The telegraph serv-
ice up to 1880 was often broken.
Storms, floods and washouts destroyed
the poles and lines and broke the con-
nections, sometimes for two or three
days. There was no long distance
telephone and the ordinary machine
was very imperfect. not much in use.
The city department of the daily pa
per was printed OH the fourth page,
and was collected usually by one man.
His hours were from 10 O'Clock in
the morning up to 8 the next morn
ing. He was necessarily expected to
be present everywhere, almost
ubiquitous. He had to cover the fires,
the police run, the courts, the city
council. all church doings, the mar
many, the accidents, the murders and
suicides, the funerals, weddings and
elopements.
: Thru the SHOWS of winter and the
heat of summer, without the aid of.
street cars or the festive automobile,
he had to tramp from Bassett's creek
to- the university and Mi11nehafa
falls daily. His centers of in
platform, the posto ds the the , eity
hall, the Nicollet house, the court
house, Chute Brothers real estate of
fee and the university on the East
Side We're his favorite haunts, and the
breweries were not neglected.
The abuse of Minneapolis by the. st.
Paul Dispatch under Fl. P. Hall and H.
A. Castle, which passed for wit at the
capital, had to be reviled and re-
piled to by wit of equal pungency by
dignity of the editor himself to de-
scend SO low. It devolved on the city
editor to maintain his part in the old
squabbles about the railway service
and the fragrant partially of railroads
in behalf of st. Paul.
There was no society editor, SO
he had to do society, theaters,
gowns of the best people. He
had to know railways, building i'm
provements, real estate transactions
and new projects of every sort. He
had to know politics, sports, all the
candidates of all the parties, and he
had to fill four long, dreary columns
of ten-column blanket paper with
something to inform, instruct, enter
tain and please. He had to take all
many that belonged to the editor-in-
chief. To-day the modern newspa-
per is an organization with it's several
heads and responsibilities.
There were no Marconi wireless
kilograms, no web perfecting presses,
no caricature artists, no gaudy color
supplements. There were no imported
machine-plate editorials by Mrs. John
A. Logan; no homilies on morals and
divorce or sentimental lollypop by
Ella Wheeler Wilcox and Gertrude
and no suggestions OH how
to bring up young men without Gig
arettes. It was the day Of Kings big
fairs, Of harvest festivals and street
parades, and of the regular meetings
of the Board Of Trade and the Hen
nepin County Horticultural society.
The Board Of Trade was always good
for a column, whether there was any
business or not, for there were al
ways speeches. The Horticultural So
ciety was always good for a column,
because there were always discus
sio11s on apples, Minnesota apples, the
sof which was national.
Mortgage sales We're the best paying
ads" and occupied the most valuable
space.
The Merger That Would Not Merge.
One of the most interesting events in
the history Of Minneapolis newspapers
was the great consolidation act of 1876.
The st. Paul Press had gobbled UP the
Pioneer of that city. The Pioneer had
been for several years growing in Cir |
culation in Minneapolis. It had re-
Gently carried on a successful lottery
scheme, which had attracted thou
sands OF new subscribers. Its Mime
apolis department had been conducted
by Thomas S. King, clever news
gatherer, who had free hand in
all matters of local concern.
He commented freely on individuals