Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-03-31

Nflil tN tututt ludl
is well nigh an ignoramus. He can
not speak He cannot write II is as
serted by men who are In position to
know that Hearst never wrote an edi-
torial in his life nor speech nor any
thing else that has borne his name
That many brilliant articles have ap.
peared bearing his name, as II he
were the author. everyone knows
hut without exception, Ii Is declared
these articles have been written by
Arthur Brisbane or others of the bril-
liant men Hearst keeps on his stan
by dlnt of paying them large and
well-deserved salaries.
As Mr. Hearst is a candidate for
president OF the United States IL is
only right that the country should
have Information concerning his char
acter and ability as public man
His private affairs may. for the pres
ent AT least, be wholly ignored. The
South once had an opportunity to
judge Hearst He made trip down
there. under the escort of his friend,
Representative Griggs of Georgia As
the train moved along through Geor-
gin, Alabama and Mississippi many
people assembled at the stations and
called for Hearst to make an address
to them. All they wanted was few
words. II nothing more. then 'giad
10 see you and thank you for coming
out to give ME this little welcome"
would have satisfied them. But Hearst
was tongue-tied. He could not. Mt
least did not, open his mouth. He
was as inanc as he looked The men
Of the South or at least the few who
were assembled at these railway sta.
lions, looked him overland laughed
Mr.. Griggs was mortified, other
friends of Hearst were mortified. But
there was no help for IT, The man
was unable to say word and moth
ing could be done. One cannot make
speeches. even little ones. by proxy.
as he may publish editorials aud artl.
cles with his name signed to them,
though they were written by others.
This was not the worst of 1t.
Hearst could avoid making speeches,
or attempts at speeches. but he could
not avoid meeting prominent men
He had to talk with them They met
him at the hotels, on the trains. One
Of the men who rode with Hearst
nearly the whole of one day, and tried
to talk with him thus relates his ex-
perience
u could not carry on conversation
with the man He did not seem TO
know anything He had no views. nt
least he did not express any he was
not only shy. he seemed to be dehci-
ent in his thinking department did
my best to encourage him. to warm
him mp and get something out OF him.
But was forced TO give it up as
bad job And | was, too. forced to
the conclusion that nothing came out
because there was nothing inside. and
that he has brains only when Arthur
Brisbane and the other brilliant men
ON his STAFF are at hand to make and
express Ideas for him"
These stories-thls impression of
the man himself-haye Travelled
throughout the South Every public
man from that section. every Import
ant and well.informed politician has
heard them. The chief reason why
the South could not stand for Hearst
thus appears. There may be plenty
of other reasons, but this one IL sufl-
Client More than one public man has
said: III We could elect the whole
editorial staff of the Hearst papers to
the presidency we might then get
some brains, but the proposition is not
TO elect the whole stan, only the chief
who hires them by virtue of the mon
ey his father left him and his indul-
gent mother gives him"
Hearst must have some sort of
sense and knowledge, because he
knows enough to hire able men and
to pay them big salaries If he were
to cOnfine his ambitions wholly to the
newspaper business that would be
most commendable trait Nor would
anyone have the right to inquire
whether the big editorials which carry
Mr. Hearsts name were written by
him or by his hired men lie stands
responsible for them, and that is
enough 80 far as the newspaper busi-
ness is concerned. but when he
branches ont as a candidate for pres
ldent OF the United States It is per
iinent inquiry whether the man has
brains or merely hires them, There Is
a sort Of tradition OF long standing in
this country that man who aspires
10 the presidency should really have
a pretty good quality of gray matter
in his Uranium. There is much else
he should have, but this is the first
essential. In newspaper circles the
gossip Is that Hearst cannot write or
speak or do much of Job of think
Ing all by himself, but that he Is clev-
er in getting good work out of other
men and in accepting the best advice
his stan Of assistants Is able to give
him
An example of Hearsts method
his penchant for buying good brains
and attaching them 10 his saffron
chariot to his own glorlfcation---came
to light today. A southern senator re-
yeals a fact which he says he has
known long time. Hearst offered
Henry Waiterson, the brilliant editor