The news & observer., 1905-10-22
7. VAN LINDLEY. President.

terS of million. Washington is the
graveyard of newspapers" quotes every
one when a paper is born here, and in
most instances the stOrk has scarcely
left the nest before the infant is un-
tremendously snuffed out. 1t is there
fore not unusual that the Post has
passed through trying times That 1T
has emerged triumphant is evidence
that the controlling interest cost Mr..
Mclean some six or eight hundred
thousand dollars.
Some years ago, about twenty, / be-
Iieve, the Post, with whose earlier
stages / am not so familiar, fell into
the hands of Stilson Hutchins. A busi-
ness man and newspaper man, Mr..
Hutchins was also a newspaper bro
ker" in that he bought them to sell.
SO it was he sold the Post to several
enterprising but unfortunate gentle
men, the paper coming back to him
each time on defaulted payments.
Frank Hatton First Assistant Post
master General in the Arthur Cabinet
believe, lost his place when Cleve-
land came in About the same time
Beriah Wilkins an Ohio member of
Congress, stepped out. The two formed
com mbnation which could scarcely
be eXcelled from standpoint of eX-
cellence; Hatton the brilliant, force
fuI and vigorous editorial writer and
Wilkins, thorough business man
whose early training had been that
of a banker To them Hutchins sold
the Post with the pleasing anticipation
that it would come again into his pos
session. But Hatton and wilkins were
made of different stuff. What heroic
labOrs they endured, what corners
were turned and what resources were
utilized by them to raise the neces-
sary funds to meet the payments, are
history. But almost by
their hearts blood they paid for the
property and since then the Post has
never been headed. Hatton had charge
upstairs" and not only gathered about
him an excellent executive and repor-
torial force but conducted one of the
most brilliant editorial pages publish
ed. In the business office Mr. Wilkins
secured an equally capable force and
on the one hand carefully collected
the money and on the other supervised
the expenditures with exactncSS. When
well on its feet, Mr. Hatton passed
away and from his widow Mr.. wilkins
purchased her half interest for it is
SAID, about one hundred thousand dol
lars. the same sold to Mr.. Mclean
only about eight or ten years later
for approximately three-quarters of q
y
retired. leaving the management of
the paper to his eldest son, whom he
had carefully reared for that pur-
pose. skillful business man, and
of delightful and pleasing person
ality, M. Wilkins was easily the most
prominent and most promising young
man of his age in the city, as well
as the most influential.
Offers were repeatedly made for
the Post but as often declined and
it was understood that it was not for
sale Consequently the surprise was
very great when it was announced
that Mr.. Mclean had acquired from
the wilkins estate a half interest in
the Post, but this surprise became be-
wlderment when it developed that
in addition to purchasing p half of the
wilkins holdings Mr.. Mclean had
acquired an odd lot of either one or
two shares which had belonged to the
Painter estate, thus giving him abso-
lutte control of the paper, upstairs and
down. the margin being small but
sufficient
What will he do with it? is the
question on everybody's tongue. 1t is
not conceived by Mr. Mel can has fur
ther political ambitions. He made a
gallant. if a losing fight tor the Ohio