The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-18

| ful pondering, his profound 1eehnS found regular vent in the editorlai COT umn, ready. full. free. fearless; Here whatever reserve that marked ms man ner and speech found ample compensa | tion in d frankness that took the world into his confidence.
 All his influence found its unifying l centre in the editor. He was this nrst | and foremost and almost excluslveiy. | cannot recall even an instance in wnich | he addressed his fellow citizens rom | the platform. Such unity and concen- tration is very rare in American life; | the fact in his case emphasizes over | whelmingly his force in his calling; the volume, the depth the power of innu- ence that flowed in that one simple channel
 | You note that the north face of the monument designates him as
 l "A Great Editor,
 l An Eminent Citizen,
 An Honest Man"
 His eninence as citizen was gaineo l through his work as an editor, his hon. | esty as man appeared in the obvious sincerity and marked candor that con, l stantly characterized that editorial work He was an editor pure and sim ple and had lit.ie to do with any other | part of the paper, probably knew little | about it. There was no perceptibie l conn ection between the editorial de- | partment and the business department; they seemed to he not only entirely separate, but absolutely independent. l The editorial utterances sometimes had l swift and sure effect upon the business | department As has been already stat | ed. there were editorials penned and l published with the certain knowledge I that support would be alienated and l the business department suffer loss, but | the business interests seemed to have | cd there was no reflex influence ever 6is- | cernible: there was no partnership be- | tween principle and policy. no alliance | of conscience with cash. If vigorous editorial had cost the support of a | whole community, this fact had no ef- feet other than to bring out an edito- rial postscript in the next issue mak- ing the position of the paper a little clearer if possible, and rubbing 1t in" | somewhat more relentlessly. Abuse, | warning and threats were futile, except to stiffen determination and add to vigor. The only way to change the editorial position of the paper was to change the conviction of its editor; i with that conviction unchanged. the | money was never coined nor the inter- ests ever combined that could sway or swerve the editorial column. Here was most evidently man who did his own thinking and who wrote unreservedly l consequences. whether affecting him. self or others.
 This, to begin with. was unusual To
 this is to be added another thing: he always stood for what he believed to be truth and right No man who knew N c. Gonzales ever doubted this. One | might differ from him In the opinion stated, many did: one might agree with
 him in his views, but differ from him
 as to the expediency of publishing such
 views and there were many who did;
 but that he was sincere in his convic-
 ton and candid In his expression very
 few doubted. The editorial columns
 were always the utterances of brave
 honest man, who spoke the truth as he
 believed it and maintained the right as
 he saw it; who, uninhuenced by fear
 or favor, reward or hope of reward
 gave himself to the vindication of what
 he believed to be the truth, righteous
 ness and honor. and to the condemna-
 ton of what he believed to be iniqui-
 tous, wrong and evil.
 | Such a man Is very inconvenient to
 some persons very troublesome man
 of this type will always be voted by
 some people "stirrer up of strife.
 Something like thirty centuries ago the
 degenerate King Ahab's salutation to
 Elijah was, "Art thou he that troubled
 Israeli" And man that rebukes mi
 quity will sooner or later be branded
 as a trouble; it is as inevitable as fate
 When the "galled jade" winces there Is
 always a considerable crowd to sym
 pathize There is ever large body of
 eminently respectable people who are
 bound in charity that Is first peace able and then pure. who believe in the
 laisse faire policy and who deprecate
 above all things the outspoken that
 sets people by the ears.
 The advisability of having such men
 as N. G. Gonzales in an editorial posi-
 tion is a question upon which men may
 honestly differ, but when such a man Is in such q position his course is cer-
 tain It Is inevitable. it Is unalterable.
 His position. he considered public
 trust. involving a personal responsible
 ity, accepting 1t he assumed to the ut
 termost all that Is involved; he Is there
 to tell the truth as he believes it, to
 maintain the right as he conceives 1t,
 and to smite the wrong wherever he
 beholds it: to fall so to do would be a
 breach of trust. Such was his view, to
 1t he was faithful and in it he was con-
 sistent. ..... #.
 Moreover, when men sought public
 office. put themselves forward to be the
 representatives and leaders of the peo-
 ple, he maintained that they then | ceased to be private citizens, that by that very act they invited investigation and challenged criticism. He believed | that when an unworthy man sought TO leave the walks of private life and | stand forth as deserving public honor | and public office at the hands of his fellow citizens, by so doing he surren- dered the immunity that shelters the l privacy of the ordinary citizen, that 1t l could no longer be pleaded in behalf of l his protection that his character and l bis conduct were nobody's business but l his own. but on the contrary that his | character and his conduct became at l once cverybody's business everybody's narticular. pressing business; and that an editor discussing public policy. es- | saving to safeguard public interest safe guide public opinion. would be re- l creant to a sacred trust if he remained silent and allowed corruption to go un- exposed and presumption to rise un- whipped
 This was his position, my fellow citi- | zens; it may not be yours. it may not | he mine but it was his. It was not d noIicy. 1t was a principle and he main 1 tained 1t consistently. he maintained 1t l faithfully, he maintained 1t fearlessly, he maintained 1t through good report I and through evil report. and he main | tained it unto the bitterest end So it | stands recorded in imperishable gran l tte:
 Founder and First Editor of
 1 The State.
 I ,A1I