New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-01-15
PENNYPACKER'S CRUSADE
Sort of Man Who Seeks to Mu2zle
PENNSYLVANIA Press.

brought down upon himself avalanche of
dersion by his efforts to muzzle the press in a
State which is particularly in need of a strong
glare of publicity turned full upon its legislators
by day and by night.
1t was the late Charles Nelan, cartoonist, who
was largely responsible for the Pennypacker
press muzzng crusade. The cartoon that the
Governor particularly objected to was thus de-
scIibed by Pennypacker in his apology" for the
muzzling act:
"A cartoon in a daily journal of May de-
fines the question with entire precision An ugly
Little dwarf representing the Governor of the
commonwealth, stands on a crude stool. The
stool is subordinate to and placed alongside of q
huge printing press, with wheels as large as
those of an OK team, and all arranged as to
give the idea that when the press starts the stool
ard its occupant will be thrown to the ground
Put into words, the cartoon asserts to the
world that the press is above the law and greater
in strength than the government No self
respecting people will permit such an attitude to
be long maintained In England, century ago,
the offender would have been drawn and quar-
tered and his head stuck upon pole without the
gates"
Left to himself, Governor Pennypacker prob
ably would retire TO his historical home at
Schwenksville Penn. in house where Wash
ington once put UP. and there revel in one of the
finest Libraries of Americana to be found on this
continent. The Governors hobby is old books,
rare engravings, priceless first editions and
relics of the Dutch colonists of Pennsylvania.
1t is probable that no living knows more
concerning these last mentioned settlers than
Governor Pennypacker. AS an authority
this and kindred topics. historian and an
tiquarian, Governor Pennypacker shines with
lustre, and yet so strange mixture of the in
tellectual and the chiIdlike is this mans COM
position that on a recent visit to Reading, after
a climb to a mountain resort, he left in the inn
keepers book this impressive verse as item
for his biographer:
Though steep the climb
Though the road be lost
The wine is good
At Kuechler's ROost.
1t is certainly odd that the who wrote
"Oass OF Colonial Pennsylvania" which stands
practically alone in its field. and who is the
thor of thirty-seven books and papers that
almost standard works for the historian, should
give the world cause to laugh by penning the
verses quoted from the innkeeper's register. If
Pennypacker would laugh the world would
laugh with him and all would be well, but the
trouble is that he refuses to see anything tc
laugh at in his verse on the wine at Kuechler's
Roost, and resents the laughter much that
he would have the privilege of laughing taken
away from the press of Pennsylvania.
When asked to give a for his
hatred of the newspapers. Governor Penny
packer is quoted telling the following story
Several years ago 1 attended a performance
of Richard Ill The company good one
and the sympathies of the audience were espe-
cially excited by the efforts of the actress who
played the role of Lady Anne. Interest natu-
rally intensified during the of the
scene in which the hypocritical Richard kneel-
ing at her feet, tells her of his love. The Lady
Anne hesitates, and Richard places his sword in
her hand and bids her thrust the blade through
his bosom if she doubts that his enormities are
due to his love for her and desire to remove
the obstacles that separate her from him. The
actress seemed though about to strike, then
stopped and looked with an expression Of
prayerful Interrogation toward the gallery.
oh, what shall do? Direct me, heavenT
she walled. And from heaven the answer came
promptly and strenuously in a shrill, boys voice.
e. Stick him, missus-stick himr
And" continued the Governor "I have often
thought that the voice was that of the press of
Pennsylvania"
1t is not improbable that this story waa told
by the Governor about the time that the press of
Pennsylvania was chortling about an attempt of
Pennypacker to secure a relic for the small sum
of 81. A letter written by him to a PENNSYLVANIA
farmer offered the latter the sum mentioned in
return for "a round stone with a hole in it that
is on your land" In some way the letter became