Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-09-01
SKETCH OF AN ACTIVE LIFE
Story Of Edward Rosewaters Career Pub
, lished Last October.
THlRn.fMt YEARS OF TOLL AND TROUBLE
Graphic Account of work of Man
whose Doinss Are Historical
In Journalism and
the West.

This sketch, by w. II. Hodge, appeared
in Human Life in October. 1906:
The story of American journalism has
few characters more interesting than Ed
ward Rosewater. As much may be said
-~2f the history OF the west. At the age of
s.. small and insignificant in physique.
shod with old-fashioned boots simple, d.
rect active, willing to chat with the
beggar on the corner as to talk big things
with presidents. he is as much in the har-
ness as ever In his life. Ills career bristles
with incident. No day CO q could have
been dull He is the owner and editor OF
The Omaha Bee. and in its own country
The, Bee is the biggest newspaper and
Rosewater the greatest editor. In The Bee
are thirty-five years of toll and trouble.
Its domain stretches west by north from
the Missouri river and taxes in Nebraska,
Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Mon
tana, besides a generous slice of western
Iowa. II is an excellent empire and newly
rich, and fifty years to IT, is equivalent
to all past time. Go back of fifty years
and a census enumerator would have had
to ride week to make a single entry
What has happened has happened quickly,
and by virtue of b1is fact the development
Is dramatic.
OF Tnc Nee
Note the romance I'm the birth of The
Bee. On June 49, 1871, in a ramshaclkle
printing shop. in frontier Quitting town,
Edward Rosewater. manager of telegraph
office, and Harry Geralde. an Irishman
educated for the British army and once a
lieutenant in India. stood over the forms
of the first number. At the head OF the
first two pages, in large black type, were
the words, The Omaha Punchineilo." This
was TO be the title Of theater program
not a newspaper.
what do you want to can It the Punch
tnello for?" dueried Geralde, who had an
erratic talent, but was addicted to opium.
''what should IL be7'' demanded the tele-
graph manager in return. 1--WE can't call
II the Gazette. the Commercial, the Chron-
icle or Intelligencer. It's only a little
funnygram and don't expect Il ever to be
q newspaper. I can't give It a political
name. either. Punchinello is odd and sug
gestive of pun, wit, sarcasm. and my idea
is to punch up some of the old Fossils
Said Geralde: why not call II The Beef
That also would be suggestive. The Bee
gives honey and It stings. II is an en-
blem OF industry. After all. this may be-
come a newspaper and you might want 20
retain the name after II once is started"
1--WE shall call it The Bee. then" re-
marked the founder. ut matters very
little to me, anyhow. because don't ex-
pect to have much TO do with It after the
school law election"
His last words explained his interest in
the sheet He had gone to the legislature
Just before and had law passed provid-
ing for an economical public school sys-
tenn and an elective board. The news
papers of the town had no use for Rose
water or his laws. The statute for the
public school system had to be approved
by popular vote. To offset the opposition
Rosewater issued his program. most of
which was filled with the olio Of the
Academy of Music. He could not bear to
see his law fail.
HIS First Newspaper Victory.
The, theater program was nung to the
public of the border town for the taking.
but II prospeIed amazingly. The school
law. was triumphant and lasts to this day.
The telegrapher. who at first would not
allow his name to be used, fearing UNI
pleasant notoriety. announced his identity
as publisher. The name of Geralde en-
bossed the editorial page as editor and
proprietor, in the beginning. Telegraph
news was added. The two pages grew to
four and broadened and heightened.
Within two months swaddling clothes were
thrown OF. the theater program christened
itself an evening Journal" and held its
inspection worth small coin or two.
Now perceive what occurred. Geralde,
highly schooled, brilliant refined, accom-
\splished, dropped from the paper and out OF
sight before the first anniversary. Rose
water, the son of butcher OF Buckowan
in Bohemia, instructed only in the elemen-
taries. forced into the environments of q
now land when thirteen, remained. He has
never ceased to be owner. editor and coin
mander of The Bee.
The paper today expresses the ideas and
opinions OF the man as decisively and
much more thoroughly and effectively than
did the theater program, of which 1t was
thought to call the Punchinello, thirty-nvt
years ago When hb quilted the telegraph
business he permitted his new occupation
to enlist every throb OF energy and every
particle OF brain power that he owned. He
had TO or he would have failed. Holding q
the ideals and fancies that he did and
vigorously expressing them. made his fght
nothing short of desperate. But he hac
that peculiar nature which seems TO well
come and prosper on conflict. All through
his life has been a battle. He is still
demanding. in 1906 some OF the things h'
demanded in ISL.
One Way of Making Enemies.
DipIomacy-that outrageously slandere(
Word-nao nothihB " 40 Win making tn'
west. Whether or not the editor observed
this Is immaterial. He conformed to it
His public and private course always hal
been the old answer 10 the mathematicl
request to denote the shortest route be
tween. two given points. This habit O
looking neither ITO the right nor to the lef
nor backwards but In the. direction IN,
Creator pointed HIS eyes. lie a favorite wa,
OF making enemies. 1t is likely TO brinl
your best friend suddenly before you witt
anger In his voice and denunciation on hi
lips
= The principle or the object was seen.
was good and desirable. The editor 5,
proclaimed and as boldly attacked tn
antagonists 10 his plan. Right or wrong h
believed and meant what he said.
To encourage the editor Joined enthusi
asm. intelligence, foresight. knowledge O