The Washington herald., 1907-03-27
By FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN.

The most distinguished figure among the |
vetcrsn editors Of America is ''8Iarse'' !
Henry Watterson. of the Louisville |
Courier Journal The great scope Of his /
experience is better understood when it is |
remembered that he used to sit in the
rress gallery at Washington by the side
Of Horace Greely. and that he reported
The first Inauguration Of Abraham Lincoln
for the Associated Press. Mr.. Watterson
IS sixty-seven years old, just the age Of
his distinguished predecessor. George d. |
Prentice. when his career ended In death.
IT. his memorial address 10 the Central
Assembly, Mr. watterson thus referred
10 his relationship with the famous Ken
tucky editor whose place he was TO Ill
You will believe me sincere when 1 tell
you, paraphrasing the words Of Tyndail
upon Faraday. how lightly I hold the
honor Of being Prentice's successor COM /
pared with the honor of having been
Prentices friend. His mantle is a bur
Gen 1 shall never pretend 70 carry" Not
withstauding his modest statement that
Ee could not pretend to wear the mantle
OF Prentice, Watterson has won more
fame as an editor, has figured more prom
inently in national politics, and has been
heard by a wider audience as a lecturer.
AS a contemporary of Murat Halstead,
AIv. Watterson became active in politics in
1872 and between that time and 1882 no
Democratic platform was written without
his aid and counsel. He presided over the
convention that nominated Tilden. and
was prominent as a leader and platform
framer until the convention of 1886 which
nominated William Jennings Bryan upon
u free silver platform. and called forth
from Mr.. WatteTsou, then in Switzerland,
the famous telegram, No compromise
with dishopor"-a message that confirmed
Mr., ". \. Haldeman. owner of the
Courier-Journal, in his determination to
oppose Mr.. Bryan. Later the Courier
Journal espoused the cause Of Palmer
and BuckneT
Unlike Prentice, who averaged fifteen
hours of work a day up 10 the time OF his
last Illness. Mr.. Watterson is not a
drudge. He writes when the spirit moves
him, and never fights space" Some
times he writes twice a week. some /
times three times. sometimes every
day, but never, even when he is
busiest, is there anything in the nature Of
routine in it. Pluuging into a subject
that interests him. he viii work like a
%N+tE
on for a lecture tour. or qulescent at his
country home until his eye. running over
the news columns. is caught by something
that calls forth another broadside At
the Courier-Journal Office he is a priv
i!esed character lie goes 10 Europe
when he cares 10. and returns when he
feels ike il. His weeks or months OF
work are no more prescribed than his
days and hours.
Prentice it was often said. knew little
about the news end" Of his paper and
cared less Mr.. Watterson does not of
course, take active supervision of the
news columns but woe betide the night
editor who does not know each and every
one of 'Marse Henry's" rules governing
the makeup of the Courier-JournaL
The typographical tone and dignity Of the
paper must be as rigidly maintained IS
the quality and integrity OF the editorial
columns and the copy editor who does
not live by the WaJers0nian law parishes
without the law.
One Of Ar. Watterson's s biogra pliers. a
former managing editor of his paper
wrote an article some time ago for a New
York periodical. in which he said that
0ir WattersOn usually dashed of his edi-
the evening in a social game of draw
poker, or making the roulette wheel
look like the aurora b0realis" The artI-
Gle called from AR Watterson a heated
reply, In which he stated that he was
weary of having his name coupled with
Julcp jokes and stories about ali-night
gambling That he had not played poker
for years. had never drank a mint julep
ln his life. nor even raised a sprlg of
mint on his farm.
Concerning the question Of Watterson's
salary there has been no little discus
sion. Ask in the counting room Of the
Courier-JournaL and you will be answered
with a shrug and a smile-perhaps with
the statement that whatever it is "Marse
Henry overdraws when ne likes. It is
popularity supposed that he draws $4,000
a year. when he does not overdraw.
Watterson once said of Prentice, HE
cared nothing for money, but had what
he needed and the same may be said of
Watterson, who has often refused Office
and has always declined to consider Of
fcls, however attractive, to establish a
connection with larger papers. He is 10y
atty TO his paper and to the sons of his
old friend, W. y. Haldeman. IS unswerv-
Ing. Any one who will is welcome TO
assatl what appears In the editorial col
umns Of the Courier-JOurnal, but the man
VINO says it is not a great newspaper is
the enemy Of Henry Watterson.
No one OF the great editors whose
names We're indissolubly linked with the
history Of this nation in the two decades
after the civil war had a wider range of
experience than did Murat Halstead, who
now lives in retirement at Cincinnati. On
March last he and his wife celebrated
their golden wedding anniversary. They
were married on March . 1851 and took
the train that night for Washington,
where Mr.. Halstead arrived in time to
report the inauguration Of President Bu-
chan0n on the 4th Of the month. He re-
ported the trial and execution of John
Brown. at that time becoming acquainted
with Col. Robert +. Lee. in command OF
the troops al Harpers Ferry. When the
civil war came on, Mr.. Halstead saw
much service as, a correspondent in the
field, returning 10 Cincinnati TO take
charge OF his paper after the 1sar closed.
he was with Prince Bismarck in The
Franco-Prussian war. with Weyler in the
Cuban revolution, just before the Ameri-
can intervention. and with Gen. Merritt
in the Philippine insurrectlon. He has at
tended and reported every national con-
vention since the one held in Charleston
in 1900 with the exception Of the last
Democratic convention at St Louis, when
Mr. Parker was nominated. OF an in
tense nature and decided opinions, the