The Washington herald., 1907-02-10


in this country, and any young man de-
sirous of entering either House of Con-
gress would do well to remember it.
Among men Of other professions news
paper men are relatively successful in get
ting a chance at public life. No Presi-
dent of the United States ever was grad
uated into that high Office from news
paper shop. but a pretty good sized list
might be made of the governors. Sen
ators, Representatives, Cabinet ministers,
diplomats. and others who have been
newspaper writer's and editors, both be-
fore and after winning public distinction
Two newspaper editors, Horace Greeley
and James c. Blaine, have been Presi-
Dental candidates, and one candidate, ".
J. Bryan, has turned 10 political journal
ism as an occupation after defeat. and
made money at it, though the Common
er isn't exactly a newspaper. Mr. Bryan
wrote a good deal for the newspapers
before he was nominated, but his pro-
fession was the law.
Twice "a newspaper man has been Sec
rotary of State; Blaine, after he was de-
feated for the Presidency. and John Hay
after his diplomatic service at the Court
Of ST. james. Daniel Manning, Cleve-
lands Secretary of War during his first
term, was owner and publisher of the Al
bauy Argus many years. Daniel 5 La
mont. Secretary OF War during Cleve-
lands second administration. was a re-
porter on the same newspaper when
Cleveland first knew him
Thomas l. James, now one of the best
known bankers in the country. who was
Postmaster General under Arthur. began
practical life as a printers devil Gen.
James worked alongside f. z. Bailey
now for half century editor OF the Uti-
ca Observer. then owned by Bailey's Ia
Their. Newspaper men. as it happens,
have been rather partial to the Postmas-
ter Ceneralship. Amos Kendall. head of
the Post-ofFice, under Andrew Jackson,
was editor of the Washington Globe It
was left 10 Kendall of all the prominent
men of his day 90 back Morse when he
was pushing the telegraph. Without Ken
daUs influence the adoption of the in
vention would have been delayed some
years Charles Emory Smith, Postmaster
General under both Mckinley and RoOse-
welt. is a well known editor
The only Cabinet minister now i'm Office
VINO comes anywhere near being a news
paper man is James 3. Wilson, Secretary
of Agriculture soon to retire, who was
editor Of q ''Syudicated' farm department
for weekly papers before he was Score
tary William T.. Chandler, of New
Hampshire, former Senator and SecTe-
tary of Navy. who was so intimately con-
nected with the row between Roosevelt
and TiIlman last year, is newspaper
man by profession. Many of Uncle Sans
diplomatic representatives. have been edi-
tors, Whicelaw Reid being the most con-
spicuOus just now Robert J. Wyuue.
briefly Postmaster General during the
last Presidential campaign, and now
consul general I'm London, was Wash
insJon correspondent of the New York
Press for years.
The late Carl Schurz. United States
Minister 10 Spain and Senator At wash
ington. was an editor both before and
after his period of greatest activity in
public life Henry Willard. who employed
Schurz as editor Of the New York Even
ing Post for a number of years. and, like
him, q German who came here because
of the revolution of 1slS began life in
America as newspaper writer He
abandoned the calling after nearly TWEEN
ty years 10 go into Northern Pacific, in
which operating with imperial audacity,
lac won and lost several great fortunes;
luckily De was able to hold on TO his last
one re died owning a famous even
ing y. lu New York Both SchuTz and
Willard began as writer's on German pa.
pers. not vcntUing into English until
they had thoroughly studied the language.
the politics. and the national life of the
republic
ANY number of multimillionaires have
backed newspapers, some for political
purposes. but not often with any great
success. Jay Gould was the financial
power behind the New Yorl, World for
a number of years before the paper was
purchased and TehabiHtated by Joseph
Pulitzer. Coils p. Huntington put up
much money for once well known but
now defunct New York newspaper James
J. Hill owned his own newspaper organ at
St Paul for several years. Senator Dry
den. OF New Jersey, insurance king, was
part owner of a Newark newspaper for
some time. The only multi-milliOn2ire
who has openly directed a newspaper.
however. is William Waldorf Aston, and
his Pan Mall Gazette is published in
England. not America.
Lewis Stuyvesant Chanier, his relative,
now lieutenant governor of New York,
owns country weekly which he bought
for political purposes few years ago.
Mr.. ChanIer did not edit the paper, how
ever; he hired an editor, and then. when
the paper had served its political pur-
pose, presented il, a paying property, 10
him.
Big Banker, Chief Detective.
Frank H. Vanderlip. vice president of
the City National Bank New York, chief
of the Rockefeller financial institutions,
didn't begin as a newspaper man, but
the training he got on the Chicago Trib-
une has been of great benefit TO him IN
his financial career. He was helped while
on the Tribune by John z. Wilkie, now
chief Of the United States Secret Service,
but then the TribUue's assistant city edi-
tor
Wilkes father was Franc B. Wilkie.
for many years the power next the
throne when W. +. Storev's Chicago
Times was at its best. AS "Poliuto" the
elder Wilfde wrote a contribution for the
paper nearly every day and his fame was
spread wherever the Times was known.
Young Wilkie started I'm on newspaper
life under the most favorable conditions
and might have reached any journalistic
level he chose to work for. However, his
natural bent was in the direction of crime
detection, and he showed his ability fl
that line in 1875 when he had been work
ing twelve months on the paper, but was
still two years less than twenty.
\ grocery store in Chicago was burned
1ncendiarism was suspected from the fact
that a metal ring had been driven over
the ton of the nearest IRE hydrant 50 that
the water was turned on only after much
delay. The proprietor seemed to prove
an alibi by arriving from out Of town on
a local train while the ruins were still
smoking. This threw the police complete