The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1908-10-22
VILLAIN r. HEARST who
N/ owns about dozen very
y widely circulated daily

AZ
XA/ owns about q dozen very
Y widely circulated daily
newspapers-from Boston
TO the Pacific coast-has developed dur
ing the last fifteen years. At the pres
ent time he is greatly in the public eye
as the manipulation, backer and mana
ger OF the Independence League. Next
to the managers of the Standard Oil Co.
he is about the most powerful single
individual in the United States.
have often been asked if I knew
him. Yes-and right here 1 will say
that all my life have made speciality
of the study of human nature-espe-
ciaIly the s0-called great and near-great
men whom have met and with whom
have been thrown into contact
either in business or social way and l
have also always made it a point to
write Of people as 1 analyzed them and
not as their hired biographers would
have the public know them. Human
nature is alike everywhere. Except in
occasional instances all men are gov
erned by self-interest. The dear-"pee-
pul' are used as vehicle for gaining
certain ends. do not believe in NAL
ice, but rather like Abraham Lincoln
esteem it proper and right to bear NAL
ice toward none and to exercise charity
with regard to all. However, facts are
facts and cannot be eradicated.
William Randolph Hearst is the only
son and heir to the late Senator George
Hearst of California. Senator Hearst's
Christian name was Timotby-but he
changed it to George-and in the early
boom days of California was miner
on the coast. He was associated with
Mackey, Flood, Marcus Daley, c. P.
Huntington and other old timers in
the great gold development period of
the Far West. While they all struck
at rich in gold mining most of them
made their great fortunes in merchant
distinguishing booze and red flannel
shirts and cowhide boots to the miners
at exorbitant prices. Like all of the
Pacific coast millioAaires George Hearst
desired to own a seat in the United
States Senate and he got into politics
in California as Democrat. The lead
ing democratic newspaper in S an Fran
cisco at that time was the Examiner
losing about $10O, ,000.0o year and ad-
vocated the election of George Hearst
to the Senate. In return for the sup
port of the Examiner he loaned the
owners large sums of money-some say
as much as 100000 90. Finally Tom
Williams, the present business mana
ger of that paper went to the senator
and suggested that he purchase it and
own it outright. Willie Hearst who
had been fired out of Harvard Univer-
sity as nincompoop and who was af-
terward dismissed by the Heidelberg
faculty, was anxious to get into
the newspaper business and finally
Papa Hearst bought the plant for him.
While Willie was at Harvard he
spent considerable time in studying
the methods of the New York World
and concluded to out-yellow the lead
ang yellow journal of the United States
tho World.
While negotiating 6Or the purchase
of the Examiner the senator said to
Mr.. Williams: "Now. if l buy the Ex-
aminer, spend q million dollars in
building it>up and it becomes as sue
cessful commercially and financially as
you believe the limitations here would
permit to become, how much money
would the paper earn net, annually Y''
"About $lO0,OOO00 q year" replied Mr..
Williams. "Oh, hell" replied the sena-
Tor, 81 make that much very often in q
single evening. playing poker with my
friends Nevertheless he bought the
paper for Willie and then the fun be-
gan. Willie was about TWENTY-FIVE
years of age, an incorrigibie young fell
low, full of high-falutin' and expensive
notions. He engaged high priced news
paper men-among them C. M. Palmer
of Minneapolis for business manager
at 100000 year and it did not take
the lad long to burn up that million