Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-01-29

Roosevelt IN this matter ] i. iaore gem
orally regretted than any he has made
iiince in Office. The Lest friends of the
fetal class, of course regard 1t as a
r2istGEe. The American People have a
raving ard wholesome sense of humor.
They regard these Panama canal sto-
ries as the Kind Of tales that often APP
pear in the heart of campaign. Such
things ought not to be printed, but
faey have been printed, many of them
much worse than these, in every pres
idontial canvass almost in our history.
Al their best or worst they are polit-
ical stories ard Eeyer would be thought
of or heard of again unless thus called
TO public attention. In the heat of
campaign we are all liable to lose our
heads. editors as well as others. This
is the common sense view Of the case
and the one held by the sane. temper
ate American people as whole. And
when it is once realized that there is
serious attempt TO put a blind cid in
valid in jail because CT campaign
story he never saw or heard of, and
this under law more than eighty
years old, the public will take the true
measure of the case. 1t will serve a
coed purpose, however, If it discour-
| ages the publishing of these reckless
| fakes during campaigns.
IMan OF Wide Information.
! AS for Joseph Pulitzer, the public
knows little about him. except that he
! has founded new Kind of journalism.
which many people regard as bad: that
he endowed college of journalism,
which most newspaper men regard as
n joke; that he is a man of great in
tcllectual power. of keen mind. wide
Information AID retentive memory. and
| that he spends much OF his time in Eu-
! rope. But that is cnly small part or
Pulitzer Like raost notable men. he Is
an anomaly. He Guilt up great proper
! ties, amasSed fortune. and just at
| the time lie was IN a position to enjoy
! life fate struck out his sight and tore
! TO pieces Ills nerves, so that he had no
capacity fer enjoyment left. Somebody
/ has said that the great work of the
. NpTIu mas DtttI tiolie ny liIN dtioS. ann
If that be true Pulitzer is explained. !
suspect, however. that, like all ether
sweeping statements. the idea that the
race has been carried forward by sick
lpeople is about two thirds phrascInak
irg to onc-third truth.
| Another anomaly Of Pulitzer is that
while he prints very noisy colored sup
81 ct n rll
noise. y London paper told with great
Clce how the American editor took a
English house and was disturbed FIRST
by buglcr and tlten by Il peacock
Pulitzer sent one Of his men to buy of
both-bualer and bird. but without sue
cess. Then he moved.
Born in Budapest. Hungary. in 1s47
Mr. Pulitzer came to the Upitet
States in 1864, Immediately enlisted IL
tie Union army and served till the e:,t
of the war. His parents were well t
do and had educated him by private
tutor, but the father lost all the prop
crty. ard the boy was practically pen
nilesS when landing in New York. H
slept mere than one night in the pub
! lie parks. After the war he went t
ST. Louis and became reporter on
German paper. rising ultimately to tn
position of managing editor and par
| proprietor. He was a member of tn
legislature and became a spellbinde
of parts. speaking in English and Gel
man with equal facility. He had bee
supporter of Carl Schurz and joine
the Greeley movement In 1872, goin
as delegate to the Liberal Reput
Iican convention at Cincinnati. Ate
| that be was Democrat.
Founded New Journalistic Schoo
In 1873 Mr.. Pulitzer bought som
afternoon papers in st. Louis and con