University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-09-29

Frankfort street and Park row, be-
cause he was unable to pay his board
bill. Just twenty three years later,
Mr.. Pulitzer returned to New York city,
bought the French hotel for $630,OO0,
razed the building to the ground, and
built upon the spot the greatest news
paper edifice in existence, at cost of
millions of dollars. In this period of
twenty-three years, this poor German
immigrant, who had arrived from Eu-
rope with twenty cents in his pocket,
had been everything from soldier in
the Union army, a cab driver, waiter
in a restaurant, a butler, a caretaker
of government mules, a fireman on
steamboat, a reporter, and a member
of the Missouri Legislature to perhaps
the most powerful editor in America
and many times a millionaire.
Joseph Pulitzer is 62 years old, blind,
and a nervous wreck, the result of the
terrible amount and character of the
work he has performed, but he can look
back upon life of wonderful achieve
ment. Since landing on the shores of
this country in 1864, when II years old,
absolutely ignorant of the English Ian
guage and American customs, he has
become the proprietor and editor of the
T al, ho
York World, two of the most influen-
tial American newspapers of today. One
president of the United States has de-
clared over his signature that he owed
his election to the support of Joseph
Pulitzer, and it is acknowledged that
he was the most important single fac
tor in preventing war between this
country and Great Britain over the
Venezuela boundary question few
years ago. He started and directed the
fight that resulted in changing the en-.
tire policy of the governments selling
bonds privately to Wall street bankers
and thereby saved nearly $20,000,00O
for the people at one time.
Some Big Results.
He started and pushed the life insur-
ance investigation in New York City
which resulted in federal supervision
He started the Doodle inquiry which re-
suited in cleansing the politics of st
Louis. He endowed college of Jour
nalism to the amount of one million
dollars in Columbia University, which
will be started Immediately after hi:
death, and scores of young men are
now attending universities all of thi:
country upon scholarships he has found
ed.
Among some of the minor things he
has secured through his newspapers wa:
| 100000 to build a pedestal for the
Statue of Liberty, which France hac
presented to this country, and for whicl
Congress had refused to appropriat,
funds. He raised by popular subscrip
tion money to purchase silver service
which he personally presented to Glad
stone in remembrance of his magnifi
cent battle for Irish home rule.
Mr.. Pulitzer's experience in journal
ism began in st. Louis on the "West
liche Post" German newspaper. L
was accidental. He was employed a
a levee clerk and always had such {
fund of knowledge about boats anc
shipping that reporter for one o
the st. Louis newspapers urged hin
to become a reporter. He was quail
fed, for he had spent his four year
in America in diligent reading ant
study. He Immediately became al
amazing reporter.
Pulitzer as a Reporter.
Henry NJ. Stanley, then reporter
afterwards the famous African explor
er, in writing of Pulitzer's reporting
said: when a street accident oc
Cured, Pulitzer dashed out of the of
flee, upon receiving an intimation o
what had happened, without stopping t
put on his coat or collar. In one han
he carried pad of paper, in the othe
a pencil. He did not wait for inqui
ries, but announced that he was tn
reporter for the Westliche Post, and be
gan to ask questions of everybody i
sight" Once he was at jefferson Cit
reporting the Legislature. One nigh
there was Democratic caucus, an
only reporters for the democratic paper
were allowed to attend. Suddenly
the midst of the meeting there was
noise at the door; two doorkeepers wei
thrown sprawling on the floor. l
strode Pulitzer, who calmly seated hin
self at the reporters table. The ne,
morning his was the only Republica
paper that contained report of tt
caucus At first he was nuisant
in the newspaper office. He wanted
write editorials, to make plans for tt
managing editor, to boss the city edito