The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-12-02

wrong decision
| recall especially his change or
attitude in the now almost forgotten
sensational case of Loubat VS.. the
Union Club when, after siding with
Mr.. Loubat's (now the Duke LoubaD
enemies and writing vigorously
against him, he later espoused his
course and became his friend
As newcomer to New York AT
that period, passing from a large
town to metropolis, and one in
which old traditions still fingered, it
took some little time for Mr.. Pulitzer
to, as it were, get his balance" lie
was, as soon as his strength and per-
sonality and probable influence We're
fully recognized, besieged by place
and fortune hunters, would-be para
sites, and people who, to serve their
own selfish ends, were only too will
ing to mislead him, especially as 10
matters social
For this reason, or more from the
! fact that he played with traditions
! and shocked old-time ideas OF pro-.
priety in newspaper publications, he
was savagely criticised and attacked,
and a determined effort was made to
bar all social doors both to himself
and family. The attack on the Cleye-
| land bond issue brought him the ~.
will of the financial powers. and this
added to the enmity of some persons
of great social influence, upon whose
toes he had Willingly or unwittingly
trod combined to make his social
! pathway for a time rocky one.
Few old newspaper men or readers
will forget the late Charles A. DANA
editorial protest in The Sun against
Mr.. Pulitzer's appearance in a Metro
| politan Opera box, in which, after &
virulent personal criticism of his ap-
pearance Mr.. Dana said, Move on.
Joseph Pulitzer, move on nor Mr.
Pulitzers quiet reply few days later
in The World, in which he described
! in one column the marvellous growth
and circulation of influence in bust
ness of The World in the past year,
and in the next gave some figures
which argued the dwinding circula-
ton of The Sun, with the story of Il
mortgage upon the building, am
headed the entire story, Moving On.
For Joseph Pulitzer was a fighter
and it is hard to imagine more az
gressive personality than was his dur
ing the decade. especially from 1873;
to 1893. While it was Colonel Cock
Grill who suggested and outlined the
cartoon of Belshaz2ar's feast, which II
was always thought played a great
part in the defeat of Mr. Blaine in
the memorable Blaine campaign, il
was Mr.. Pulitzer who ordered it pub
lished against the protests of some
of the more timid members of his
staff.
1t was he alone who conceived the
idea of opening a public subscription
for the building Of the pedestal of tAC
Bartholdi stat.e-probably the most
successful circulation building idea
that any American newspaper man
has devised. 1t is not necessary &c
recall the many achievements of The
World due to Mr.. Pulitzer's fertile
brain and phenomenal discernment OF
the trend of the currents of public
opinion.
His vision into the near and the
further future, especially in matters
political, was at times to those OF lis
who were near him almost ghostlike
and although he sometimes failed as
to his predictions, these occasions
were far more than overbalanced by
their successful working out.
He was man extremely impatient
of contradictions, and during his lat
ter years of blindness to be contra,
dicted on some favorite idea or theory
made him exceedingly irritable, and
yet he liked not the man who always
agreed with him. This was one cause
of his frequent change of the paid
secretaries, readers, etc, who attend
ed him and who, by their presence
conversation, and reading frightened
his darkness'-so far as such dark
ness TO a man of his boundless en-
ergy, great ambition and constant
thirst for knowledge, and upon whom
consequently the burden Of this most
terrible of all human affections most
heavily fell-could be lightened.
Some years after / had left the act
. i've service of The World, with per
sonal regret and kind and apprecia
tive words from Mr. Pulitzer to better
my fortunes, | was invited to accom-
pany him-and this after he had been
blind for a time, on two separate long
ocean voyages as his guest, and