The evening world., 1911-11-02
Every Reporter Can Garry His
Capital in His Head,
Ji He Wrote.
A BIT OF HISTORY.
Bought The World Without
Financial Assistance From G..
w. Childs or Any Man.

Joseph Pulitzer on Jan. 6 last wrote
. letter from Syracuse to Dr. 81. Clair
AfcKelway, editor Of the Brooklyn Eagle.
The letter was not received By DR.. Nc.
Kelway until yesterday morning and
wal published in the Eagle yesterday
afternoon.
In explaining the delay In sending the
letter, Mr.. Pulitzer's secretary said that
after 1t was written Mr.. Pulitzer put It
aide. but a few days ago he revised II.
thinking he would send 1t TO the Eagle
fo' its anniversary number. He was
weary at the time and handing the let.
ter to his secretary. said:
There Is no hurry. You may send It
when I am dead"
A shorter letter from Mr.. Pulitzer was
published in the anniversary number.
The letter published yesterday reads:
Syracuse. Jan. %. 1911.
Ny Dear DR.. McKeiway:
Wish you knew how often hav.
tbought, of YOU and am thinking OF you.
Nearly three years ago you were kind
eaough to write a fiattering account
atout mo IN the occasion OF The
World's tw%enty-hfth anniversary. l
rpeant to thank you many times. I do
% now. sincerely. You were certainly
aiways more Generous than l deserved.
hut there was n error IN your state
mont which I have reason TO regret,
The publication in The World itself has
led some other writers to accept the
statement as authoritative.
Thk statement. as may remem-
Der. was that Mr.. George w. Childs OF
phiadelnhia furnished the capital I
needed to buy The World. Now forgive
me II I trouble you with the exact truth
In correcting the entirely unfounded
statement.
4 did not know Mr.. Childs At tho
time I bought The World. had move.
lad eye upon him. did not know any
body who did know him and never
had any pecuniary or business trans
action with him In my life: Of course
never received in any shape. form or
manner one dollar or one cent from
him. II 10 true I met him and We be-
come friends q % or two after I
Bought The World. when its sudden
ana complete success was already the
tSk Of the profession.
Il II also true that IL I had re-
cSved any assistance or capital from
HIN I could not be ashamed of II. As
he was . high-minded. honorable and
philosophical a But 1t so hap
Pens tnat j ola not.
You doubtless ask why ! am so ear
nest n emphatic on this point. This
s. my answer. my only motive: II
there 10 anything In my melancholy
LIES work which I hope and wish may
do good. II " that II should give en-
couragement to thousands OF hard
working journalists who honestly be-
lisve that they have no chance OF ever
becoming owners or part owners OF
newspapers because they have no CAPT
tai. II there Is anything that a hard
working newspaper man really needs.
It 10 encouragement. hope. belief that
he may rise from the smallest to tho
highest position.
should particularly like to feel that
after I have passed away there will be
moro men than there are now In the
profession and work which ! have loved
90. much. possessing hope and conn.,
deuce Of rising to the highest position.
and II 10 solely for this reason tha:
will tell you the secret In a few simple
words where the capital came from.
About forty years ago. when ! was
only twenty-five, some OF the propr.e-
tots Of the westliche Post In st. Louis
became nervous, wanted to retire;
Thought the ape was ruined by the
Greeley campaign. and sold me a pro-
QTletaTy lnteTcst III ina pu pVt oh NVsy
liberal terms. They thought | was nee
essary to the paper. They probably
would have done the same thing to any
other man who worked sixteen hours a
day as l did during that campaign. But
their Judgment gave me indie, ,endencc
and a competency at twenty-five. and
when ! sold my interest back 10 them l
had some capital OF my own.
II December. 1873. l bought the Post
Dispatch. in 81, Louis. at public auc-
tion, for $4,000. When / bought The
World. a little more than four yAars
after. the Dispatch had become a
highly prosperous paper for those lays.
and its prosperity enabled me to pay
the necessary purchase money for The
capital that went into The Worid.
Napoleon said that every private car
rled tine m~arshals baton In his Snap-
sack. ! hope that every reporter. copy
reader. city editor or editorial writer
will believe hat he can carry his capi-
tai In his head II he will only work
hard enough and stick TO his coavic-
lions and ound principles. There are
more dead papers to resurrect to-day
than there were In 1879 and many re-
porters OF to-day may be great revival
lists a generation hence like -ep,rt-
ers. ] want 10 encourage them. With
kindest regards, faithfully yours.
JOSEPH PULITZER.
N. 81. Clair McHeiway, the Brook