Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-12-07
in time upon the country, and We were
not miatakon

AAOS ull0tdkOU.
In 2 weeks time the new World UNI
der Joseph Pulitzer was a bull In the
CHINA shop OF New York Journalism.
1t began to smash traditions. customs
ana IDEAS like the prOverbial animal
did the china. The public first WON
dered: then gasped. then condemned
attacks upon 1t and upon its founder
began In the other newspapers. but
MT. Pulitzer had succeeded, as he aft
erward told me, in q shorter space OF
time than even he had dreamed OF. in
gaining what he most desired-public-
ity Tor his new venture.
I well remember his calling me one
morning and saying: How many peo-
pie do o suppose there are in the
state OF Connecticut that can be
reached under present conditions by
The World on Sunday mornings. and II
so reached would buy and read the pa
per-" hazarded a wild guess. for one
had to reply quickly to Mr.. Pulitzer,
mi woe betide one If h reply seemed
to him illogical, vague or foolish.
Fortunately for me. my guess pleased
him. n he said. Good. now appoint
q correspondent In every town that has
10000 or more people n Instruct them
to sen to each Sunday edition 500
words of social doings in their town and
w JuCN 90 1tloAAy t01IIC0 VI UOOS
pie as possible. People like te see
their names in Il newspaper. especially
II pleasantly mentioned-get in all the
copy. read 1t yourself and watch the
results:
1 did, at a cost of long hours and
much energy. and in one month the
Worlds circulation in near Connecticut
had increased SO per cent, in six months
100 per cent, and it moved up by leaps
and bounds from that time.
Then came the advent OF Colonel
John Cockerill, the ablest lieutenant In
The Worlds upbuilding that Mr.. Pull
itzer had, a maj of rare ability and
force and who had been closely $500
lated with Mr.. Pulitzer on The Post
Dispatch and had imbibed a thorough
knowledge of his methods. aims and
wishes. 1t has always been to me a
htzer's career that he should have.
some years afterward. parted with
Colonel Cockerill over some personal
differences but, which had 1T not been
for some malign outside influence
could have been adjusted.
Tho incident, however produced the
famous remark made by Mr.. Pulitzer
get along without Colonel Cockerill:
The Indispensable man is not num-
crous.'
Blu although Mr.. Pulitzer i'm this I'M
fortunate occurrence was blamed by
Colonel Cockerill's admirers and
friends and called unjust. he really was
a just man. and I have never known
him to wilfully act unjustly despite the
fact that. owing to his wide range Of
activity II the constant impossibility
of looking carefully into all matters.
and i'll his latter years to his blindness.
he may at times have appeared to nave
acted SO. He was quick to decide and
quick to act and. as to err Is human.
he frequently made mistakes Of judg-
ment. but he subscribed to the old be-
liev. "F'or Justice a temple and all sea-
sons summer" and I nave known him
tical, business and social without hest
tation when ne found he had made q
wrong, decision.
I recall especially his change of at
titude In III now almost forgotten SEN
sational case OF Loubat vs.. the Union
club when, after siding with Mr.. Lou
bats (now the Duke Loubat) enemies
and writing vigorously against him,
he later espoused his course and be-
came his friend.
AS a newcomer to New York at that
period. passing from u large town to a
metropolis. and in which old tradi-
lions still fingered, it took some little
time for Mr.. Pulitzer to. as it were,
get his bearings" He was, as soon
as his strength II personality and
probably influence were fully recog-
nized, besieged by place and fortune
hunters. would-be parasites. and peo-
pie who. to serve their own selfish
ends. were only too willing to mislead
him. especially as to matters social.
For his reason. or more from the
fact that he played with traditions and
shocked old-time ideas Of propriety in
newspaper publications. he was saw
agely criticised and attacked, and a
determined effort was made to bar all
social doors both to himself and fam
lily. The attack on the Cleveland bond
issue brought him the ill-will of the
enmity of some persons of great social
influence. upon whose toes he had wit
tingly OF unwittingly trOd. combined to
make his social pathway for a time a
rocky one
Few old newspaper men or readers
will forget the late Charles A. Dana.s
editorial protest in The Sun against
politan opera box. In which. after a
virulent personal criticism of his ap-
pearance. Mr.. Dana said. Move on, Jo-
seph Pulitzer, move on" nor Mr.. Pulit-
zer's quiet reply q few days later in The
World. in which he described in one
column the marvellous growth and cir
culation of influence in business of The
World in the last year. and in the next
gave some figures which argued the
dwingling circulation Of The Sun, with
the story OF a mortgage upon it's build
ing. and headed the entire story, Nov
ing on"
Flo Joseph Pulitzer was a fighter, and
1t Is hard to- imagine a more agrees
sive personality than was mis- during the
decade. especially from 1883 to 1893.
While 1t was Colonel Cockerill who sug-
gested and outlined the cartoon of Bel