New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-16

WV W al NOTK which has
ever since ranked foremost among the
sPV'idi state histories of the Civil War
N.u wen 10 the fore among the general
"u'"oil'ies on that conflict The work
was doubtless conceived and undertaken
largely as tribute and a service to the
authors native state But that very cir
VuHhstahce assured It's primacy among
such records. because of the primacv of
ONO or Of Ohio men in the Union cause,
NO other state furnished so many impor-
tant military leaders. and few states sur.
passed Ohio in the Importance of civil
leaders. Grant, Sherman. Sheridan. Nc
Pherson, Mcclellan. Mcdowell Rosecrans.
Buell. Chase, stanton and goodly COM
Pdny besides were all Ohio men by birth
or by residence. and they and their deeds
formed topics worthy OF the writer's best
EFFORTS. One of the two octave volumes
Of more than thousand pages each was
devoted to rosters and statistics from
official sources of all the Ohio troops in
the field. The other was occupied with a
military and civil history of Ohio in the
war and with critical biographies of the
distinguished men who were the makers
of that history. At this date. after the
! lapse of full generation. the reader of
ohio in the War" is filled with admira-
| ton at the manner In which mature
judgment has vindicated and confirmed
the estimates OF the men and their DEEDS
which the young historian then made
Joining The Tribune.
Mr. Reid in 1865 established himself at
| Cincinnati as one of the proprietors, ed
itor in chief and principal leader writer
| of Tho Of
President Johnson attracted him to Wash
lngton however, TO report personally that
| extraordinary trial for his paper. and
While there what may be regarded as the
| crisis of his career occurred He was
again brought into contact with Mr.
Greeley, who again renewed his invita-
| ton to Mr.. Reid to enter the home office
| of The Tribune. and this time the invita-
ton was accepted. AS # conscious of the
| approaching end of his own great career.
| Mr.. Greeley felt the need Of selecting for
his successor a man after his own heart
who would continue unimpaired the great
journal which he had founded and he
! discerned that man i'm Whitelaw Reid.
The intimate association which then was
| formed lasted little more than four years,
but in that time Mr.. Greeley was abun-
dainty confirmed in the wisdom of the
choice which he had made Mr.. Reid be-
came therefore in the summer Of 1868 the
| chief editorial writer of The Tribune
after only Mr.. Greeley himself, and alone
! of all the staff was responsible directly
| to Mr.. Greeley only and not to the man
| aging editor. Mr.. Young. 1t was a siren
uous and inspiring time, in the midst OF
the national campaign which first elected
Grant President. and Mr. Reid threw
himself into the work with characteristic
energy. He wrote a large share of the
leading editorials on national politics and
the campaign and powerfully aided in
| maintaining the rank of The Tribune as
the chief exponent OF Republican princi-
Piles and policies.
In the winter OF 1855 a serious differ
ence occurred between Mr.. Young and the
publishers Of The Tribune which resulted
i'm his withdrawal from the service of the
| paper, and in the spring of the latter
year Mr.. Reid was installed in his place
as managing editor. In that arduous and
| difficult post he showed himself, 10 Mr..
| Greeleys profound satisfaction, as eff
cient an executive as he had been brill
liant writer. The next year came great
opportunity TO show his quality, which he
finely improved. He arranged for the
Denomination by George w. Smalley in
London Of that extraordinary service OF
| correspondence IN the Franco-German
War and that lavish and Heretofore I'M
dreamed of use of the Atlantic cable
which literally opened new era In news
paper correspondence and gave The
Tribune a prestige which was the envy
| Of all its rivals. At the same time he
| strengthened and encouraged the home
staff of editorial writer's, critics and de-
partment heads, until The Tribune estao-
lishment contained such an assemblage
Of "all the talents" as no other American
paper has ever boosted. The roll Of The
Tribune staff at home and abroad was an
honor roll of American literature-Ripley,
Taylor, Hay, Smalley. Winter Cook,
| Hunt, Congdon, Bromley, Brooks. Hig-
Rinson, Huntington, Hassard. Dwight.
| Webb, Mark Twain, Bret Harte, Rebecca
II, Davis, Louise G. Moulton, Lucia G.
Runkle, Ellen NJ. Hutchinson and their
compeers. For such a staff and for such
a paper the first great newspaper build
ing and. indeed, the first great modern
freproof, skyscraping Office building In
America was fifty erected.
The Campaign Of 1872.
Then came the political campaign of
| 1872 Immediately upon his nomination
for the Presidency Mr.. Greeley resigned
the editorship of The Tribune. and Mr..
Reid was unanimously chosen by the di-
rectors TO fill his place Thus he became
the editor Of The Tribune. the second
editor the paper had mad, and because OF
his youth and the then unique proper
tions of the new building In which The
Tribune was housed he was frequently
called 1.-The young man in the tall tower"
Throughout that campaign Mr.. Reid d.
rected the paper with a mastefful skill
which ELECTED the admirtng tributes of
even his political adversaries. Disciple
of Greeley though he was. and reverently
devoted TO the cardinal principles of his
public ethics he yet took a more catholic
view of the duties and responsibilities OF
a newspaper and strove to make 1t less
Of a partisan controversial tract and more
a we'll balanced and impartial record of
the worlds daily doings His editorial
mage was as vigorous. as intense and on
occasion as impassioned as ever Mr..
Greeley had made II. but in his news
columns he gave full and impartial re-
/ nd Oninions M his