Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-02-05

had not accepted Invitations to speak
There were others in Sioux City who
could do all the talking. But he pre-.
pared = little speech ana tried It out
on Z county convention In q loft. He
rather timidly asked me how 1t went
and I assured him that It impressed mo
~ q well edited speech" But he spoke
with hssitancy, which wore of after .
few years Ia Washington. His ad-
dresses in later years were splendid
productions.
I laborsd nearly eight years on The
Journal. almost At the elbow OF Mr..
Perkins. There were those who said
he was cold ana distant. Rather ha
was engrossed In his WORT He was
not gruff nor disaSreeable nor nard to
work and that was all.
The hles Of the Journal cover q
mighty interesting story Of develop
City had 1000 people when the daily
vas started. 1t had no railroad. The
packet lines" were the most con-
spicuous thing there in the way Of
transportation. Steamboats, came an
the way from Pittsburg and wen. on
to Fort Benton. There were soldiers
com ing and going or stopp:ns for q few
days. Gen. Winfield 8. Hancock paused
there. So did Gen. Candy and others.
Tho soldiers widow Rho married
Admiral Dewey spent a :stRtsr there
In gay barrack life when she. was
young. There was the s:cat Black
Hills rush, much Of which passed
through Sioux City. The Indian wars
were very close. Later came the
Development Of p..rk pachfcg. then the
famous corn palaces, whose history
and Significance have never yet been
property told
Geo. D. Perkins stood at the gate
way and saw the passing throng but
he was unmoved. He lived up to his
own ideals. He did not speculate in
town lots, he did not become director
in any Of the mushroom corporations.
he did not undertake to regulate the
town, he did not try to tell everybody
how to act. His work was making
newspaper. In its news columns 1t was
to toll the news, not make the news.
In Its editorial columns 1t was to dis
cuss public questions and to reflect the
best sentiment Of the times. That was
the old idea, the plan and purpose
Of those mon who made American
newspapers before the counting room
lnUOe0C0 OcC0H0 OOAuAA0u" NOAAAo "
his later writing on political topics has
not had any superior in American
journalism An address he prepared
and delivered at a state convention
some years ago is q model OF fine
phrasing and clean analysis OF pofiti-
cal currents. OF course when his own
personal fortunes were involved he
did Just what other men always DO.
But he was possessed Of a profound
philosophy in dealing with the Affairs
OF the world. His writing was not
ornate nor scholarly: he had studied
the Bible and followed its simple d.
rec.ness to good advantage.
There will not be any others OF the
old school in Iowa journalism. The
old order passes. Conditions have
changed. 1t would be better II some
OF the old traditions were preserved.
The old printing office was an institu-
ton; the new printing plant is fac
tory. There used to be certain In
deAnable atmosphere about the old
newspaper office which lowered about
no matter what changes might take
place in the working force. With the
death Of George D. Perkins that little
OF the goodness of Nineteenth century
journalism whech had Topped over In
20 the new century disappears. We
who knew him long and well shaIf
Ynjsz him