Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1916-04-12
BIOGRAPHY OF
ZANE GREY SWISSHELM
First Newspaper Woman Of
Minnesota.
A Remarkable Woman Of Ante.
bellum Days-1815-1a65
CHI A PIT Err XXI.
Reception Of the Visiter.

reception OF the Visitor.
While preparing matter for the first
number Of the Visitor, I had time to
think that so far as any organization
was concerned, l stood alone. I could
not work with Garrison on the ground
that the Constitution was prO-slavery,
for had abandoned that in 1892, when
our church split on it and went with
the New School, who held that it was
then anti-slavery. The Covenanters.
before it was adopted, denounced it
as a covenant with death and an
agreement with hell" l had long ago
become familiar with the arguments
on that side, and l concluded they
were fallacious, and could not go back
to them even for a welcome into the
abolition ranks.
The political action wing Of the an
ti-slavery party had given formal not
place among them. True, there was
a large minority who dissented from
this action, but there was division
for contention. So I took pains to
to no party. I was fighting slavery
fare. where every man is Captain
lieutenants, all the corporals and pri-
Yates of his company. l was like the
Israeites in the days when there was
no king, and "every man did that
which was right in his own eyes"
1t seemed good unto me to support
to promulgate the principles of the
platform on which he stood in the last
election. This would do, and no man
had the right or power to stop me.
My paper was a six column weekly,
with a small Roman letter head, my
motto, Speak unto the children of
Israel that they go forward" the
names of my candidates at the head
Of the editorial column and the plat
form inserted as standing matter.
1t was quite an insignificant look
ing sheet, but no sooner did the Am
erican eagle catch sight of it, than
he swooned and fell off his perch.
Democratic ROSTERS Strengthened out
their necks and ran screaming with
terror. Wing coons scampered up
trees and barked furiously. The world
was falling and every one had ''heard
it, saw it, and felt it,"
It appeared that on some inauspic-
ious morning each one of the three
fourths Of the secular editors from
Maine to Georgia had gone to his Of
fee suspecting nothing when from
some corner Of his exchange list there
sprang upon him such a horror as he
had little thought to see.
A woman had started political pa
per! A woman! Could he believe his
eyes? A woman! Instantly he sprang
to his feet and clutche7 his panta-
looms, shouted to the assistant editor,
when he, too, read and grasped fran
tically at his cassimers, called to the
reporters and pressmen and typos and
devils, who all rushed in, heard the
news, seized their neither garments
and joined the general chorus, my
breeches! oh, my breeches!" Here
was a woman resolved to steal their
pantaloons, their trousers, and when
these were gone they might cry Eye
have taken away my gods, and what
have l more?" The imminence Of the
peril called for prompt action, and
with one accord they shouted, ION to
the breach, in defense Of our breech-
es! Repel the invader or fill the
trenches with our noble dead"
"That woman shall not have my
pantaloons," cried the editor of the
big city daily; nor my pantaloons,"
said the editor of the dignified week.
ly; nor my pantaloons," said he who
issued manifestos but once a month;
NOR mine," NOR mine," nor mine,' -
chimed in the small fry Of the coun-
try towns.
Even the religious press could not
get past the tailor shop, and 'panta-
looms" was the watchword all along
the line. George D. Prentiss took up
the cry, and gave the world a two
third column leader on it, stating ex-
plicitly, "She is man all but the
pantaloons." I wrote to him asking
copy Of the article, but received nc
answer, when I replied in rhyme tC
suit his case:
Perhaps you have been busy
Horsewhipping Sal or Lizzie,
Stealing some poor mans baby,
Selling it's mother, maybe.
You say-and you are witty
That land, tbs a pity
OF manhood lack but dress;
But you lack manliness,
A body clean and new,
A soul within it, too.
Nature must change her plan
Ere you can be man.
This turned the tide of battle. On
editor said, Brother George, bewar
of sister Jane" Another, "Prentis
has found his match" He made n
reply, and it was not long until
I thought the pantaloon argument wa
) dropped forever.
There was, however, bright sid
{ to the reception of the Visiter. Hol
J ace Greeley gave it respectful recOs