The Dallas express. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1893-1970, 1919-09-06

HONORABLE w. L. KING, FOUND
Err AND EDITOR OF THE Dali
LAS EXPRESS, WORKED FOR
TWENTY FIVE YEARS TO MAKE
1T THE PEOPLES JOURNAL
LECTURER AND ORGANIZER
AND PUBLICIST.
An Admirer Of N. w. Quincy of w.
M. Mcdonald Of Fred Douglas and
Col Theodore Roosevelt, Intensely
American.
Hon. w. q. King, the founder and
editor of the great Dallas Express,
requiring twenty-five years of toll,
and self denial and self devotion, has
gone the way of all the earth. He
dies, but God reigns, and the Ex-
press still lives. Lives as the result
of the timely efforts and fore sight
of the founder. He dies, but his
monument of idealism in the form
of the peoples journal, read and ap-
preciated by the 10000 readers who
peruse its pages for the latest news,
and as the one reliable paper, conser-
vative, honest, fair and impartial to-
ward the whites and the blacks.
1t was the decided opinion of Mr..
King that the Express should never
be radical on any subject. He was
for moderation, he was for the prin-
ciples and policies that would ad-
vance the race along those lines that
would promote the better. understand
ing between the races. He was a
unit on this subject. 1t was sur
prising to hear him talk with that
doggedness along these lines that
characterized the man and his ad-
vanced views. His position was that
of a recitation, peaceful yet manly,
meritorious not demanding, advancing
and yet not aggressive, such was
the man, such were his views. l have
talked with him by the hours touch
ing men and measure and am in
position to know him and what the
man stood for in these particulars.
To say that he was an idealist in
many things, especially in his the
cries and purposes, would family ex-
press his views. He could lay out
a line of business activity, of bust
ness theorized, but could never put
into rugged operation those very plans
of activity that he seemed to see
ahead and in which his whole soul
seemed to be apart and further that
this hand could never reach and
bring under his immediate control.
One of his peculiar characteristics
was that debonair air of decorium
which passed him and that made him
polite and as it were a slave to cour-
tesy especially toward everybody, and
kind word even about his opponents
and persons holding contrary views
to those of his. Once when l was
speaking of a certain business man
whose views, / considered very mar
row and superficial he would speak
| in the kindest manner of him and
remarked that he was growing broad
err in his views, and not only that
he found that men everywhere are
becoming better and that the future
is to be better than the past and
that hope and inspiration spring ter
morally from the breast of the humb-
lest encouraged by the most lofty,
and he would say these things so
forceably that I have been compelled
! to change my manner of thinking
about them in several material ways
that have been instructive and even
advantageous.
Mr.. King had read much, has spok-
en- much, and has written much, and
has come in contact with many per-
sons of advanced views, what had a
store of information and which he
seemed to have shared and laid away
that he might use at his needs would
call to his aid either when in ordi-
nary conversation, in writing on the
lecture platform. He was ready
speaker, uolish, firm, decisive, con-
vincing. His delivery was almost
perfect, his oratory was replete, his
diction precise and chase. He had
more OF the air of an English man
than that of an American. He was
dignifed, manly in appearance, no
one could look upon his manly bear
ing without being favorably impress
ed with his royal demeanor and port
ly bearing.
Mr.. King was perhaps the most
conspicuous public speaker in the en-
tire state, who has addressed more
people than any other one individual
| in the state. He was always on the
go, filling previous engagements and
he seemed to be interesting and in
structive alike at every place in
which he spoke. He had two pet
themes, one which seemed dearest
to his mind, the Dallas Express, the
second the Business League coupled
with these was his ideal put Bust
ness in Your Religion" or the Union
| of the two.
In politics he was an ardent Re
publican, and here It may be stated
that he was uncompromising and a
rank partisan always favoring his
men and policies. He was great
admirer of Fred Douglas and often
spoke of the man of Anna Costa.
Hons. N. w. Quincy and W. M. Nc
Donald were his ideals as to loader
ship. He came to me on one oc-
casion and asked me to include the
name of Mcdonald in my list of lead
ers, then he added this "Do not leave
out the Hon. R. L. Smith as an in
dustrial and economic leader" l COM
piled with his request. He also ad-
mired Col. Roosevelt, and often spoke
of the statesman that this greatest
American was and how Mr.. Roose-
welt viewed the proposition of help
ing a man to his feet and then let
the fellow walk. Nothing more, this
is all any man needs.
He held the greatest veneratiOn
for his pastor DR.. A. S. Jackson,
pastor of the New Hope Baptist
church of this city. The last CONVEX
| .of;On which had with Mr. Kino