The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1921-02-02
THE PARTING

Only the men who have spent years
in a newspaper Office can imagine the
| feelings which must have been War.
rem G.. Harding's the other day when
he formally relinqushed the editor
ship of the Marion Star. The troopine
of memories must have brought to
the Stars owner a mixture of sadness
and joy. This was inevitable in the
case of man who built a newspaper
up from nothing, who made some
thing which in turn helped to make
him and who at the end of more than
a generation was letting go his close
hold on this creature of his own
ability and going away to the greater
and more exacting adventure of the
Presidency of the United States.
I'VE have purchased the Star and
will stay" Such was young Harding S
succinct greeting and promise to the
people of his home town on Novem-
Der 26. 1884 That was a long time
ago. Harding was a lad of 10 Per-
haps the people of Marion, who had
seen one newspaper after another go
by the board and who realized how
hard it was to keep a daily alive in a
town of 1000, smiled over the brief
declaration of intent. But I'VE" stay
ed for thirty-siX years and I'VE" pre-
sunably will go back to the old desk
1t is the struggle of many years.
when the White House days are over
beginning a few days after the first
election of Cleveland to the Presi-
dency. that is the real story of War
rem Harding's later success. No man
can keep a daily paper going in
small town unless his fellows like
him and trust him. There is a per-
sonal relation which does not exist in
the cities. The editor in a town such
as Marion was then-it is seven times
as big now-has to know everybody
He must personally find news items
and advertising. He must have a per-
sonal interest i'll the vital statistics,
the lost days, the strawberry festivals.
the political ambitions of the town
supervisor. And in the day when
Harding took hold of the Star a small
town editor had to be freely partisan
That was the political fashion of the
day when every Republican was deep
ly grieved by the defeat of Blaine and
fearful of what Clevelands election
would mean to the country.
1t is easy to understand now why
young Harding was able to keep his
promise to stay. Marion liked and
trusted him and he understood
Marion. Yet while that affection was
IN the making tn young editor under
went all the business and editorial
tribuations which the fates have in
hicted on budding editors since the
hrst of the graphic cavemen hacked
news pictorially on stone wall Dig
ging into the last corner of his peck |
cts to pay off the printer on Satur-
day night collecting in advance from
advertisers to pay the paper man
struggling to make the badly worn
iress OF type do duty little longer:
1ghtlng to make circulation and then
longing for press capable of hand |
ing it-every young newspaper pio-
neer, whether Ben Day or the first
Bennett or young Harding, has had
he same useful but nerve wracking
experience.
1t mig Int be said of Harding that
ne took better care of his newspaper
han OF what political ambition he
nay have had, He carefully and de-
iberately prevented his newspaper
rom saying anything about Warren
i. Harding. All the kind things that
we're said in Marion about him had
o travel by word of mouth In spite
II this Inhibition all of Ohio came to
inow Harding. not merely as the
,wner OF good newspaper but as
he possessor of good mind.
vi course IT was the Star that made
Is owner. even though il printed
lever a word about him. He had
Transformed it from a few fronts of
ype and a cheap press into one of
ne powers OF a great state. After he
lad shaved twenty years for the Star,
ne Star began to work for him. So
ne recent parting was between mu-
uai frinds; tor to man who has
made 1t newspaper is a throbbing
nifty.
A lawyer chosen to the Presidency
an take with him his law books: a
older can take his maps. But there
no way to bring a Hoe press into
he White House. The Star must
tay IN Marion, and twinkle forth its
any light. The man who made il
hine so brightly must be content for
ne next few years with the pleasant
memories of his youthful struggle the
attic that brought him not only pro-
sssional success but the greatest Of
&c IN he diff of democracy.-N. Y.
ierald