White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1923-09-16
BABBLING
IN III DESERT

Speaking of making colonies to
order, a lot of people have heard OF
Colonel Blethen. Before he came to
Seattle Blethen was no mor OF 4
colonel than I am, but he was al
ways was a Fourth of July parade
man, intended for grand marshal
when the line vas a long one in a
city and in the old times when it
was the fashion TO have long wavy
mutton chop whiskers.. He arrived
in Seattle with a pair of those on,
but discarded them after a few
months for the present day clean
shaven fashion. Blethen had two
winners in his personality. One was
his fine physique and general good
looks, the other was his willingness
10 be it on every public occasion.
Back in the middle 'SGs when
Cleveland was president for the first
time Blethen was running the Min
neapolis Tribune and seasoning his
career into a happy flavor by occa-
sional dress parade show-offs in pub
lie. To be sure, he was II of the
subalterns next to the grand mar
shall running the Cleveland parade,
and his position therein, as he man
aged to have it, right next to the
Cleveland carriage. It was in that
city that Mrs. Cleveland issued her
famed ultimatum, refusing to ride
in a certain carriage far in the rear
of her husbands carriage, insisting
that she was not merely Mrs. Cleve-
land. but wife CO the president o!
the United States, and made it stick,
Blethen wes som worker, but never
was quite onnipresent OF ubiGui-
tous enough TO be able to act as
factotum at parades and pose Sin
state for the number of hours re
CURED to be pointed to on the
streets by the number of thousands
he deemed it necessary to observe
him in public as Mr.. Blethen, "edi.
tor-in chief" of the Tribune. So h.
had to let the writing job out tc
hired men part Of the time. That is
how 1t was that an editorial writer
of his wrote that scandalous article
likening Mrs. Cleveland to a fallen
woman, saying that she had bar
tered her honor for the privilege O..
being mistress of the White House
Anyway, with all of the national up
heaval that the editor created with
all of the vexations that it caused
could not compare with the deep
humiliationthat it visited upon Bleth-
en-, whose name was at the head of
the page and with him as it's sup
posed writer. But say what You will
against Blethen newspaper men who
know the behind-the-curtain opera.
lions of a newspaper must admit
that for once if never again he was
a man. He took the blame and stood
the gait, though as a bouquet man in
Minneapolis it broke his back and
all but squelched him. Yet he neve,
%squealed, even afterward.
When Blethen landed III Seattle
in 1896 he had just wiggled out OF
his part, as a director, Of the fail.
ure of the New ENGLAND Savings
bank at Minneapolis and he was in
financial distress. The Seattle
Times was a little reprint eight
page affair, discredited on all hands.
Yet it had three 1inotypes and a
perfecting press, all told represent
ing an investment of probably $780,
900. Charles F. Fishback was a
recently arrived attorney who had
presided at one republican county
convention and just then was alt
tracing a little attention to him
self by giving credence to q report
that he had cleared $4,000 on a
Port Angeles timber land deal, and
Joining the stampede of boilers into
the silver republican ranks and sup
porting Bryan. l never knew The
nature of the deal, though I was
working there at the time, whether
Fishback was the buyer, or whether
in reality it was Blethen, for he was
canny and never went broke with
out saving a little currency, but it
was announced as beiEg Fishback. AT
any rate, a suitable announcement
in the editorial columns was printed,
the heading being. Colonel Fish.
backs announcement" 1t was ar
article Of a column and a half. In
its our it set forth that the sigma
tory had associated with him in the
purchase Colonel Alden ]. Blethen,
etc, etc. 1t was signed Charles F
Fishback." So that's how they made
'em-a pair of colonies.
1t did not stick long with Fish.
back. He soon dropped out Of the
paper deal. but it sure went with
Blethen. He not only called him.
self colonel in the paper and kept
doing it, but had a painted sign
posted on the wall leading up a lit.
tie stairway to his private office with
the words, Colonel Blethen," and
the same thing on his door. He
died as much a colone. as If he had
led the Rough Riders up San Juan
hill, only he never found out what
powder smelled like.