The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-02
Ed Howe Of To.
 Where Big Fish Chase After Bait
By wESTBRoOK PEGLER Ucased Wire To Age-HeraId.)


 NEW YORK, Nov. Well, sir, If you could just fetch up your chair and set and listen you could hear the dangedest lot of whoppers this week about big fish that got ketched and big fish that got away, and some of the whoppingest whoppers would be told by a man from Kansas where ! they catch sardines with can- opener.
 Ed Howe-O1d Ed Howe-better known as ye editor of the Atchison 1 Globe, is in New York for his first visit in 15 years, bound south for Miami, where the swordfish strops it's blade on the tiger shark and the i savage barracuda uses the sword fish for a toothpick. That's the kind l of whoppers you'd hear this week out at the home of John Golden, the theatrical producer, at Little Neck, L. l., where Old Ed Howe and Golden will hold their experience meeting before lighting out for Miami. | Not exactly humble, but not what you'd call a confessed oracle, either, Ed Howe talked to New York re- porters about New York, about the newspaper business, about people and | cookin', and this and that when he landed here from Atchison after 15 years He came here for seclusion among the 6,000,000 because in New York he can stand at Broadway and l Forty second for hours and never see 1 a soul he knows. Never Have To Remove Hat
 In New York he could go all win ter without even having to take off his hat outdoors. but it has got so in Atehison that he just can't winter his hat and tippin' his hat to this one and that one every time he goes out in the cold. He was going to Florida for the fishin' anyway, so he thought he'd just come by way of New York for change and take the rest cure.
 Matter of fact" he said, I'm not try to the city nowadays to rest up. With all the drinking going on in the country, farmers sons are get ting to be drunkards, and they are sending them to the cities to straighten up. You just ought to see the liquor drinking in the country. You would see something downright disgraceful. It's easier to make it and harder to catch them making 1t in the country. Why, you take it right in the little 1s,0oo town of Atchfson, there's some men with ss much as two barrels of liquor in their cellars. I'm a prohibitionist and l thought state prohibition was fine. but national prohibition Is a failure in Kansas"
 Ye editor has not come to Gotham at the age of 70 to accept a posi- ton at handsome salary on one of the metropolitan newspapers because nobody ever made him an offer and be isn't sure he could make the grade, either. 74Inasmuch as most of the successful men in New York only came here after they made good l frxNxr y1ra k@t-t 1- IL. -r-s. New Yorker Is pretty good article, taking him this way and that. Wouldn't Know Game.
 T wouldn't even know how to work on New York paper" he ad- mitted, "If I didn't have a nickel in the world and had to get a job here I doubt if I would know how to go lieve I could learn to run New York paper. Think of me. sitting down and trying to tell what the people of the greatest city in the world need in the way of news paper. But if I worked Here, I'd just try to be a good reporter. AL most all good writing s just good reporting and reporter has to know people. People are smart. They give you lots of good ideas. Out in Atchison l used to watch the train men because a trainman is a smart
 
 things to say.
 New York is all right. I want to have a look at the new tall build ings that went up since I was here last and I'm having some fun in the crowds in the subways. Out home, people are always calling me up about items for the paper or about not getting their paper today or about somebody's initials being wrong In the paper. If walk along Commercial street I just go by steps talking to people all the time While I'm here l want to see George F. Baker, the banker because l under stand he never talks for publication l don't want to talk to him. I came here to get away from always talk ing to people. I just want to see the man who got famous for not talking"
 Old Ed Howe doesn't set much store by the food in New York. That's one thing he has against the | town. He will eat the least pos- sible quantity of provisions while he is here and if it comes to such a pass that he has just got to have some home-f folks food he will call on l his daughter and let her fry some ham and eggs for him.
 He makes no promises but it isn't likely that he will go to the follies, either. He didn't come to do the town as most of his town-folks would. He just wants to stir around among 6,000,0 900 people who don't know who he is.