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PROGRESS OF THE WORLD AND WORLD-HERALD

THE story of the Omaha Herald from 1863 to 1888 has been graphically and modestly told by Dr. Miller. That story is an important chapter in the history of Omaha and in the development of the west. The old Herald was for years recognized as a leading factor in the progress not only of the city but of the whole trans Missouri region. Its reputation as a newspaper and as a champion of the west extended far beyond its natural field of circulation. Day by day Dr Miller told the story of western growth and western possibilities in arteries which were widely quoted in the papers of other states as were also his political contributions. If thus happened at an early date that the Herald and its editor attained a national reputation and contributed greatly to the attention that was attracted to Omaha.

The beginning of the World was in August, 1885. In that month in association with a few other men, I undertook to establish an evening paper in this city, which was then already well supplied with newspapers. Dr. Miller was still editing the Herald, which was recognized as the democratic newspaper of the state. The Republican was conducted by Mr. Yost and Mr. Fred Nye as an old-line party organ. The Bee, both morning and evening, edited then as now by Mr. Rosewater, was run as an independent republican paper and was probably in its most prosperous period. There were, therefore, three morning papers and one evening paper when the Evening World was born August 21, 1885, to become the fifth daily paper in Omaha.

I shall not undertake to detail the struggles that followed. Associated with me at that time were W. V. Rooker, who has [?] returned to Indiana and entered upon the practice of law: Mr. W. F. Gurley, who established himself in the same profession in Omaha, and Mr. Frank J. Burkley, now well known as a job printer of this city. The Evening World signalized its advent into the newspaper held of Omaha by the adoption of a number of metropolitan newspaper methods and soon earned the reputation of being a bright, newsy and enterprising local paper. In politics it maintained an independent position for some years, but in the presidential election of 1888 it gives ts support to Grover Cleveland, and still further fixed its position as a democratic paper in 1889 by the acquisition of the Herald. Until this tune in the Evening World had been largely a local publication, but by the acquisition of the Morning Herald a decided change was effected.

The consolidated paper became known as the World-Herald, published morning and evening, as well as Sunday, and, instead of being a local paper, its sprung at once into the much wider field of Nebraska journalism. The conservative old democratic Herald and the radical Evening World made a combination of democracy and radicalism, which to my mind, is a natural union. In the political events of the next few years the World Herald had a large share. It had much to do with electing James E. Boyd governor; defeating prohibition; [?] railroad legislation, bringing about the victorious union of democrats and populists under the name of fusion, electing Bryan to congress for two terms, and in contributing to his nomination for the residence. During this period the paper passed through the serious business [vicissitudes?]. The small commercial venture of the Evening World had rapidly swollen into a great commercial enterprise intensified very materially by the very rapid growth of the city and the state. When, therefore, there came upon Omaha the depression which culminated in the bank panic of 1893 and the crop failure of 1894 the business situation became such that I found it necessary to abandon editorial work and give my attention to business management.

At that time Mr. W. J. Bryan was just about to retire from Congress and, upon my invitation, he took my place as editor-in-chief, with an understanding that the editorial policy was to be in accordance with Mr. Bryan's views on the money question. About this time Mr. R. L. Metacalfe, who had been upon the World Herald staff for some time in various capacities, became editorial writer as Mr. Bryan's assistant and associate. This arrangement continued for two years, until Mr. Bryan was nominated by the democratic convention for the presidency in 1896 and gave up his position with the World-Herald. From that day until the present time Mr. Metcalfe has been editor-in-chief of the World-Herald, and when he [?] from this position, as he expects to on May 1, to go to the Commoner and associate himself [?] with Mr. Bryan he will have held this important and influential position on the World-Herald nearly nine years. And then after the lapse of eleven years, I shall resume editorial work.

Gilbert M. Hitchcock.

We are all prone to overestimate the importance of the things we do; publishers are apt in the same way to exaggerate the effects produced by their newspapers. For that reason my partiality for the World-Herald perhaps disqualifies me from fairly judging the effects of its labors and its struggles. The World-Herald, however, like all newspapers of any size, is the product not of one man or of one mind, but of a large number and, being only one of these, I feel less hesitation in speaking of World-Herald achievements. I can especially excuse myself because for a decade of the most critical period and most marked success the editorial direction was in the hands of Mr. Metcalfe.

Perhaps the most far-reaching influence of the World-Herald has been in political struggles. When the Evening World and the Morning Herald were united as one newspaper in 1889 no one would have been so rash as to predict that any party or any combination of parties could wrest Nebraska from republican control; yet largely through the influence and by means of exertions of the World-Herald, Mr. Bryan was elected to congress in 1890 and again in 1892. Largely through the influence and by the great exertions of the World-Herald, as has been already stated, James E. Boyd, the democratic candidate, was elected governor of Nebraska. Largely, also, through the influence of the World-Herald a great coalition of democrats and populists was formed under the name of fusion, which swept the state in several successive elections. In this way were elected several governors and minor state officers, several state legislatures, one United States senator, half of the congressmen of Nebraska and even a majority of the supreme court of the state. This arrangement made it possible for Bryan to take the state away from McKinley in 1896, and, although this political wve has subsided and Nebraska has again returned to the republican fold, it is not too much to say that a very material change in the political sentiment of the state has been brought about.

I shall not undertake to enumerate what this newspaper has accomplished in promoting the business interests and developing the city and state. These labors have only been such as any newspaper should perform that fulfills its duty to its constituents. Perhaps I ought to say a word about some of the men and women who on the World-Herald have earned and enjoyed a wide reputation. As I look back to the early days of the Evening World I recalled a man whose dialogue humor gave to the paper a national reputation. In appearance, Foster (for that was his name) was a poor, forlorn creature, with a struggling remnant of what had been a red beard, with a gaunt and haggard countenance and with an emaciated body. In the presence of anyone he was ill at ease and timid, taciturn in conversation and retiring in disposition; but his dialogue humor, which for a number of years appeared regularly in this newspaper, was quoted throughout the length and breadth of the land and gave to the Evening World a national reputation as a funny paper. He is dead and gone a number of years ago. Many people will recall R. B. Peattie and Elia W. Peattie, his wife. Mr. Peattie, as managing editor of the World-Herald, introduced a number of metropolitan ideas in Omaha journalism, but it was Mrs. Peattie who became best known to the people of this city and state because of her brilliant and original work upon the paper. They left the World-Herald for a wider field, and Mrs. Peattie has, a writer of magazine stories, at the present time a wide reputation. More also will recall Carl Smith, that odd and erratic genius whos funny stories in the World-Herald often made the whole town laugh in chorus. Carl Smith afterward attained prominence in Chicago and came to an untimely end in accidental drowning. Fred Nye, now of New York, and Mrs. Kinkaid, now of Milwaukee, established high reputations. Then there was Will Manpin, whose work, covering a number of years on the World-Herald, gave him a state reputation, which he still enjoys and is still adding to in another field. Then quite recently there was E. O. Mayfield, writer of children's stories under the name of Rex M., and not only a writer of children's stories, but, in fact, inventor of a system of children amusement.

This by no means completes the list. Many others could be mentioned, not all of whom were so well known to the readers of the World-Herald, but whose work upon the World Herald was important and valuable.

I believe it is proper for me to say, without disparagement of other newspapers or other newspaper staffs, that at the present time no paper in the west has a staff of able or stronger men than the World Herald.

It has been my belief that the success and popularity of a newspaper depends largely on the character and caliber of the men who do the work on the paper--not only the writing of editorials and the directing of editorial policy, but that the high trade must be maintained in the sporting department, in the political department, in the commercial and in every other branch of reportorial work, and I think I am not overstating the case when I say that the men and women employed upon the World-Herald are the pick of the state, and that in the whole west not an equally strong staff can be found on a paper of this size.

The business growth of the World-Herald has been considerable, taking into account the competition that had to be met and the field in which it had to grow. During the year recently closed the average circulation of the Daily and Sunday World-Herald per day was 34,862 copies. The World-Herald uses over three tons of bank paper per day and gives employment to over 100 people, besides hundreds of correspondents and many carriers. It circulates over a wide field and enjoys a national reputation. It carries a larger amount of Omaha advertising than any other paper and guarantees to return to users of its want ads twice as many answers as any other paper in Omaha. It does a business of almost $900 per day, and it is, in fact, one of the largest business enterprises of the state. When I look back to the small beginning oft eh Evening World in 1885 and compare it to the present proportions of the World Herald; when I recall the fierce struggles and the long, protracted efforts that were necessary to bridge of the past twenty years and bring the enterprise to its present position, I am sometimes surprised as well as gratified at the progress. I certainly would not like to live the life over again.
GILBERT M. HITCHCOCK.