Page:The autobiography of a Pennsylvanian.djvu/390

 opinion upon the question as to what is Philadelphia's “greatest need,” to which I replied:

“In my judgment Philadelphia, better than any other municipality upon the continent, represents the honest, conservative and healthful instincts of the American people, and is less swayed by fleeting, emotional impulses than any other city. In spirit she is patriotic and in achievement she excels. What she most needs is a newspaper, possessing her characteristics, imbued with her sentiments, and which has the capacity and the inclination to make her accomplishments known to the world and to defend her against the written and spoken assaults of rivals elsewhere and of the unfaithful who have come among her people in an effort to better their fortunes.”

John P. Dwyer, the managing editor of the Record, a bright and capable fellow, with whom I have always been on good terms, then wrote, making this rather astonishing proposition on behalf of that journal:

“It will turn over to you on any day you may select within the next three months, its entire plant, one of the most modern and complete in the world and offering every advantage for the printing and circulation of a newspaper, with the understanding that you shall have absolute charge of the men and materials at hand, or any other equipment that you may require, to prepare, print and circulate a newspaper of the character you have in mind. The proposition is made in the utmost good faith and with the earnest hope that you will see your way clear to its acceptance.” Bromley Wharton, my secretary, wrote in response: “The governor directs me to say that while he very much appreciates the generosity of your proposition and the exceedingly courteous and complimentary terms in which it is couched, the time is too inadequate and the task is too overwhelming to permit him to accept.” Dwyer returned to the charge, saying, in a long letter, among other things: 374