GREELEY 223 family removed to West Haven, V t. Hor- ace had early conceived a strong desire to be a printer, and in 1826 he entered as an appren- tice the office of the " Northern Spectator " in East Poultney, soon became an expert work- man, and rendered occasional assistance in ed- iting the paper. He kept up his studies, and was called the "giant" of the village debating society, being especially noted for his familiar- ity with political statistics. His parents mean- while had removed to Erie co., Pa., and he had made two visits there, walking a large part of the way. In 1830 the " Spectator " was discontinued, and he went west in search of employment, finding it at Jamestown and Lodi, N. Y., and Erie, Pa. In August, 1831, he went to New York, reaching that city on the 17th, with $10 in his pocket. He soon found employment by undertaking a job which no other printer would accept, it being a 32mo New Testament in very small type, with inter- columnar notes in still smaller. By working at this 12 or 14 hours a day he was able to earn but $5 or $6 a week, yet he persevered till the Testament was completed. He worked as a journeyman in several offices till Jan. 1, 1833, when he commenced business on his own account, with Francis V. Story as his partner. They printed the "Morning Post," the first penny daily ever published, which was owned and edited by Dr. H. D. Shepard. Story was drowned in July, 1833, and his place in the establishment was taken by Jonas Winchester. On March 22, 1834, the new firm issued the first number of " The New Yorker," a weekly folio (afterward changed to double quarto), de- voted mainly to current literature, but giving also a summary of news, which soon became celebrated for the accuracy of its political sta- tistics. Mr. Greeley was the editor. The pa- per reached a circulation of 9,000, and was con- tinued seven years, but was never profitable. While engaged upon it Mr. Greeley wrote the leading articles for the " Daily Whig," and also edited for one year, 1838-'9, the " JefFersonian," a political weekly published at Albany. In 1840 lie edited and published the " Log Cabin," a campaign weekly devoted to the advocacy of Harrison's election to the presidency, which attained a circulation of 80,000 copies. On April 10, 1841, he issued the first number of the
- ' Daily Tribune," which he says was "a small
sheet, for it was to be retailed for a cent." Mr. jreeley was at first sole proprietor and publish- 3r, as well as chief editor ; but he soon formed' i partnership with Thomas McElrath, who
- ook charge of the business department. The
'Daily Tribune" started with 500 subscribers, md of the first issue 5,000 copies were print- id and sold or given away. In the autumn of 1841 the " Weekly Tribune " was commenced, -he "New Yorker" and "Log Cabin" being nerged in it. With these journals Greeley was Closely identified during the remainder of his ife, so that in the popular mind "Tribune" tnd " Horace Greeley " were interchangeable 375 VOL. VIII. 15 terms; and of his work as a journalist and his influence on the rising profession of journalism he was confessedly and justly proud. In his autobiography he writes: "Fame is a vapor; popularity an accident ; riches take wings; the only earthly certainty is oblivion ; no man can foresee what a day may bring forth, while those who cheer to-day will often curse to- morrow: and yet I cherish the hope that the journal I projected and established will live and flourish long after I shall have mouldered into forgotten dust, being guided by a larger wisdom, a more unerring sagacity to discern the right, though not by a more unfaltering readiness to embrace and defend it at whatever personal cost ; and that the stone which covers my ashes may bear to future eyes the still intelli- gible inscription, 'Founder of the New York Tribune.' " In 1848 he was elected to congress to fill a vacancy, and served from Dec. 1 of that year till March 4, 1849, distinguishing him- self by exposing and denouncing the abuses of the mileage system, but mainly through the columns of his journal, rather than from his place on the floor of the house. He was a warm advocate of industrial and social reforms, and was personally interested in the "North American Phalanx" (1843-'50), a socialist ex- periment near Ked Bank, N. J., partly based upon the principles of Fourier. He labored zealously for the welfare of the poorer classes, and was a life-long opponent of slavery. Be- sides being continually busy with his editorial duties, he delivered numerous lectures and ad- dresses at agricultural fairs, and occasional political speeches. His favorite topics 'were popular education, temperance, and labor or- ganization. In 1851 he visited Europe, was a juryman at the London crystal palace exhi- bition, and travelled rapidly through France, Italy, and Great Britain. In 1855 he made a second trip to Europe, spending six weeks in Paris. There he passed two days in prison, on the action of an obscure French sculptor, who claimed $2,500 for damages to a statue which had been injured at the New York world's fair of 1853, of which Mr. Greeley was a director. He spent the winter of 1855--'6 in Washington, watching the memorable contest for the speakership and commenting on it in his letters to the "Tribune." For certain strictures on a resolution introduced by Albert Rust of Arkansas he was brutally assaulted by the latter in the capitol grounds, and was confined for several days by his injuries. In 1 859 he visited California by the overland route, had public receptions in San Francisco and elsewhere, and addressed various assem- blies on the Pacific railroad, political questions, &c. In 1860 he attended the republican na- tional convention at Chicago, where he was largely instrumental in defeating the nomina- tion of William H. Seward for president and securing that of Abraham Lincoln, though his preference was for Edward Bates of Missouri. This action was attributed to a personal feeling
