Goes to Cincinnati
One day a railroad wreck occurred[1] at Heno, Ohio, a village near Middletown, and several employees of the National Cash Register Company of Dayton, Ohio, who were on a picnic, were killed. Altho the various Cincinnati papers had several correspondents along the line of the railroad, Cox was apparently the only reporter who got his story in on time. His energy and versatility apparently so appealed to the managing editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer that they offered him a position on the Enquirer. Mr. Baker of the News-Signal advised him to accept it. In speaking about the Cox of those days, one of his associates says:
[1] The wreck was on what was then the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad. The line is now owned by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company.
“Cox’s success was due to his ability to understand and talk the language of the average man. He seemed to have the ability to keep in touch with the aspirations and thoughts of his fellow citizens.”
Jim Falkner, the veteran political editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer, says that Cox’s stories were notable for their simplicity. They not only told the facts, but they were told in a way which the average man understood, believing he was getting a square deal. According to the records, Cox started with the Cincinnati Enquirer at $20.00 a week. That was in 1892. He worked for the Enquirer diligently for two years.
From all accounts, Cox’s work on the Enquirer was satisfactory, although nothing extraordinary. Altho now in the twenties, he had risen quite rapidly in newspaper work. From the News-Signal, at $6.00 a week and board, to the regular staff of the Cincinnati Enquirer was a fair jump. He apparently enjoyed the work, and the editors apparently liked him. It is said that he might be there today had it not been for a certain incident. Various accounts are told regarding this event, but the most authentic account is as follows:
A story was brought in by Cox which reflected on one of the big railroads operating in Ohio. The story was truthful and well written, but it was very displeasing to the railroad interests. These complained to the editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The editor was in a quandary as to what to do. He could not discharge Cox because of the truthfulness and excellence of the story; while he could not offend the railroad people by keeping Cox at such work against their wishes. Finally he hit upon the happy idea of promoting Cox to a different position. According to all reports, this was distinctly a better position, but the extra money did not appeal to Cox. He apparently felt that a moral principle was involved. If his newspaper story was untrue, he was willing to be discharged, but if the story was true he believed that his editor should reprimand the railroad company for complaining. Apparently the editor did not agree with him, and thereupon Cox resigned.