I think Mort can be explained in several ways, with one being that his management style was more common at one point in our history. However as the times changed, Mort did not. In fact, he may have got meaner and meaner thinking this was the answer. But he clearly didn't understand the difference between the guys with families who needed the job, as opposed to the kids in the late 60's, who wouldn't take that stuff forever. Julie Schwartz did understand, and adapted from Fox and Broome to Maggin and O'Neill, and got good work out of them. That's why Scwartz was the more successful editor.

And, of course, we may be overanalyzing Mort---he may just have been a mean mo fo.