About Worcester daily press. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1873-1878
Worcester, Mass. (1873-1878)

Worcester Daily Press

The Worcester Daily Press was published every morning (except Sundays) in Worcester, Massachusetts. Its first issue launched on April 1, 1873, and continued until July 1, 1877, when there was a suspension in production. Printing resumed on October 18, 1877, and it continued until April 27, 1878, when its publication ultimately ended.

In the January 29, 1878 issue, the paper claimed to present the news of the day "accurately, attractively, and as fully as the limits of its columns will permit." Daily topics included editorial comments, popular interests, and politics. It strived to present its information in a "forcible but not dictatory manner—; plainly, but in terms which need not give offense to those who hold contrary opinions." The paper outspokenly supported the Democratic party and declared that they reserved and preserved the "right to condemn wrong wherever wrong exists."

The editors and publishers were listed as Edward R. Fiske and Co. Proprietors. Fiske had previously worked in the printing trade on various newspapers out of Worcester, some of which included the Worcester Palladium, Worcester Republican, Worcester Cataract and Waterfall, and the Worcester State Sentinel. He was additionally connected with the Worcester Transcript and the Worcester Weekly Transcript. Roughly a year and a half after beginning publication, in December of 1874, Fiske resigned as editor and publisher, and he transferred control to his partner John A. Spaulding.

Spaulding did his best to keep the Worcester Daily Press going, but on Saturday, June 30, 1877, an announcement was made that the newspaper would cease publication. The list of current subscribers of the daily would be transferred to the Worcester Weekly Press, which would continue production. The cause for closure was attributed to a lack of sufficient funds, stating that "in these times no daily newspaper can live by its subscription list alone. Unless buttressed by substantial advertising patronage or supported by voluntary contributions, it must surely go down."

However, roughly three months later, on October 18, 1877, the Worcester Daily Press resumed production with an article stating several reasons for its reappearance, including, "…that a great body of representative men in the cities and towns of Central Massachusetts demand a live newspaper and the present management has undertaken to answer that demand. Perhaps this reason is alone sufficient: it certainly carries with it a more comprehensive prospectus than we have time or inclination to write."

Changes in publication after the brief suspension included a change in proprietorship. J.A. Spaulding was no longer listed as publisher (though he remained the business manager and a stockholder in the company), and the new owners were a conglomerate of well-known businesspeople calling themselves the Worcester Press Company.

In January 1877, the Worcester Daily Press claimed that "The Press has the largest circulation in the towns of Worcester County of any paper published in the city," and according to the 1878 edition of the American Newspaper Directory, the daily estimated circulation statistics were up to 2,000 issues. However, a few months later, at the end of April 1878, a brief article was released announcing its final issue and merger with the Worcester Daily Spy.

In the Worcester Book: A Diary of Noteworthy Events in Worcester, Massachusetts, the loss of the Worcester Daily Press was noted to be quite substantial to those who tried to sustain it, and that "several prominent Democrats, it is said, were 'out of pocket' $75,000 in aggregate." Although the Worcester Daily Press had a relatively short five-year run, it left its mark on Worcester's rich newspaper history.

Provided by: Boston Public Library