The Minneapolis journal. [volume], November 26, 1903, Silver Anniversary Edition, History of the Journal, Image 28

About The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
t'&*s^N
^ t
u
$1,000 subscribed. It was voted that!
those who did not pay when called on i citizens joined in. It was not long be-
should give their notes for the amount fore the new crowd swept the county
of their stock, bearing 3 per cent | and town and set up anew form of
interest per month. Rev. C. G. Ames \ republicanism, and new leaders. These
was made editor, and the paper was men began to point to the postoffice,
called the Minnesota Republican
First Republican Paper.
The first issue was delivered to the
world Oct. 5, 1854. It is believed that
this was the first republican paper in
the " United States. The paper con
tained an editorial favoring the move
ment to form a new party, which re
sulted in the organization of the re
publican party in Minnesota at a
mass convention held at St. Anthony
March 29 and 30, 1855. This was
several months prior to the organiza
tion of the national republican party,
which took place the following year.
Mr. Ames continued the publication of
the Republican until Sept. 1,
1
u.
when he sold it to TV. A. Croffut and
Edwin Clark. These gentlemen con
tinued the Republican until Sept. 28,
1857, when they issued the first num
ber of the Falls Evening News, the
first daily newspaper published at St.
Anthony Falls. The panic of 1857,
and a disastrous fire among the mer
chants on the East Side, compelled the
substitution of a triweekly until Dec.
4, I860, when it again appeared as a
daily.
In 1859 the name of the Minnesota
Republican was changed to Minnesota
^^MmmmmTKE ^
-
IPARLY
%M ASKED to contribute to this
Anniversary edition of The
f , ."'J o u r n a I something relative
to the journalism of Minneapo
lis prior to November, 1878. Be-
, cause I played a small part in
K that epoch, I suppose. _ I have no
* 'Cmind for dates and chronological
.V--order I kept no diary. There was
|^, aio time for exactitude. The value
j$i*of the penny in our monetary clrcu-
gSlation was unknown. A few thousand
f \ either way in our population and in
&|ithe
,
circulationoof outruth
r newspapers did
k.s
-no t matter. S the may be ex -
m'f* pected in this article, but there will
St* - be some latitude for the en
thusiasm, and the optimism of the
old days, and the men who made a
record in the constructive era of our
newspapers, and of the great city in
which The Journal is published.
Beginning in St. Anthony.
The first newspapers of Minneapolis
were started on the St. Anthony side,
being then apart of Ramsey county.
: Minneapolis was still a military reser
vation. The St. Anthony Express was
its name. Isaac Atwater was the edi
tor, Wilmer Tyler was the publisher.
It was a weekly, of course, and the
first number was issued May 31, 1851.
The paper was continued until 1861
and "escaped with a loss of only
$3,000." Its next editor was D. S.on
B. Johnston, now of St. Paul. It was
whig at first, and afterwards a rec
ognized democratic paper. This is the
history of the first paper published at
the Falls of St. Anthony.
Following the Express came the
Northwestern Democrat, started by
George W. Prescott in 1853, demo
cratic in politics. In July, 1854, after
Minneapolis was thrown open to set
tlement, the paper was sold to W. A.
Hotchkiss. who commenced its pub
lication on the west side of the river
Aug. 12, 1854. It was also demo
cratic in politics, being backed by
Henry M. Rice, R. P. Russell and W.
C. Holcomb. They transferred their
interest to Joel B. Bassett, who Was
not. pleased with its conduct, and,
taking possession of it, sold it to
W: H. Russell of Shakopee, who re
moved himself and all he had to Min
neapolis, calling his paper the
Gazette. He also evidently failed to
pay Mr. Bassett for his Northwestern
Democrat, for we find Bassett a year
later selling it to C. H. Pettit and
John G. Williams, who had com
menced the publication of The Min
neapolis Journal. (This Journal had
no connection by purchase, descent,
by merger or otherwise with the pres
ent Minneapolis Journal.)
The next publication on the east
side of the river was the Minnesota
Republican. Edwin Clark, who is still
a vigorous citizen of Minneapolis, con
tributes the following facts relative to
the founding and history of the first
republican paper:
The First Daily in Minneapolis.
In the summer of 1854 there were
only two newspapers in the territory
of Minuesota .outside of St. Paul, the
St. Anthony Express, owned and edited
by Isaac Atwater, and the Northwest
ern Democrat, also published in St.
Anthony by George W. Prescott. Both
of these papers' were conservative.
The antislavery discussion was dis
turbing the public mind everywhere.
There was a warm section of .aboli
tionists at the falls without a news
paper voice. It was then that the more
^outspoken men began the agitation for
" a newspaper that should express more
fully their views on "temperance and
civil liberty."
A stock company was formed with
State News, which was subsequently
sold to Colonel W. S. King and merged
into the State Atlas, published on the
West Side.
The Early Competitions.
No sketch of Minneapolis journal
ism is complete without reference to
Its competitors, its rivals and the con
tests for existence and supremacy. It
is folly to harp on the bitterness I
will not do so. But there was rivalry
and enterprise, a plenty of it. St.
Paul had had the advantage of an
earlier settlement, and was a place, the weather reports, personals and the
of five or six thousand inhabitants be- I giad hand. It grew ominously. It
fore Minneapolis had a postoffice. It j lacked capital. King and his friend
was the head of navigation, it was | eaw^'the'lrerTd of 'affairs
the starting point of stage lines to portunity, and overtures were madej
the north and west. It was the cap- I to unite all the brain and journalistic | shambling-gaited, black-eyed enthusi- jAtherton, and no suggestions on how I this merger which would not mergehands
ltal. It had the start in banking, in'force under one paper. So the Atlas
newspapers and in hotels. It was the and the Chronicle became one, and Perance cause and into politics under 1
center of political and business af- all hands took stock in the Tribune,
fairs for an empire soon to be made the consolidated paper,
up of great states. Its business men | A glance at the names of these
apparentliy, had, little to. fear from Min-i not be a happy family. They were:
neapolis, which had nothing but a Colonel W. S. King, D. Morrison, W,
few lumber mills and St. Anthony D. Washburn, A. B. Stickney, Dr
accumulated property rapidly, and it stockholders will show that it could overrun with clients, plunged earlyj
.,!.^,..,. , . ,
Falls as a basis for its future. The Levi Butler W. S. Whitmorw e Colonel Iand
state university was also located here, L. P. Plummer, Frederick L. Smith changeld its name, to North Star. It c^ty was always good for a column, I morning paper, backed with enormous
inhabited during the shinplaster years Dr. George H. Keith, W. A. Newton
by the bats. The struggle for the and some smaller stockholders. Not,
leadership began early. Sometimes it sc harmonious political family truly, Pendent and
was the location of the capital some
times the struggle for a railroad.'
Sometimes the distribution of patron
age sometimes the scramble for of-
?h'J.
flee always a sharp drumming up of
business in various lines and a lively May 25, 1867. It contained the
hustle for population. It was recog- following*
nized that St. Paul had an important | "The lines being down mos all day
place on the map, and had a loyal, yesterday, we are" without e greater
enthusiastic and determined cbterie of
thi* future and nlanterl tholf AA,I ' e
fi''.'-
nltizfens who believed orrea thinsrsi - 1 ...
The head of this paper is not in
citizens who believed great things of i
money
on.
the proposition. . *
_ .. ,. ^
The Minneapolis newspaper.s were' n electrotyped
the voicef o? th5Z^5_ e town._ At first they have it pent o Philadelphia, and thr later. This paper was run until 1873 ZZ"??- Al^tr^^r^Tbl'ttn **t?A ^'^T'^T^'k^lt
^l
1
6 .,
DAY S 0F MINNEaPOLIS ^^OTRNlffiSNi*,---
-4
Minneapolis," goes Into extensive de
tails in describing the papers and the
men of that period. There were some
brilliant writers among them, and the
papers which they published served
their day and generation. They bat
tled in politics, had their struggles in
local affairs, spread far and wide the
renown and prospects of the town,
boasted of their subscription lists, and
lived beyond their incomes. Judge
Atwater writes an epitaph, uncon
sciously, over the tombstone of each
of them, "And it succumbed to the
inevitable." May I not add another
epitaph, "And their works do follow
them" ?
The Epoch of King.
The next period may fitly be called
the epoch of KingColonel William
S. King, "Bill King," editor, politician,
boomer, statesman, promoter, contro
verslonalist, peacemaker, harmonizer.
If there was ever a man fitted for his
generation, his work, his environment,
his opportunity, by nature and by dis
position, it was that same man King.
His living adherents in later years
knew him as "Old Thaumaturgus."
Not all of them knew what Thauma
turgus meant, but whatever it was
they knew King deserved it all.
On the 28th of May, 1859, Colonel
King started the State Atlas, a weekly,
the west side of the river. During
his control of that paper, and, to a
marked extent, for some years after
wards, King stood for the town, and
Minneapolis stood back of him.
Edwin Clark says that, "The only
other attempt to establish a daily pa
per at the falls during those early
years of the history of the city was
made by the late W. S. King, then edi
tor of the State Atlas, on Nov. 27,
1860, when he issued the first number
of the Daily Atlas, a five-column sheet,
about half the size of the Evening could he have served his brother, the
News. Mr. King stated at the time
that he 'started the daily with fear
and trembling, and should not con
tinue it a day longer than it support
ed itself."*
Mr. Clark says he thought then that
if King had complied strictly with the
above the Daily Atlas would not have
made a second appearance. Twelve
weeks later Mr. King, in announcing
its suspension, said:
"We shall fall back on the publica
tion of the Weekly Atlas poorer by
$400, but with an experience that may
save us more than that amount some
future time, when friends with fair
words urge us to engage in publish
ing a daily paper."
King continued the publication of
the State Atlas as a weekly paper until
its consolidation with the Chronicle
and the starting of the Tribune. Al
tho he did not have the responsible
management of the other newspapers
which followed, he was strong in the
confidence and direction of most of
them until a few years prior to his
death in several of them he held
more or less stock. His influence also
extended to the management of the
leading papers of St. Paul.
The Starting of the Tribune.
While Colonel King was sailing
along peacefully with the weekly
State Atlas, and with Dr. George H.
Keith keeping up party discipline, and
everybody standing around in a sub
dued awe of the sacredness of the
caucus and the straight ticket, trouble
broke out in anew quarter. When
the old soldiers returned from the
war they found the party and the
offices in the unyielding clutch of as
respectable a bunch of mossbacks as
ever drew salary from a patient peo*.
pie. A plunge was made .for the of-
flees by and for new men , and the
the land offices, state offices and the
United States congress as desirable to
have in the family. The State Atlas
stood like a stone wall for the straight
goods and no water.
Down on Washington avenue, at the
corner of Second avenue S, Colonel
John H. Stevens, the veteran farmer
Colonel L. P. Plummer, the veteran
soldier Frederick L. Smith, the vet
eran printer, and Willard S. Whit
more, a veteran soldier and printer,
commenced the publication of the
Chronicle, weekly, in July, 1866. It
took issue with King and the Atlas
1857,w
H " - K withdrawal froTX^
aouts"
t once. It became the organ of the nomination by a convention of his'
* th -soldiers' movement," own and the nomination of General Si
and the
and espoused the cause of Ignatiu s
Donnelly, who was a candidate for re-,
election to congress in 1866. It was
not long until it had the town turned
upside down, and the ark of the cove
nant was in great jeopardy. Donnelly
was re-elected. In Septembez-, 1866,
the Chronicle was incorporated. It was
issued as a daily on the 20th of Sep
tember, 1866. Dr. Thomas Foster was
brought down from Fridley's farm,
near Manomin, as editor-in-chief. The
Chronicle continue- d to pitch into
Kingt,o
n
e
xc
t
ESSSSmSSSSSBSSBSR
MINNEAPOLIS HJOURNAL-SILVER^ ANNIV EESARY EDITION.
-4
One Who Figured in the Newspaper Making of the
Period Describes the Situation Twenty-five
. Years Ago and Earlier.
s
flrst in control. Gilman had come from
the Morrison side. King's stock in the
enterprise gave him dominating influ
ence. The Washburn-Donnelly fight
came 911, and Moi-rison was also a
candidate, making the usual local
division.
Washburn and his friends got con
trol of the paper.
republican vote of the district, Don! scendr so low. ltd e^lved on
nelly received the rest, and the coveted ^
prize of a seat in the house of repre
sentatives went to E. M. Wilson, a
Minneapolis democrat. It may be in
ferred fairly, I think, that hundreds
of Minneapolis republicans voted for
Wilson (who was in every way a
worthy man for the office) simply be
cause he was a Minneapolis man.
Mr. Morrison's withdrawal closed
up the ranks in the party, after which
he stood for some years at the head of
a conservative division of the party
which always had td be taken into ac
count. Donnelly was retired, but not
until he had succeeded in plunging
Keith and all the
Se "
a
r Bamsey,
Dr
Cyrus Aldrich, ex-congressman
other party props,
Donnelly won out in 1866, but the
fight against him went on right mer
rily. The Chronicle was welcomed
everywhere, because it was a daily and
had the spice of life about it. The
town was ripe for a'daily, for it was
already holding up its head and strug
gling to get out of the cradle. The
stock was taken by many citizens.
Dr. Thomas Foster was let out, and
Colonel L. P. Plummer became editor-
, in-chief. Colonel Stevens furnished
^ ^ ivc
the state into an angry maelstrom of
personal wrangling, in which Ramsey,
then senator, all the members of con
gress, the newspapers everywhere and
the two rival cities were all by the
ears. Donnelly came out of it dis
placed from his seat in the house and
a disappointed man.
in 1866 there came to Minneapolis
a bright, ambitious, young attorney,
^ ^ ,_ .
iiJt,JJV#0s who had won colonel's shoulder ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ _ ^^. ^v , -
"and^the^op-I?**8*?Xar*
8
BT CHARLES W. JOHNSON.
Polities the* Main Thing.
Major George K. Shaw came to Min
neapolis in the spring of 1868. Hef
was then 25 years old. He had never
been thru college. He had graduated
in a printing office, then he en
listed, went to the front, got his com
mission, served his time and came to
Minneapolis, bringing a letter of in
troduction from E. B. Washburne of
Illinois to his brother, General W. D.
Washburn of this city. Donnelly had
had a sharp controversy with the Illi
nois Washburne on the floor of . the
house of representaived. General
Washburn in Minnesot 1 was a con
testant for Donnelly's seat in con
gress, svn.J his great brother could not
have retaliated more effectively, nor
general, better than to hand young
Shaw that letter of introduction'. The
contest in this district, which at
that time covered Qne-quarter of
the state, was already furious.
General Washburn's friends hav
ing control of the Tribune, in
stalled Major Shaw as its editor in
place of Gilman. The new editor of
the Tribune was a student in the broad
sense, and an easy writer. He threw
himself into the Donnelly-Washburn
coitest with spirit and force. He put
D mnelly on the defensive at
W. A. CROFFUT,
Pioneer Minneapolis Editor,
dug up his record, and exposed his in
consistencies. Donnelly replied on the
stump, where few men could stand up
against him.
The whole state was in the throes
of this political conflict, in which
Donnelly was the object and Minne
apolis the storm center. The two cap
tains of industry of the period: were
General Washburn and the. late - D.
Morrison, who were rivals for' Don
nelly's seat. Colonel King's sympa
thies were with Mr. Morrison. Gen
eral Washburn was surrounded by &
group of able men, who were after
Donnelly's scalp. Prominent among
these were Loren Fletcher, C. H.~ Pet
tit, Major Camp, R. B. Langdon, r.
L. Butler, John Martin, EY L.. Marse,
John Vander Horck and others.
This contest ended by Mr. Morri
son's withdrawal, a split in the- con
gressional
C. C. Andrews of St. Paul by the reg
ulars. Andrews received part of the
and he squared his politics by the
same rule.
The Grcene-Wheelock Northern Pa
cific Controversy.
It was not long before Mr. Greene
precipitated a controversy with Mr.
Wheelock, the editor of the St Paul
Press. Colonel King and a coterie of
his Minneapolis and St. Paul friends
had taken a contract from the North
ern Pacific railway to build a section
o its line across the state of Minne
sota to Bismarck. It was a very lucra
tive contract.
The men concerned with King in
this contract were D. Morrison, W.
W. Eastman, J. S. Pillsbury^William
Windom, Clarke & McClur^, John
L. Merriam, A. H. Wilder, Russell
Blakeley. Later D. C. Shepard, R. B.
Langdon, Charley Nichols, P. H. Kel
ley and George A. Brackett got* into
the deal.
Greene alleged that the Press had
forced $30,000 in stock from that com
pany as the price of its co-operation
in the construction deal. There was
involved in the deal also an election
of United States senator and some
other trifling details. Mr. Wheelock blue ruin to them. Finally, after
replied to Mr. Greene's allegations and j some negotiations and , many threats
criticisms in characteristic fashion, \ and promises, the publishers of the
and a wordy and bitter contest ensued. | Mail regretfully Offered to take $25,-
Mr. Greene used italics Mr. Wheelock) 000 for what had actually cost them
used satire. Strong efforts were made j about $1,500. Refused point blank
to induce Mr. Greene to modify his more threats ensued. Price reduced to
.language and drop the controversy $20,000, then to $15,000, finally com
but he did not. It was his paoer he
was responsible he claimed to have
the facts claimed to be exposing
wrongdoing and acting in the interest
of the public. Nothing was proven.
constructionofcompany, once,Thet
i
n ^Illinoi s regiment during divorce" or 'sentimentals "loYlypo. p "b y I valled r *The * thre men"who" had'the
1 ^
u
H.
"il its section railroad made its
money and divided its profits. Mr.
Greene established a reputation for
independence and for sincerity. Then
he sold the paper and went into the
linseed oil business with the money.
During his ownership of the paper,
however, it paid its own way and was a
better property than when he took
hold of it. It had stood for itself and
for what its editor thought was best.
The Old-Time Search for News.
May I not make a comparison be
tween the methods of gathering news,
especially city news, between the' pres
ent and the past? The telegraph serv
ice up to 1880 was often broken.
Storms, floods and washouts destroyed
the poles and lines and broke the con
nections, sometimes for two or three
days. There was no long distance
telephone and the ordinary machine
was very imperfect not much in use.
The city department of the daily pa
per was printed on the fourth page,
and was collected usually by one man.
His hours were from 10 o'clock in EDWIN CLARK,
the morning up to 3 the next morn- Pioneer Newspaper Man.
ing. He was necessarily expected to
be present everywhere, almost be published , and controlled in, St.
ubiquitdus. He had to cover the fires, Paul for the people of Minneapolis
the police run, the courts, the city under the dreary heading, "The St.
council, all church doings, the mar-,Paul and Minneapolis Pioneer Press
kets, the .runaways (and there were and Tribune." Whoopee! Then there
many), the accidents, the murders and was trouble! And opposition! And
suicides, the funerals, weddings and, excitement objurgation and much oth-
elopements. er foolishness. "Minneapolis without
- -Thru the snows of winter and the | a daily newspaper of her own to fight
heat of summer, without the aid of- her battles!" "Wholly at the mercy
street cars'or the festive automobile,! of the Pioneer Press!" There were a
he had to tramp from Bassett's creek few gentlemen on the inside who tried
to the university and Mirtnehaha, to quiet. the boiling waters, but the
falls daily. His centers, of in*.! opposition really embraced the whole
formation were many the mill \ town, and something had to be done.
platform, the postoffice, the city
hall, the Nicollet house, the court
house, Chute Brothers' real estate of-1 on the Tribune property, securing
flee and the university on the East notes past due. Twelve leading citi
Side were his favorite haunts, and~tKe
breweries were not neglected.
The abuse of Minneapolis by the St
Paul Dispatch under H. P. Hall and H.
caP*J.
? -a?:f
w ,
a ions-legged, Ell a Wheele r Wilco x an Gertrud e
ast '
wh
0
tnre
w himlf into the tem-,
the capable leadership of Dr. George
H. Keith, then postmaster. It was
Colonel R. H. Conwell. He was not
?Zl
rVaf^ * .wV* rZn \?"! "^n iA ' tfr?if XT i
S51 \\ *25 J2JS TJ S^ ? u Sx SiniS J *- which-had attracted? thou- pers were tame to excite the
?**i iU*Al^*
.havingunexplainer'
the
^ some d mistakEe the head0 and sold tow Pliny Bartlett.i,^?JmS whowhad,Iby6 ftom^ ? Ki?g a c?eve^ news^ ad 0 continuedenough unt
C
th l
wild
The1y* fought against odds most of madeoand
them lost money,
On the 5th of April, 1859. Horace
B. Purdy issued the lainW Dealer, a
-V?OClfSL3?$*r'rJ&
and struggled with it
months, when he removed
Crescent.
The above comprises in general
terms the chronology of the first epoch
of Minneapolis journalism. There were
.y.^ some other smaller papers in this that of the Boston Transcript. The disappointments. He had no patience
tZZ'i period, the files of which have not j Tribune had been organized by all with local partisan politics nor with
,f, j been preserved anywhere. Judge At- j factions among the republicans. The corruptionists anywhere. He was hon-
| est and forceful In business himself,
_ . ,
but all willing to do or die for Min
neapolis.
The paper started under fine aus-
' pices, with solid men behind it, The
I
s
paperthit
s not in water
par t of our dispatches.
l "a
e ""a
mt o
t
newspaper work. Colonel Ste . rphe Board of Trade was always good1
vens hado publishing the Cataract' for
_ . _ . _
nrs t paper was issued Saturday,
j r Agriculturist, a farmers' weekly, j business or not, for there were ar- j pointed out how much better it would
J
t
wa
s
s
lbeen
d
t
o
s
so
d
y
Conwe1 a
Colon ebut
wa
b
t
column, whether there was any, sugary. On the St. Paul side it was
l Conwell , who ways
speeches.ofHorticultural
The Horticultura l so - {beThehave to one , strong , forcefue l
1
t
o C M. Landon,- because there were always discus- capital, t representpromises both cities impary -
wbiP changed its name to the Inde-, 6i0$s on apples, Minnesota apples, the ' tially, than a struggling, straggling lot
ran it two years more, , reputation .of which was national.' of uninfluential papers. Minneapolis
when it went the way of all the earth.! Mortgage sales were the best paying was to have the best of everything,
Colonel C6nwell, always restless, in! "ads," and occupied the most valuable and the paper was to be issued from
June, 1868, started a campaign daily space.
in the Morrison-Donnelly interest and The Merger That Would Not Merge.
ran it five months. It was the Daily
Star, and its light went out in the
fall.
Q
s ^
rfte
forwarded was not accord- started a paper Times) _ in 1872, ^TjomsS. King,a a clever ane d so'continueds unt ing to the order given. "
The first editor of the Tribune was
John T. Gilman, Who came from the
th
\if~i^ cv,ow rw.r.Mv,,,.** + ^,r +*,*. was the great,consolldatiortact of 1876.1 The arrangement did not satisfy
MinneaooUs Wbra" -SSl^S^liS'^*^
O
xt decided upon by those aboutv a year. HeSreturnet d tot Min
JL*L
S*Lde'
Btat
e
f
Main et- Everything politicalu
seventeen was strongly flavored with the state j necticut, appeared on the scene with extremely popular, and maintained a the Tribune recommenced its career
6f Maine in those days. Mr. Gilman | money. He bought the Tribune and first floor office in the Nicollet house,
wrote copiously. Long editorials were 1 had the support and influence of King in the consolidation act the Pioneer
very much in vogue in the ten-col-1 and Morrison behind him. Greene press inherited all this. There were
umnjiailies, so the editorial page of. was a thorogoing republican. It was unhealed quarrels to be healed, new
the Tribune had the appearance of said that he had had some political
SnSH th! bbSih th'
wate? Messengerwhich he Bold in
One of the mos6t& interesting*events fears", and theo city children at the
the history of newspapers falls would cry for it
f
Q
Mtfoe"f
f w * it?S ?
Sal TJ,
fl SA\-
' TS^JS
?
0l2rii" Pulatioonr^ in Minneapolis. %t
cnt1
^"?, ,w ? Wit sand^ s Of new Subscribers. Its Mihne- commiseration of the press everywheresomebody's
.
+v.*oc,A(thfe
o
n
s
and breadtli that the citizens of Min
neapolis W'ould be ashamed of their
such a lofty thrope Of self-abnegation, hardly necessary to put on your best
* **"?*
Stiff ! Pioneer of that citya . The Pioneer ha called out, and cahnon wer,e placed-
*up
ci
rini
' ^ the Streets t overawe the plucky
a
ha
d ^bled the anybody," but the militia were not
v
r
*
t
aMinneapolis
l
yr
SIC
t
b6e
f
n n^**,*i &-. 1
under the auspices of Colone l King. treating all matters of local concern,- town without even saying good-by to
With a democrat in congress, Trib* I He commented freely oh individuals the dear place. The consolidation last-
une stock went off a few points, and and local issues, and kept his depart- ed five years, when the $18,000 ar-
Hugh W. Greene, formerly of eon- ment sunny and attractive. He waa rangement wa entered into whereby
if'^
t
y f the
edito^
r
himselF
f to de -
dito
t h
t
j
o
maI
tal
n
hI s part in the ol
squabbles about the railway service
and the flagrant partiality of railroads
in behalf of St. Paul.
There was no society editor, soand
he * had to do society, theaters,
lectures, concerts and describe the
gowns of the best people. He
had to knOw railways, building im
provements, real estate transactions
and new projects of every sort He
had to know politics, sports, all the
candidates of all the parties, and he
had to fill four long, dreary columns
of a ten-column blanket paper with
something to inform, instruct, enter
tain and please. He had to take all
the "kicks" which he deserved and
many that belonged to the editor-in
chief. To-day the modern newspa
Iper is an organization with its several
heads and responsibilities.
There were no Marconi wireless
telegrams, no web perfecting presses,
no caricature artists, no gaudy color holders and was run a year by John P,
Supplements. There were no imported Rea and the Hendryxes. They were
machine-plate editorial by Mrs John succeeded by Mr.e Blakely. Then it
A. Logan no homilies ondmorals and 1 was harmony a peace pre
t o bring .
o f larveB
parade s ando f th e
geniusall
and the
yoU ng men without cig- I were Frederick Driscoll of St. Paul,
aret tes. It was the day of King's big David Blakely, and Colonel King, who
fairs
-$.
h
a.
i
twenty-five miles. The Minneapolts
papers, while weak, were an annoy
ance, always In the way when large
enterprises were in prospect. It was
not specially difficult thru Colonel
King's skilful management to get con
trol of the Tribune, and it was done,
quietly, oh, so quietly.
An evening paper, the Evening Mail,
run by a couple of printers, had an
old, second-hand Cincinnati press
which printed -about seven hundred
copies an hour-. It issued about 4
p. m. every day, in the winter some
what later, and had to be delivered
after dark. , It had a franchise in the
Western Associated Press, and an in
dependent, restless spirit. Confessed
ly it was a poor paper, lacking facil
ities and capital. A large portion of
the papers delivered to subscribers
were found in the spring in their front
yards when the snow was cleaned
away.
The Mail was in the way of the
promoters of the consolidation, and
they sent a man to buy it. The pro
prietors were told of a project to
start another evening paper in oppo
sition with ample capital, which meant
promised at $12,500 cash. Having
nothing but the franchise, the publi
cation was stopped.
Then the transformation took place
which disclosed the whole scheme, the
absorption of all the daily papers of
Minneapolis into the Pioneer Press, to
went on,
d
ie
d *
b ^^
rI
t pungency by
i*n
*
d **" - " JSBS d*
d
s
xs ?
Vs*
At the acute stage it was discovered
that there was an old chattel mortgage
zens, afterwards called the "Twelve
Apostles," Were persuaded to buy this
chattel mortgage. Among them were
R. B. Langdon, John DeLaittre, L.ess
Fletcher, C. H. Pettit, W. W. East
man, George A. Brackett, C. A. Pills
bury, H. G. Harrison, J. H. Thomp
son and Richard Chute. Armed with
this paper, advised by competent
counsel, and accompanied by printers
who knew their way about the Trib
une office, they descended upon the
Tribune establishment in the dead
waste and middle of one eventful night
seized the forms of the paper be
ing made ready for the press and car
ried them to a place of concealment.
The subscribers who took the Tribune
with their coffee and egg were next
morning narrowed down to the coffee
and egg there was no Tribune for
two days.
This could not continue. A com
promise deal was fixed up with the
"Twelve Apostles, whereby Minneapo
lis was to have an evening paper, and
was to have a franchise for a morning'
paper when the people of Minneapolis
chose to put up $18,000' for it. The
Morning Tribune was stopped, and- its
place was taken by the Pioneer Press
and Tribune. The Evening Tribune
was started under a franchise of its
own as a sop to the minority stock-
** * e reviled and re-
t festivals and street doubtless went in to unload
regular meetings
o f th 6 Board Trade and the Hen
nepi n County society.
nervedeadly
to consummate
How the Merger Worked.
editorialsgreatthe of paper in th
new
dealoand
halotterd
d re-
ca
!
^
1
city that had been so rudely awakened,
n
successful y Th e excitementno quieted down the pa
ri6
d
o
gatherer,a
who had free
political divisions to be made, and the management of George K. Shaw ,_ _ ,
newspaper ambitions to be realized, and the NimoCks brothers, along in drove^Tp to the residence of Mrs
It was the dream of the pioneer Press ifc84 and 1885, another rupture In the Black, where she was receiving with a
people to control ail the daily papers
and their influence within a radius of j Fletcher was making his first cam-[of horns and much excitement fol-
'iV'jSH
$ .
palgn.for a nomination for congress.
The district comprised Hennepin,
Ramsey, Washington, Chisago, Isanti
and Wright counties. St. Paul, or
Ramsey county, was bitterly opposed
to Fletcher on account of his vigor
ous defenses of Minneapolis. They put
up Albert Scheff er to beat him, and the
contest was very cjose. Late in the
preliminaries J. B. Gilnllan appeared
as a candidate, altho Fletcher had
practical control of Hennepin county.
In the mixup which took place in the
convention, in which" both parties
were playing political football with the
greatest skill, each trying to outwit
gan down the other, it turned.out that
H. F Barker of Isanti county got con
trol of the ball, ran the entire length
of the field and made a touchdown
for Gllflllan across Fletcher's goal line
and Gilflllan thereupon received the re
publican nomination. Much controversy
followed, in which The Journal
took a prominent part on the Fletcher
side. The other newspapers of the
city were lukewarm as to Gilflllan.
The machinery of the party, its com
mittees and principal workers, were
friends of Fletcher and stood off, in
different to the success of the repub
lican candidate. Gilflllan had no news
paper spokesman. His friends, how
ever, had organized a strong ,repubr
lican congressional campaign commit
tee, headed by Major C. B. Heffelfin
ger, E. S. Corser and other active re
publicans. The situation left The
Journal free to hammer Gilflllan
and his friends incessantly. The elec
tion was approaching, the party dis
united, and there was great danger
that the election of the democratic
candidate, O. C. Merriman, might re
sult. It was necessary that something
should be done. The Gilflllan campaign
committee instructed its secretary to
take four columns of advertising
space on the third page of The
Journal and conduct it as an edi
torial department in the defense of
the republican candidate for congress.
This was done. Over the head of these
four columns in large type were the
words:
"These four columns are employed
from now until the election by the re
publican campaign congressional com
mittee."
In this space appeared daily four
columns of advocacy of Gilfillan's
election, defense of his position, and
of appeal to voters In his behalf.
The result was as had been de
sired. The regular organization was
compelled to fall into line behind the
Gilflllan flag, and he was elected by
a good round republican majority.
their were ver
Papers in Other Languages.
The Minneapolis Freie Presse (Ger
man) was founded by a corporation of
German-American citizens of Minne
apolis, including August von Ende,
Captain John Vander Horck, Anton
Grethen, Hermann Clrkler, Dr. A. Ort
man, George Huhn and others, in
1869. Lambert Naegele, who hadneapolisrmen
previously lived at New TJlm, Minn.,
became the first business manager. I t
lMMWMIWtMWWWWMWMWMMWW MINNEAPOLIS SOCIETY IN '78
Social Life Was Simple 7"and Informal, But
Beople Enjoyed Themselves.
Twenty-five years ago Minneapolis
society was more wholesome, simple
and hospitable than it is to-day. That
is what the women who have known
the ins and outs of every social season
since there were enough people in
Minneapolis to have society say. and
they nod their gray heads regretfully
and sigh for the days when the con
stitution was obeyed to the letter and
"all men were free and equal."
In the early days there were no rich
and no poor and people met on a
middle plane in which there were no
rivalries but plenty of good cheer. The
duties of society were really more ex
acting then than they are now, for a
woman had not only the cares of host
to fulfill but she must be her own
caterer, very often her own dress
maker and her own nurse,
"We had much better times before
Minneapolis grew so large," declared
Mrs. Mahlon Black, who lived in Min
nesota when it was a territory and
she has watched the city grow out of
the brush heap which lined the river,
across from St. Anthony. "And we had
plenty*of them. There wasn't a week
but what we had three or four parties
and everybody took her turn at enter
taining. We never thought of having
afternoon teas and luncheons or re
ceptions. When we entertained we
Wanted the men for guests, and we
had them. If the women had a quilt
ing bee, or afternoon*party, the men
were always invited to supper and the
supper amounted to something."
Those were the days when the tables
groaned if ever tables had that power,
for as one, of the women, who was
prominent in entertaining twenty-five
years ago, said: "We didn't spend on
the decorations and skimp on the table,
but we put all we had on the table and
it was appreciated. We always had
a supper whether it was an afternoon
or evening party, and there was al
ways a roast turkey and cold ham and
escalloped oysters and hot rolls and
salads and any number of kinds of jel
lies and preserves, with as many cakes
as one could find receipts for and cof
fee a*nd tea by the gallon. When I
go to a party nowadays and some maid
me an after dinner coffee cup
with a spoonful of coffee in it, I feel
as tho there was a shortage some
where. There was always plenty to
eat ahd it was always well cooked, and
the marvelous part is one woman did it
all and took care of half a dozen chil
dren beside. When my. daughter gives
a luncheon for a dozen women she
sends for a caterer and she will hardly
believe me when I tell her how I cook
ed and served forty or fifty people my-
self."
Where one knows every one It is a
simple matter to banish formality.
When you have talked about the
babies' croup over the back' fence
with all the women in town it was
the twin cities,
until Oct. 29, when
hannews
d in th Pioneer Pres quietly stole out
on its own ground, as a morning paper.
An Early Journal Episode.
While The Journal was under
par t y broke out. "Your Uncle" Loren group of women. There was a flourish
bonnet and shawl and go in at the
front door to make a formal call, and
in 1878 Minneapolis possessed all of
the qualifications tor neighborhood en
joyment. -
The holidays were rlfcdroulv ob
served. Thanksgiving day was devoted
to the family dinner and in the even
ing there was a dance 6r party at
home. On Christmas the
families took their presents to the
church to hang on the tree and the
festivities were long and joyous New
Year's was the great social day of the
year and the women divided into
and planned for weeks as to
the receptions which they would give.
The men werfe as busy ordering the
highly decorated card which would
convey their holiday greeting, and if
some fantastic idea could be carried
out they were sure to create a sensa
tion. A dozen of the protninent busi
ness men, who have remained promi
nent thru all these years, secured the
old stage coach and triumphantly
ofgroups
was from the first a conservative, in
dependent weekly, devoting itself to
the interests of the influential Ger
man colony that added so much to the
early progress of Minneapolis. It sup
ported good men for office and was
usually republican in national affairs
Up to 1892. Since that time it has "
been a leader of progressive German
democratic sentiment. Anton Grethen
and Dr. A. Ortman were the first edi
tors, who served without pay. The
first salaried editor was Theodore
Hilscher, who now, in his eightieth
year, is still living in the state of
Texas.
Mr. Naegele conducted the Freie
Presse until 1889, when he sold it to
a syndicate, and Emil Ferrant and
Richard F. Schmidt became managers.
Mr. Naegele now lives in Seattle,
Wash., and is publishing a prosperous
German paper, called the Washington
Staats-Zeltung.
In 1890 the paper was bought by
another syndicate, with Mr. Guldbran
son as publisher. Later the Minne
apolis Herold was consolidated with
the Freie Presse, under the name
Freie Presse-Herold. The present
managers are Joseph L. KUchli and
Adolph Duezel. The present editor is
Charles Baehr, who has occupied this
position since 1889.
The Nordisk Folkeblad, a Norwe
gian weekly, started in Rochester,
Minn., was removed to Minneapolis in
1868, and published by F. Snedorf
Christensen. Christensen sold it to the
Skandlnaven in Chicago in 1876.
The Minnesota Weekly (Norwegian)
was established by C. F. Solberg in
1870. In 1872 it.was absorbed into
the Budstikken, edited by Paul H. .
Hanson and F. A. Husher, who were
succeeded by Luth Jaeger, who pub
lished a strong paper. It is now con
tinued and is prosperous.
An old republican warhorse, Z.
Demeules, who sat several terms in
the legislature, established Echo de
L'Ouest as a representative organ of
the French-Canadians, and. ably con
ducted it. until his death, when he was
succeeded by his son.
Professor Sven Oftedai of the Augs
burg Theological seminary started the
Folkebladet (Norwegian) as an organ,
of that institution in 1877. The pro
fessor is an able writer on political,
educational and general topics, and
his paper became a power among his
countrymerv. ,
Colonel Hans Mattson, who earned
his title in the .civil war at the head
of a Minnesota regiment, and who also
held responsible offices in the state
government, began a weekly Swedish
paper, called the Statstidning, in 1876.
It was subsequently removed to St.
Paul.
There are few cities, certainly none
in the west, that have contributed a
better quality of genius to the best
journalism of our time than the city
of Minneapolis. ' There are few first
class papers in the country where Min
are not foundrillingim
portant places of honor and responsi
bility... -."
lowed for the street proved too. narrow
for the coach and the six horses and
the turning around was a serious
matter.
During the whiter 'there were sure
to be a. dozen or more sledding parties
to one of the neighboring houses where
a dance and an oyster supper awaited
the guests. These were most informal
affairs and the hospitable farmer
would ask some friend he chanced to
meet to "bring out a sled load of peo
ple some night while tire moon is full."
No matter how far the mercury drop
ped the sled was filled with merry
makers who gathered close under the
buffalo robes and who did not mind
the piercing cold, as they enlivened
the ride with songs and stories. Coast
ing parties were almost as popular, as
sleigh rides,' and Lowry hill' was
thronged with old and young.
Cards, and dancing were the popular
forms of. amusement and whist was
the .game commonly played, altho
now the men and women who played it
marvel as to how they managed such
a scientific game in the midst of the
whirl of jokes and talk. The Virginia
reel, Old Dan Tucker and Money
Musk and the landers were the dances
most in favor, and "none of your six
teen steps," as one woman famous for
her own "steps" said contemptuously.
The parties were nearly all home af
fairs, altho when the proprietor of the
hotel would receive afresh barrel of
Oysters or some special delicacy he
would notify- one of the well-known
men that he would serve a supper at so
much a couple op a certain evening.
It was always easy to find a fiddler,
and with a fiddler and a supper it Was
an equally, simple matter to obtain
guests.
"If my granddaughter is up until
12 o'clock at night she wants to sleep
until 10 o'clock the next morning,"
commented'one belle Of 1878."We nev
er went home from a party until 2
and 3 o'clock, and we were always up
af 6 the next day. We had to be, for
we had to look after our families our
selves. We didn't have half a dozen
servants making more work than they
do."
The people who were leaders then
were the Blacks, Pettits, Lorings, Hef
felfingers, Washburns, DeLaittres,
Morrisons, Gilm'ores, Lowrys, Robin
sons, Stevenses, Sidles, Wagners.Hales,
Thompsons, Walkers, Merricks, East
mans and Pillsburys. From St. Paul
came the Ramseys, the Sibleys,
Thompsons, Flandreaus and a score or
less more, and even Stillwater con
tributed the Nelsons and the Bron
sOns to a special merry-making.
Mr. and Mrs. Mahlon Black cele
brated their silver wedding just be
fore 1878, and the attendant festivities
Called together their friends in a func
tion which - * became famous. Mrs. -
Black carefully treasures the quaint
account of the party which commem
orated the twenty-fifth anniversary of
her marriage, and it reads like a royal
time with its list of hearty, whole
souled guests, and one grows inter
ested in the array of gifts and hungry
at the story of the feast The regrets
with their humorous wording are very
funny indeed, signed as they are by
names now kndwn to belong to sober
capitalists, physicians and bankers.
The mention of a quilting bee or of
a donation or tea party brings a flood
of reminiscences to the men and wom
en who enjoyed them a quarter of a
century ago, and they all agree with
Mrs. C. B, Heffelflnger that "those .
were the days when people were hap
py, for it did not require all creation*
to make them so." '
"t would give all I've got to live",""
them over," more than one has said,*
and no testimonial could be more sin-'
cere. H was a period of great hard- ^
Ship and of great enjoyment and the^
one compensated for the other. - - -"
...m.T,,. .
Kaunas manufactures binding twine at her '-:
etatc penitentiary ae a check on the Mndlnc "j'.
twine trust, which has often advanced the uric* *:
O f twine 50 per cent at harvest time. ~^J~-ih%
%:*
I -