USA > California > San Luis Obispo County > History of San Luis Obispo County, California, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 69
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had been maintained, but it was a long road and com- munication was tedious and infrequent. There was no great bay to attract shipping as at San Diego, Monterey, and San Francisco, nor large towns as Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and San José to draw strangers or make it necessary to maintain garrisons of troops. But few foreigners, American or English, had set- tled within its limits. Here was strictly maintained the semi-civilized condition of a purely pastoral people when the news of the discovery of gold spread over the world. The great excitement that followed that discov- ery created but a slight ebulition throughout San Luis Obispo. Many, of course, went to the mines, but soon returned to their ranchos. Many others from the south and from Mexico passed up to the mines over the coast road, which became quite an important thoroughfare, but then the more direct and feasible route from Los Angeles via the Tejon Pass to the mining region and
between the north and south was opened and San Luis Obispo was in a measure cut off. Thus came its isola- tion. With the establishment of Government came the establishing of a mail route, and in 1852 there began to appear the weekly papers of San Francisco and the "steamer" papers from the eastern cities, read by the very few who understood English. All the northern part of the State was in a turmoil of excitement, being filled with a rushing, energetic and enterprising people, fresh from the "States" of the East and Europe, and among them the demand for newspapers was imperative and insatiable. No such excitement or greed for news was felt amid the quiet grazing grounds of San Luis Obispo. The chief interest of the people was in the cattle trade, and the many drovers and the large herds passing through to supply the miners and others of the North with beef, gave life and business to the section. Thus continued the dull routine of business for many years, occasionally aroused to excitement by some san- guinary crime and the vengeful deeds of the "Vigilance Committee," with no paper to record the history of pass- ing events or to attract the attention of the busy world to the merits, resources, and wants of the county. For more than twenty years San Luis Obispo had remained an American town, and near eighteen years a county seat without a newspaper. The first one was appropriately named The Pioneer.
EARLY JOURNALISM IN CALIFORNIA.
The first paper published in California was The Cali- fornian at Monterey, August 15, 1846, by Rev. Walter Colton and Dr. Robert Semple, the latter a printer as well as physician, who had come into the country as sur- geon to Fremont's expedition. The first leading article was, in substance, a call upon the people of California to set about the organization of a territorial government with a view to immediate annexation to the United States. The principal editor was Rev. Walter Colton, a naval chaplain on board the frigate Congress, who had been appointed Alcalde of Monterey by Commodore Stockton. In his book "Three Years in California," he tells of the paper as follows :-
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HISTORY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY.
SATURDAY, AUG., 15 .- To-day the first newspaper ever published in California made its appearance. The honor, if such it be, of writing its prospectus, fell to me. It is to be issued on every Saturday, and is published by Sem- ple and Colton. Little did I think when relinquishing the editorship of the North American in Philadelphia that my next feat in this line would be off here in Cali- fornia. My partner is an emigrant from Kentucky, who stands six feet eight in his stockings. He is in buckskin dress, a fox-skin cap; is true with his rifle, ready with his pen, and quick at the type case.
He created the materials of our office out of the chaos of a small concern, which had been used by a Roman Cath- olic monk in printing a few sectarian tracts. The press was old enough to be preserved as a curiosity; the mice had burrowed in the balls; there were no rules, no leads, and the types were rusty and all in pi. It was only by scour- ing that the letters could be made to show their faces. A sheet or two of tin were procured, and these with a jack- knife, were cut into rules and leads. Luckily we found with the press, the greater part of a keg of ink; and now came the main scratch for paper. None could be found except what is used to envelop the tobacco of the cigar smoked here by the natives. A coaster had a small sup- ply of this on board, which we procured. It is in sheets a little larger than the common-sized foolscap. And this is the size of our first paper, which we have christened the Californian.
Though small in dimensions, our first number is as full of news as a black walnut is of meat. We have received by couriers, during the week, intelligence from all the important military posts through the territory. Very little of this has transpired; it reaches the public for the first time through our sheet. We have, also, the declaration of war between the United States and Mexico, with an abstract of the debate in the Senate. A crowd was waiting when the first sheet was thrown from the press. It produced quite a little sensation. Never was a bank run upon harder; not however by people with paper to get specie, but exactly the reverse. One-half the paper is in English, the other in Spanish. The sub- scription for a year is $5.00, the price of a single sheet is twelve and a half cents; and is considered cheap at that.
RECORD OF THE PIONEER PRESSES.
One difficulty appears to have occurred in supplying the letters, as there is no w in the Spanish alphabet, and therefore no such letter in the font found in the office. To overcome this the letter v was doubled to make the w; as "now," was printed "novv," and other words with the letter, the same. The inking was done with balls covered with sheepskin and patted over the type. The press was of wood, the impression given by turning a screw. The "office" was, in 1848, removed to San Francisco and the first paper is continued in the Alta- California of that city. Subsequently, we believe in 1850, the press was taken to Sonora, Tuolumne County, to publish a paper in that locality, and what remains of it is now the property of the Messrs. Duchow, publish- ers, of that place.
The first iron press and complete office in California was brought by Samuel Brannan in the ship Brooklyn, which arrived in San Francisco in July, 1846, three weeks after the hoisting of the American flag at Monterey. Upon this press had been printed the Prophet, a Mormon paper, in Brooklyn, New York, edited by Mr. Brannan, and, after its arrival in San Francisco the Star was
printed with it. In 1852 it was taken to Auburn, Placer County, and the Herald established with it, in which office and service the old press still remains.
LEGAL ADVERTISING.
In the absence of a newspaper, many crude and rustic devices were adopted to give public notices of such cases and events as were required by law. A special Act of the Legislature was passed and approved April 27, 1857, for the benefit of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, to provide for publishing legal notices. For San Luis Obispo it provided that legal notices be posted at the following places: "At the house of Jacob Simmler in the town of San Luis Obispo, and at the house of Felipe Gaxiola. At the house of Charles Varian in Ar- royo Grande, and at the house of Joaquin Estrada at Santa Margarita."
Posting notices is the primitive method of making public legal and other measures, and, to a certain extent, is still required by law. To advertise in newspapers has, however, become the adopted method, and legal adver- tising constitutes an important department in newspaper printing, and to the country press is regarded as a relia- ble fraction of its revenue.
In 1870, the Democratic Party being then in power in the State, the Legislature passed an Act entitled, "An Act to Protect Litigants," which provided that the Judge of each district, except where there was more than one district in a county, should designate one paper in each county, in which all advertisements required by law should be published, fixing the terms at $1.50 per square of 250 ems, for the first insertion, and 90 cents per square for each subsequent insertion. This was designed to establish and support Democratic papers throughout the State, as all the District Judges were Democrats, and it was presumed they would designate their partisan paper as the one in which the advertisements should be pub- lished. Some of the District Judges, however, did not fulfill the expectations of the cunning framers of the bill, but gave the printing to Republican papers; and there were other Democratic papers that received no benefit from it; and the law was severely denounced, and repealed by the succeeding Legislature.
A subsequent law provided that legal advertising and printing for the county should be let by contract to the lowest bidder, a system very demoralizing and degrading to legitimate journalism, as where competition was active it encouraged subterfuge and deceit, deprived the pub- lisher of his just dues and profits, and in advertising, gave to the paper of the least circulation and most trivial publication an equal standing with the best. Such a law was a narrow pretense of economy, making the county a cheat of its own citizens.
The Legislature in 1883, in its law for the government of counties, provided that the rates and prices of public printing and advertising should be fixed by the Boards of Supervisors, and the printing ordered by the respective officers of the county. Under this statute the depend- ence of the printer is upon the honor of the Supervisors in their fixing just and equitable rates.
271
JOURNALISM.
AN EDITOR.
I wish I was an editor, I really do, indeed; It seems to me that editors Get everything they need.
They get the biggest and the best Of everything that grows;
And gets in free to circuses, And other kind of shows.
And when a mammoth cheese is cut, They always get a slice, For saying Mrs. Smith knows how To make it very nice.
The largest pumpkin, longest beet, And other garden stuff,
Is blown into the sanctum by An editorial puff.
The biggest bug will speak to them, No matter how they dress-
A shabby coat is nothing, if You own a printing press.
At ladies' fairs they're almost hugged By pretty girls, you know, That they may puff up everything That ladies have to show.
And thus they get a "blow-out" free; At every party feed. The reason is because they write, And other people read.
The only drawback in the trade Of publishing the news, Is, that there's a certain class Who never pay their dues.
THE PIONEER.
San Luis Obispo, after near a century of existence as a place of civilization, and more than twenty years after the American occupation, at last had established in its midst that indispensable concomitant of enlightened so- ciety and progress -- the newspaper. This was appropri- ately named The Pioneer. The full title of this journal was San Luis Obispo Pioneer. "An independent weekly journal, devoted mainly to the interests and advance- ment of San Luis Obispo County." The date of the first number was Saturday, January 4, 1868. Rome G. Vickers was publisher and proprietor; L. P. Fisher and Thomas Boyce its San Francisco agents, and W. S. Whit- taker, P. M., agent at San Simeon. The subscription price was $5.00 per annum, invariably in advance, and advertising $3.00 per square for first, and $1.50 each subsequent insertion, but, as in most of papers, special rates were proposed.
The Pioneer was a paper of four pages, of six columns each, in bourgeois type, on twenty-two by twenty-eight- inch paper, was well printed and arranged, and presented a neat and commendable appearance. The following extracts from the salutatory indicate the object and course intended to be pursued by the editor :-
In commencing the publication of a newspaper, and more especially a neutral one, it is necessary that an understanding should exist between the editor and his readers as regards the manner in which his journal is to be conducted; and, in order that no misapprehension may be occasioned in this instance, we beg to submit the following for the consideration of our readers :-
As will be seen by reference to our first page, we in- tend publishing an INDEPENDENT paper, eschewing all
political arguments and controversies, and devoting our columns mainly to the interests and advancement of San Luis Obispo County. In doing this, we earnestly solicit the cordial co-operation of each and every citizen of the county, pledging ourselves to be untiring in our endeavors to publish, in every respect a reliable NEWS- paper; containing the latest Eastern and State news, market quotations, general miscellany and local intelli- gence obtainable up to the hour of going to press.
We are well aware of the many and perplexing diffi- culties to be encountered in the publication of a journal such as we propose issuing, but feel confident that, by pursuing a straightforward and strictly impartial course towards both political parties, we will be enabled to suc- ceed in our undertaking, and cause no disappointment to any one of our patrons. Party lines being so closely drawn in our county (and neither party able, unaided, to give that support to a newspaper requisite to its exist- ence) it would be suicidal in us to drive away, by an imprudent course, the aid and support that we must solicit from the WHOLE PEOPLE.
· But, while we, as the editor, shall keep aloof from, and not descend to dabble in the "filthy pool," but devote our pen and scissors to that which, in our opinion, will be of far greater benefit to our readers, we will be pleased to receive from our friends of either party such communi- cations on the situation, or upon any other subject of general interest, as they may, from time to time, favor us with, reserving to ourself the right to reject those which overstep the bounds of decency and propriety, or indulge in personalities which would be detrimental to the interests and welfare of our paper. In this way alone do we believe that a paper professedly neutral, should be conducted to insure satisfaction, and in this manner we propose conducting it. With this brief, though we hope thoroughly explicit, introduction, we come before our readers, and ask their united and liberal support.
Under this declaration the Pioneer set out on its good work of presenting to the world the resources and capa- bilities of the county, strenuously advocating its material interests, giving the occurrences of the day, and gathering to its pages valuable records of the past. The old files are now treasures of history, and are filled with interesting matter. The patronage appears to have been good, though no record of the circulation is given. The first number contained ten columns of advertisements, which had increased to fourteen and a half columns in the number following. In the first number are the profes- sional cards of James Van Ness, James White, Wm. J. Graves, Charles Lindley, P. A. Forrester, and Walter Murray, attorneys-at-law, and of Dr. W. W. Hays, as physician and surgeon. The official directory of the county stated that Pablo de la Guerra was Judge of the First District Court; William L. Beebee was County Judge, J. A. de la Guerra,. Sheriff; Wm. J. Graves, Dis- trict Attorney; Charles W. Dana, County Clerk and Re- corder; George F. Sauer, Treasurer; John Bains, As- sessor; George Deffner, Surveyor; Peter A. Forrester, Superintendent of Schools; J. J. Simmler, Justice of the Peace for San Luis Obispo, and R. Rigdon, Justice of the Peace for San Simeon Township.
The Eagle Hotel, S. H. Parsons, proprietor, is the stage house, and only hotel in San Luis Obispo. A. Blockman & Co., Goldtree Bros., L. Swartz, C. Glaser & Co., B. Brizzolara, and E. Kesller & Co., were the
272
HISTORY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY.
merchants; S. B. Call was saddle and harness maker, Alexander Murray kept books, stationery, etc., D. P. Mallagh was in the lumber business, T. Bayer & H. B. Palmer were wagon makers, Juan Cappe was proprietor of the saloon, and G. F. Sauer, of the bakery, and S. A. Pollard advertised land for sale. The steamer Active, J. C. Bogart, Commander, and Holladay & Brenham, agents of the California, Oregon, and Mexican Steam- ship Company, was advertised to touch twice a month at the port of San Luis Obispo, and the A I clipper schooner Joseph Wooley, Ingalls, Master, advertised to run regularly, carrying passengers and freight between San Luis Obispo, San Simeon, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco. Such was the business at that day as indi- cated by the Pioneer newspaper. It also tells us that a new flouring-mill is in course of construction at the Chorro by Messrs. Pollard, Childs, and Sauer, being a four-story building, 25x50 feet, and with a water-wheel of forty feet in diameter, with one run of stone capable of grinding 480 bushels of wheat in twenty-four hours.
The Pioneer continued as a neutral paper until July 18, 1868, when it announced itself as the organ of the Democratic Party, and put the Democratic Ticket of "Seymour and Blair" at the head of its columns. . In making this change Mr. Vickers gave the reason that, while having no special reason to complain, he had not met with that general support which he anticipated, and which he. had a right to expect from the assurances given him at the outset. Politics entered into most all questions of common discussion, and it was impossible to keep aloof from the constantly recurring subject. His political convictions had always been with the Dem- ocratic Party, and, while attempting to observe a strict neutrality, his efforts were unappreciated. Avoided by the Democrats and distrusted by the Republicans, his position was not an enviable one, and he concluded a change of front was necessary. Therefore he says he "joins the Democratic hosts which are about to rescue the Government from anarchy and ruin." In the mean- time, however, he would labor as before for the social, moral, and material interests of the county of San Luis Obispo.
After this change the Pioneer was an active and able Democratic advocate, and its columns were filled with articles, items, and speeches on political questions, to the exclusion of those of lasting and general interest.
The Pioneer continued the Democratic organ, and the sole paper of the county until the 7th of August, 1869, when a competitor, or rival, entered the field in the estab- lishment of the Tribune. The latter assumed to be a Re- publican paper, but paid much attention to general news and county matters, and soon gained an ascendency over the Democratic advocate. On the 4th of December, 1869, the Tribune published the following :-
The Pioneer puts in no appearance this week. The proprietor, in its last issue, soundly berated the Democ- racy, over the shoulders of certain of its leaders, for su- pineness and non-fulfillment of promises made, and loudly demands to know if the party desires an organ or not. We judge that the paper is suspended, whether temporarily or permanently, we shall see.
The facts of the case, which unite to make up the "situation," are plain and patent to all who are posted, and are ignored only by such fanatic persons as never learn or unlearn. No party in this county wants "an organ." No party can sustain "an organ." The whole of the legitimate support of the present population of this county, without forcing matters, is barely sufficient to keep one good paper alive. Two cannot be sus- tained.
The Pioneer did not appear again. As "an organ" it had devoted itself too closely to its political duties to at- tract general support and sympathy. Such papers, par- ticularly Democratic "organs," appear to fear they will be charged with back-sliding, deficient in faith, or lack of the true spirit, if they admit anything but politics in their columns. The Pioneer was a vigorous Democratic advocate, and, as such, a very able one, and until within a month preceding the election was the only paper in the county.
ROME G. VICKERS,
The proprietor of the Pioneer, has left upon record that his most worthy effort in establishing a newspaper in San Luis Obispo was, financially, a failure. Such, unfortu- nately, is the fate of many of the most noble pioneer enterprises, some of which are the foundation of great affairs; and others leave their mark indelibly on the world. Mr. Vickers, if he did not gather wealth, builded himself a lasting monument in his two volumes of the Pioneer, and to aid in perpetuating his name is a pleasure and a duty of the writer of this history. His paper has been a valuable assistant in the work, and the volumes he has left as the first paper in the county, are exceedingly interesting in matter, and worthy of the most sacred care. Rome G. Vickers was a native of one of the Southern States, and worked at the "Art Preservative" in New Orleans, in his younger days. From the files of his paper we learn that he had been a resident of San Luis Obispo some years previous to his venture in estab- lishing the Pioneer, and that subsequent to that residence he had been a compositor on the American Flag news- paper in San Francisco. In 1870, he was foreman of the San Diego Bulletin, and was then contemplating the establishing of a paper in the Julian Mining District of that county.
THE TRIBUNE.
The Democrats, having the Pioneer as their organ, appeared to be marching unopposed to victory in the ex- citing campaign of 1869, and the Republicans were anx- ious for a counteracting paper in their interest. For this purpose money was subscribed to assist in the establish- ing of a paper, and on the 7th of August, 1869, the first number of the San Luis Obispo Tribune was issued, under the proprietorship of H. S. Rembaugh & Co. The "Co." was Walter Murray, who was also the editor. The Tribune was a paper of four pages, of seven columns to the page, in bourgeois type, on paper thirty-six inches by twenty-eight inches in dimensions. Being in a sec- tion of the country where a majority of the people spoke Spanish, one or two columns were printed in that lan- guage. As usual a declaration of principles was given, from which the following extracts are taken :-
273
JOURNALISM.
OUR PROGRAMME.
It has long been apparent that our growing county still lacks one essential feature in American progression, namely, a live newspaper. In settling new States and counties, although the backwoodsman and the bee-hunter are the first pioneers of civilization, yet in America the newspaper-man does not follow far behind. Nor does the mere presence of a newspaper necessarily import ad- vancement. To do good, and to help civilize, a county newspaper must possess some merit; it must come up at least to the ordinary standard of excellence. The coun- try journalist should and must publish a newspaper di- rected to the understanding, and seeking the patronage of all, instead of contenting himself with the approba- tion and assistance of a few. So many little rills of cus- tom must swell the patronage of such an institution, in order to secure success, that its proprietor cannot afford to disregard any honest means of popularity. He should be active and eager in the collection of news, choice in his selections, exact in his statements of facts. He should not be afraid to touch any subject of public inter- est, yet not be too ultra or too intemperate in his method of treatment of his subject, to suit the great body of the people, whose ideas are generally far removed from either extreme. He should be prompt to attack a wrong, yet careful not to betray unnecessary warmth. He should be just and impartial to all; always ready to acknowledge an error, slow to anger, and proner to speak a good word for a friend than to abuse an enemy.
Above all, while not overlooking his own material in- terest, he should ever reflect that those interested are inseparably connected with those of the community, and that, in most instances, he who works hardest for the ad- vancement of the section of country in which he lives, aiding to build up that advancement with all his power, is most likely to profit by it himself. Hence he should be quick to help along every good enterprise, and should never begrudge labor in a just cause, if thereby the gen- eral good may be promoted. We commence with this issue the publication of the San Luis Obispo Tribune, a weekly newspaper, designed to supply the want to which we have called attention. It will at first be under great disadvantages, but our intention is to make it a perma- nent weekly (destined, perhaps, some day to become a daily) newspaper, and second to none of the country press of the State in point of excellence. To this end our efforts will be directed. How far we shall succeed in our object will be hereafter seen, but we are confident that, with ordinary assistance from our intelligent fellow- citizens, we shall be enabled to triumph over every ob- stacle. We have been compelled to accept pecuniary aid from our more enthusiastic friends at the outset, but our calculation is henceforth to subsist only upon the legitimate income of a newspaper. We have a fair start, and we now only ask a clear field, such patronage as we may justly merit, and no favor.
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