USA > California > San Francisco County > San Francisco > San Francisco, a history of the Pacific coast metropolis, Volume I > Part 41
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An Intensely Partisan Press
295
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These two papers filled the want of the period, and would probably have re- mained the sole exponents of public opinion for a long time had not the discovery of gold changed conditions, injecting energy into an occupation that hardly had an existence in San Francisco before 1849. The change did not come suddenly, for the editors and typesetters deserted their posts when the reports of the find at Sutter's fort reached them, and it was some months before they returned to their duties. Their desertion is one of the rare instances in American journalism of newspaper men abandoning their work, and was more due to the absence of that discipline which characterizes the modern news gathering organization than to the avarice of those employed in making these pioneer papers.
Prior to 1849 news traveled very slowly in California. The journal of a navy chaplain, written in Monterey, states that, although gold was found in January, 1848, nothing was heard of the discovery until the ensuing May. When the news was received at the ancient capital it was through some such channel as had served for the dissemination of intelligence in California from the days when the chain of missions was first established. Who the bearer of the momentous bit of news was is not recorded, but it was probably someone who had occasion to visit Monterey on a business errand. At least it is certain that it was not specially transmitted to the little hamlet by the sea; that all came later.
The "Californian" temporarily suspended publication on the 29th of May, 1848, and in the following month the "Star" imitated its example. The subscribers of the "Californian" were treated to an apology, accompanied by an explanation that everyone had gone to the diggings. It is not impossible that the flight was for the purpose of getting information, for on the 15th of July, the "Californian" again made its appearance. The major part of the resumed issne was devoted to describ- ing the rush to the diggings, but enough space was spared to announce that "the whole world was at war," and to give some faint idea of the extent of the revolu- tions in Europe which threatened to overturn all the monarchies of that continent.
Before the close of the year the "Star" and "Californian" were merged, and on the 4th of Jannary, 1849, they dropped their hyphenated name and the "Alta California" was born. Other ventures soon followed. Some of them had an ephem- eral existence, the support being less liberal than might have been expected, consid- ering the free handed manner of the miners in getting rid of their "dust." On the 22d of January, 1850, the "Alta" was published as a daily, the first on the Pacific coast. The next day the "Journal of Commerce" imitated the example of the "Alta." A few weeks later the "Pacific News" entered the daily field and on the Ist of June a new candidate for favor, the "Herald," made its appearance and soon became very popular. On the first of August an evening paper, called the "Picayune," was issued. It was followed soon after by the "Balance" and the "Courier."
From the beginning pioneer journalism was marked by violence of expression and a virulent personalism. In the columns of the "Herald" may be found the most scathing denunciations of the municipal officials who participated in the salary grab of that year. The men excoriated perhaps deserved all the epithets applied to them, but it is astonishing that at a time when those with grievances were so ready to resent them allowed the attacks to pass without other notice than that embodied in mild attempts at justification in the rivals of the "Herald," who were not so vigor-
Effect of Gold Dis- covery on Journalism
News Before the "Gringo" Came
Printers Desert Their Cases
A Journalistic Merger
Intemperate and Violent Expression
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ous nor insistent in denouncing the salary grab as the paper which inaugurated the crusade.
What was called the freedom of the press received much more consideration in the Fifties than at present. In 1851 William Walker, the leader of the filibusters, was editor of the "Herald." He made a feature of attempting to reform the judi- ciary, and proceeded by direct methods in the accomplishment of his object. His assaults on a judge, Levi Parsons, who deserved what was said of him, caused him to be haled into court by Parsons, who fined him for contempt. Walker refused to pay and was committed to prison. Great excitement ensued, the community ap- parently siding with the editor, who was released on habeas corpus. It was urged that Parsons had abused his position, and that his remedy, if he had a grievance against Walker, was a libel suit. The legislature, as a result of the agitation grow- ing out of the affair, began impeachment proceedings against Parsons, but after inquiry decided that the evidence did not afford sufficient grounds for such a course.
It is sometimes assumed that the journalism of the ante bellum period was of a solid character, and wholly free from the frivolities of the present day newspaper, but no candid investigator will reach such a conclusion. The editors of San Fran- cisco in the Fifties did not differ essentially in their methods from the example set by their brethren in the Atlantic states, and the contemporary verdict was against their seriousness and veracity. In 1851 the writer of the "Annals," in summing up the newspaper situation, remarked, "A dozen daily papers by hint, innuendo, broad allusion and description, considerably assist in the promulgation and spreading of idle tales." This was not the verdict of a writer disposed to find fault with jour- nalists, for he was one of the cult. He stated a simple fact which a modern critic, noting in the old files such attempts at facetiousness as the insertion of divorces in the lists of marriages and deaths, and the publication of family dissensions be- fore they became public property by being carried into the courts, would say was amply supported by the evidence. These stories of domestic jars, which were often told in the tersest manner, however, provoked less trouble for the papers and their authors than the fiery comments of their editors on politicians, and their attacks on their rivals. These were productive of a number of duels, in which the editor usu- ally got the worst of it, perhaps because he was more proficient with his pen than with a pistol.
In August, 1852, the senior editor of the "Alta," Edward Gilbert, was killed in a duel growing out of attacks made on the administration of Bigler, who found a champion in General J. W. Denver of Oak Grove, Sacramento county. Less than two years after the rival editors of the "Alta California" and "Times Transcript" exchanged shots, one of them receiving a bullet in his body. The affair of James King of William, which resulted in his death at the hands of a rival editor, has been described in another place. It is usually associated in the minds of pioneers with the Vigilante uprising of 1856, but the tragedy had a more direct connection with the most vicious feature of early journalism than it did with the punishment of criminals and the reformation of society.
James King of William bore no resemblance to the twentieth century newspaper man. In his salutatory he announced that he had not adopted journalism from choice, but that necessity had driven him into the business. That he did not mean financial necessity may be inferred from the fact that he added that no one could be more fully sensible than himself of the folly of a newspaper enterprise as an
Freedom of the Press
Idle Gossip Disseminated
Editor Killed in a Duel
A Journalist from Necessity
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investment of money. What he meant was contained in the menacing statement: "It has been whispered to us that some parties are about pitching into us. We hope they will think better of it. We make it a rule to keep out of a scrape as long as possible; but if forced into one we are 'thar,' entiende?"
Intemperate Language
It is not astonishing that this announcement and adherence to the policy out- lined should have produced trouble, but it also brought circulation to the "Bulletin." In a month after the printing of the salutatory it printed nearly 2,500 copies, and in less than two months its circulation was the largest in the City, reaching nearly 3,500 copies, and its patronage went on increasing until its power and influence outstripped that of all of its rivals. It suited the temper of the times and the peo- ple who loved "scraps" more than news, and pleased a community which was hungry for diversion. The language used by James King of William was intem- perate to a degree scarcely dreamed of in these days, and his comment took a wider range than is now permissible, as may be inferred from this quotation: "If the jury which tries Cora is packed, either hang the sheriff or drive him out of town and make him resign. If Billy Mulligan lets his friend Cora escape hang Billy Mulligan or drive him into banishment."
Invective Fails to Reform
The integrity of James King of William's motives was never assailed, and the Vigilante uprising indicates that his methods, no matter how extreme they may seem to us, were approved by a vast majority of the community. We may deprecate the fact that he covered with ridicule Broderick, who afterwards became, if not a popu- lar idol, at least a greatly honored man, evidence of the inconsistency of a democ- racy. But changes in point of view do not blunt the point of truth. King charged Broderick with being connected with municipal steals, and declared that all of his efforts to secure power were for unholy purposes; and he covered with invective the boss' associates and others who were engaged in plundering the public. But curiously enough, virulent denunciation and unrelenting exposure did not move the people, who applauded James King of William's utterances, to resort to the peace- ful remedy at their command. They did not act until the editor was killed, and their procedure then took on the appearance of meting out punishment to a rival newspaper rather than the satisfaction of justice.
Driven from the Newspaper Field
As a result of the killing of James King of William the "Herald" was driven out of business. Up to the time of the collision with the "Bulletin" the "Herald" had been a prosperous paper, and was well supported by the mercantile community. The "Herald" was unquestionably superior in many respects to the paper edited by James King of William and liad enjoyed the favor of a fickle community for some years, but when the Vigilance Committee passed a resolution pledging all its members to withdraw their advertisements from the "Herald" it met with little opposition. The head of the Vigilante organization had the good sense to recognize that its action would be regarded, not as directed against the murderer of James King of William, but as an effort to curb the liberty of the press and to punish a paper for expressing its disapproval of the Vigilante movement, which he said it had a perfect right to do. His remonstrances, however, proved unavailing and the "Herald" was obliged to suspend publication.
Press Encourages Filibustering
While the press of pioneer days was never remiss in the duty of pointing out and denouncing municipal abuses, it was not so keen to expose or condemn attempted aggressions on neighboring countries. To the contrary it applauded and stimulated men like Walker in their efforts to steal from sister republics, and looked with tol-
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erance on many things which are now made the objective of the assaults of the modern editor. The reformers of the Fifties pursued tactics which in many re- spects resembled those of the present-day advocates of the exemplary punishment of abusers of the public trust. They indulged in invective; made exposures, and called on the courts to put offenders in jail, but they rarely attempted to convince the good citizens, who were sufferers from maladministration of public affairs, that their inattention to civic duty was at the bottom of their trouble.
In the discussion of political questions the editors of the Fifties were particu- larly strong. Their columns contained many able presentations of the burning questions of the period, but they were not noted for their news gathering proclivi- ties. This neglect was a feature of early journalism of which those responsible for it were wholly unconscious. It is related of a publisher, whose newspaper career began in pioneer days, that as late as 1877 he was under the impression that one man constituted an adequate reportorial force; but while his paper was never much burdened with news it always contained long and satisfying screeds on the principles of democracy.
Evidently there was no demand for what the modern calls news, or it would have been responded to in the Fifties, if competition were capable of producing such a result. At the close of 1853 there were twelve daily papers in San Fran- cisco, two tri-weeklies, six weeklies, one Sunday Journal and a commercial sheet. Judging from the stirring accounts of the pernicious activity of the criminal class, the reporter would have found ample opportunity for the exercise of his talents in descriptive, had his inclination tended in that direction, but detail and artistic veri- similitude were not in his line. A striking characteristic of nearly all the reporting of the period was that sort of compactness which oftener results from inability to see things than the desire for conciseness. In short, reporting in the Fifties was a neglected art, or perhaps it would be nearer the truth to say that the newspapers had not discovered its possibilities. It can hardly be said that the pioneer editor's idea of journalism was derived from a study of French papers, but in many partic- ulars the newspaper of the Fifties resembled those produced in Paris more nearly than the later products of this country. Great stress was laid on the necessity of providing theatrical criticism of the kind which deals in analysis of the motives of the playwright as well as the actor, and space was often found for abstruse dis- cussions of mooted historical questions. Articles showing great erudition were fa- vored, and there was relatively a much greater recognition of the value of classical models than at present.
The editors of the Fifties were much addicted to literature, and as a rule es- teemed the ability to produce a story or write verse, as of more consequence than the other qualities which later came to be in great demand in newspaper offices. An extended list of men who at one time or another wrote for the "Sacramento Union" in its palmy days, and afterward drifted to San Francisco, discloses the names of several who attained distinction in politics or at the bar, and the most of them were unusually facile producers, and not a few were masters of invective, a style in great demand, the possession of which established the reputation of the possessor as a great writer. Among the most noted of the writing editors of this period were Newton Booth, who became governor and later United States senator, Samuel Sea- bough, Lauren Upson, Joseph Winans, Henry Clay Watson, Noah Brooks, Mark Twain, Lauren E. Crane, Henry E. Highton, James L. Watkins, Charles Henry
Editorials a Leading Feature
Plenty of Rivairy
Editorial Writers in the Fifties
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Webb, A. P. Catlin, Theodore H. Hittell, Benjamin F. Washington and William Bausman. They were all forceful writers, but the most of them were more disposed to regard journalism as a stepping stone to something else rather than as a pro- fession; and few of them had the all around training which would have qualified them to fill a reporter's position, although they were possessed of superior literary attainments.
Fixed Convictions of Editors
As vehicles for the expression of public opinion the early papers performed their part more thoroughly than the modern newspaper, which pays more attention to the gathering and dissemination of news than it does to the censorship of the acts of public officials. The sanctum in the Fifties was usually a political headquarters, and those who penetrated it did so to confer with the editor, who not infrequently assisted in the shaping of policies. Nonpartisan journalism of the modern kind was absolutely unknown. No San Francisco editor of the Fifties was without settled opinions when national questions were being discussed. Some of them were willing to put aside partisanism when municipal matters were concerned, but they were all ready to express themselves with vigor on the subject of the extension of slavery, which was the burning question of the day, and they would have regarded with surprise the assumption that abstention from a fixed conviction concerning it constituted an exhibition of independence.
Use of the Telegraph
In October, 1852, an ordinance was passed granting the right of way to the California Telegraph Company to construct a line between San Francisco, San Jose and other points in the interior, but it was late in the following year before it was completed. In September, 1853, a short line was constructed connecting San Francisco with Point Lobos, which was used for the purpose of giving informa- tion concerning shipping movements. Up to this time the earliest intelligence respecting arrivals was received from a station on Telegraph hill, which was sup- ported by voluntary contributions. It does not appear that the telegraph was made much use of by the press at any time prior to the completion of the line between the Missouri and San Francisco, which occurred October 1, 1861.
There was great rivalry during the period prior to the establishment of the Pony Express and the Overland Stage Line in the matter of presenting the news received by steamer from the Atlantic states. Condensations were made, and when there was intelligence of unusual importance great haste was made to get it on the streets. These condensations were followed by more careful digests in the regular issues of the paper. The most of these show excellent judgment in selection, and a better sense of proportion than is exhibited in the modern newspaper, which too frequently in the presentation of the news subordinates the interesting to the im- portant.
In 1858 a stage line was established which connected San Francisco and St. Louis. It was known as the Butterfield route and ran through Arizona, New Mex- ico, Texas and Arkansas. Stages departed twice a week, but there was no gain in the matter of time over the steamship passage, but it gave the editor, and the people generally, improved mail facilities, there being eight arrivals monthly by stage as against two by steamer. Greater expedition in the transmission of special mail was secured by the establishment of what was known as the Pony Express. The best time made by the Butterfield route was 21 days, but by putting on relays of riders, who carried a mail pouch an average distance of 75 miles daily, the time hetween St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento was reduced to nine days, and on
Mails by Stage and Pony Express
News Received by Steamer
H
I
VIEW DOWN SACRAMENTO STREET TOWARD THE BAY IN 1856
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extraordinary occasions to less than eight days. Lincoln's message of March, 1861, was brought through in 7 days and 17 hours.
The Pony Express was regarded as a great institution and deservedly so. It employed in its service nearly three hundred persons and over five hundred horses. There were eighty riders whose average performance was about 75 miles, but there is a record of one who rode 384 miles without stopping, except for meals and to change horses at stations. The rider's occupation was extra hazardous as well as arduous, for the country was infested with hostile Indians, but they were fearless men and did their work in a fashion that excited the admiration of the pioneer, who had a keen appreciation of the dangers and difficulties they encountered. When the first mail by this route reached Sacramento on April 13, 1858, both houses of the legislature adjourned, and when the bearer of the pouch arrived in San Francisco at one o'clock on the morning of April 14th, he was received with bands of music and a torchlight procession. The Pony Express carried two mails a week, limited to 200 letters. The postage was $5 for half an ounce, and all sorts of devices were resorted to by patrons to get the worth of their money. Tissue paper was generally used, and the newspapers with the aid of cipher codes were enabled to make a single letter go a great way in providing copy. A short time prior to the starting of the Pony Express a wire had been run from San Francisco to Stockton, and from thence through the San Joaquin valley and over the mountains to Los An- geles. The newspapers were active in promoting this enterprise, their object being to anticipate the arrival of the overland stage, but the successful operation of the Pony Express made the effort valuless so far as anticipating intelligence from the East was concerned and it was of very little value in developing a fresh source of news, for there was little of consequence happening in the southern counties of the state in the Fifties.
Journalism and literature were so closely allied in the Fifties it is impossible to discuss them apart. Nearly all the editors of the decade were much more inter- ested in belle lettres than news gathering, and in some fashion or other every man of letters who made his mark in California in the early days was usually iden- tified with daily journalism. It may be said in general that they were responsive to the desire of the times, which sought entertainment in the columns of the press rather than news. A facetious account of an occurrence was apt to receive much more attention than one adhering strictly to facts, and if pointed with satire it was certain to obtain a wide recognition. Later writers have often expressed surprise that some of the brightest lights produced by California did not enjoy a greater degree of appreciation when they first wrote, and the failure is attributed to vari- ous causes, among them the inability of the pioneer element to recognize value in a local effort. The criticism is merely a variant on the saying that a prophet is without honor in his own land, and is not deserving of serious consideration because it implies something that was not true. It is no more possible to truthfully assert that Bret Harte, Mark Twain, J. Ross Browne and some others who made their impress were not appreciated, because the world subsequently recognized and made much of them, than it would be to say that Charles Dickens was neglected by the British because Americans bought more of his books and were more generally ac- quainted with his stories than his own countrymen.
The pioneers did not lack appreciation, nor were they disposed to neglect those who worked in the literary field. But the community was small, and its isolation
The Pony Express
Journalism and Literature Allied
Appreciative Pioneers
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deprived it of the stimulus which comes from general approbation. Without that it is impossible for a man to achieve literary or any other sort of reputation than the purely local. That the really creditable performances of early California writers were estimated at their real worth by San Franciscans, is proved by the fact that their first judgments were in many cases indorsed by the whole literary world, and the other fact that they not infrequently rated the productions of their authors above their real value only proves that like the rest of mankind they were not always able to distinguish between that which had enduring qualities, and the other kind, which like the average "best seller," obtains only temporary vogue.
Varying Literary Standards
But while the humor and other distinctive qualities of such men as Twain and John Derby were instantly appreciated by San Franciscans, it is apparent that they were very tolerant of productions which would now be deemed silly. One of the earliest "poets" of San Francisco, who attained the distinction of being regarded as a biting satirist, wrote some verses which won the applause of the City, and pro- cured for him a place in the custom house. The collector of the port, whose name was King, had procured the dislike of the people after the fire of May 5, 1851, by removing the custom house treasure, under a heavy guard, to a new location. The ostentatiousness of the performance excited the mirth of the pioneers, and one of them, named Frank Ball, burst forth in song. This is a specimen verse:
"Come listen a minute, a song I'll sing, Which I rather calculate will bring Much glory and all that sort of thing, On the head of our brave collector, King. Ri tu di nu, Ri tu di nu, Ri tu di nu di na."
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