Rhode Island : three centuries of democracy, Vol. II, Part 82

Author: Carroll, Charles, author
Publication date: 1932
Publisher: New York : Lewis historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 716

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THE TRIBUNE-Exodus in Providence newspaper history refers to the withdrawal from the "Journal" in 1906 of Matthew S. Dwyer, Frederick H. Howland, Frederic N. Luther, Timothy F. Dwyer, Daniel J. Dwyer, Albert C. Rider, John J. Rosenfeld, Edmund E. East- man, Charles R. Thurston, Frank E. Jones, Horace G. Belcher and Thatcher Thurston, all of whom had held responsible positions on the "Journal" staff, and with them a larger number of reporters, compositors, stereotypers, pressmen and clerks. They went out from the "Journal" to the plant of the Telegram Publishing Company, which the men named had purchased, with the purpose of establishing a new paper, the "Evening Tribune," March 12, 1906, and a new morning paper, the "Morning Tribune," July 4, 1906. The "Morning Tribune" was the "Journal's" first morning rival since the suspension of the "Star" in 1887.

Exodus followed varying fortune of the "Journal's" "independent" policy. Of complete independence there was no shadow of doubt in the period during which Richard S. Howland was manager and Albert M. Williams was editor. Opposition to the "mighty" appealed to the chivalry of the latter; he had become a martyr to the Fenian cause in Ireland, when, going there as a reporter for the "New York Tribune," he had been arrested and jailed on suspi- cion of being an American officer sent to aid the rebels. He had advocated woman suffrage in

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the Massachusetts Legislature in 1870. He became interested in the Indians as "another down- trodden race suffering cruel wrongs from those whose superior firearms and military organiza- tions had conquered the lands belonging to their ancestors." He had published a Republican newspaper in Neosho, Missouri, in a neighborhood which was overwhelmingly Democratic. Richard S. Howland was a thorough business man, intent upon building to even greater pros- perity the enterprise which had been developed by the masterful George W. Danielson. In national politics the "Journal" opposed an excessively high protective tariff ; on the issue of bimetallism it stood squarely for the single gold standard. In the free silver campaigns of 1896 and 1900 it supported William McKinley against William J. Bryan. The intensity of feeling aroused in the free silver campaign carried the "Journal" almost back to orthodoxy in state politics in the support of the Republican party, although it did not become the party's official organ. When Lucius F. C. Garvin became Governor the "Journal" referred to him as "Doctor" Garvin, instead of "Governor" Garvin. The political conscience of the "Journal" had been removed from the editorial sanctum to the headquarters of the city editor, of which the extremely able John J. Rosenfeld was in charge. David S. Barry, fresh from Washington, became editor-in-chief in July, 1904. Frederick Hoppin Howland replaced his father as man- ager in February, 1905.

Then came a counter-revolution ; the men who owned the "Journal" were not willing to support George Peabody Wetmore for Senator, nor yet to help Samuel Pomeroy Colt to achieve his ambition to become United States Senator. Frederick Roy Martin was elected editor and treasurer of the "Journal" in February, 1906, returning after an absence during the Barry regime. The counter-revolution meant that the "Journal" was to resume its inde- pendent policy. The group named above purchased the "Telegram" in the same month, and renamed it the "Tribune" in March. John R. Rathom was among those, new and old, who came or returned to the "Journal" in 1906 to replace those who had gone to the "Tribune." In 1912, when Martin retired to join the Associated Press, Rathom became editor and general manager, continuing until his death in 1923.

The "Tribune" became Republican and supported Colonel Colt for Senator ; the "Journal" and "Bulletin" supported Colonel Robert Hale Ives Goddard, running as a Democrat and in- dependent. In the following year the General Assembly failed to elect a Senator from the three candidates-Colt, Goddard and Wetmore. In 1908 George Peabody Wetmore was elected as Senator. The "Morning Tribune" and "Evening Tribune" were both penny papers. Their initial success was without precedent. The "Morning Tribune" achieved a circulation of 11,000 within a year ; the "Evening Tribune's" circulation attained an average of 32,000, an increase of 15,000 over the "Telegram," which it had superseded. Both papers were patronized liberally by advertisers. The "Morning Tribune" was not a permanent success, however ; it was abandoned after a trial beyond the political campaign which had justified its initial issue had demonstrated that Rhode Island would not support a second morning news- paper. The price of the "Evening Tribune" was raised to two cents after several years of publication as a penny paper. Like the "Journal," it became an independent paper. The news- paper outgrew its quarters on Westminster Street, and removed to enlarged quarters in an extension of the Barton block. Its advertising patronage indicated reasonable prosperity in the years in which it had ceased to be a political organ. It was sold in 1929 to the "News-Demo- crat," the reorganized newspaper being issued as the "News-Tribune" and continuing as a Democratic newspaper.

CHANGES IN NEWSPAPER METHODS-The early Rhode Island papers were not news- papers in the modern sense. No attempt was made to collect local news; perhaps it was assumed that everybody knew what was happening in the small community of the day. The

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reporter was unknown. Letters from other places were printed, and as the custom of exchang- ing newspapers developed, "clippings" were copied freely. The "Journal's" new news service in 1838, through which type instead of dispatches was brought from New York, gave the "Journal's" readers New York news earlier than they would receive it directly from the New York papers. The telegraph revolutionized national and international news service, resulting in the development of associations for gathering news and furnishing it to newspapers. The telephone also became a significant factor in news service, particularly in the local field. The "Journal" as its resources developed displayed enterprise in collecting news by utilizing public conveyances, as in the instance of the New York service, and by arranging occasionally an express by relays of horses. Special effort was made to collect election returns ; in the early days of the Stonington railroad a locomotive without train brought returns from towns along the route from Westerly, as carriers from polling places delivered them at railway stations. When Lawrence Keegan was arrested for the murder of Emily Chambers, the "Bulletin" reported the preliminary arraignment on the day on which it occurred, although the hearing was conducted at a village in Scituate, miles from the nearest telegraph office or telephone. Two race horses, Athalena and Jakey Joseph, working in relay, carried messages from the "Bulletin" reporter at the trial to a telegraph operator, who had tapped a wire and operated a sending instrument from a seat by the roadside. The "Journal" tested the possibilities of the DeForest system of wireless telegraphy by publishing the Block Island Wireless, beginning June 9, 1903, on the island, news dispatches from the "Journal" in Providence being relayed by wireless telegraph from Point Judith to Block Island. William R. Doran, who was foreman of the "Journal" printing plant on Block Island in the summer of 1903 was known years after- ward among printers as "Swordfish Bill." The "Journal" was also the first Rhode Island cor- poration to use automobiles for commercial purposes, and the automobile soon replaced the string of small express wagons drawn by mustangs, used in delivering bundles to dealers.

Out of the "Journal's" election night service emerged a system of local reporting cover- ing the towns of Rhode Island, and eventually the modern plan of eight editions daily from the "Journal" presses, thus doubling the prediction made by the "Patriot's" "devil" in 1829. The "Journal" prints four editions daily, one for the city of Providence and three with sub- urban news gathered in and included for circulation in as many sections of Rhode Island. The "Bulletin" service includes four different editions with the same purpose. Three editions of the "Sunday Journal" are printed. The illustration of newspaper has kept pace with other developments. The "Journal" installed a photo-engraving department in 1902 for rapid repro- duction of photographs as half-tone engravings for printing. In modern development the time between exposing a photographic plate and the actual printing of a picture as part of a daily newspaper may be a matter of minutes only ; it has been accomplished in thirty minutes.

Improvement of printing machinery was delayed almost until the second half of the nineteenth century. The first presses used in Rhode Island were made principally of wood. The Ramage press used by the "Journal" was of wood, with wooden plates and stone bed. The first iron press was introduced in 1823, and at that time ink balls were replaced by rollers as devices for spreading ink. The first power press was a Ruggles, operated by a treadle. The "Morning Mirror" was printed on a Hoe cylinder press, the wheel of which was turned by man-power. "John Neafi, an Irishman, whose office name was 'John Mickey,' was employed to turn the wheel," a contemporary said. The first steam-power cylinder press was the "Journal's" Hoe of 1856. The "Providence Press" installed a power-press in 1861, which was operated by a double cylinder air engine, designed by Stephen Wilcox, Jr., of Westerly. The cylinder press carried a sheet of paper on a circular plate over a flat bed holding the type, which moved forward with the cylinder, and raced back to be in position to catch it again for

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another revolution. The "Press" installed a double cylinder press, also in 1861. The new device had two cylinders, the second designed to take an impression as the bed of the press moved backward. Four and six-cylinder presses carried double cylinders rising in tiers. The "Journal's" six-cylinder press at Barton block had a capacity of 12,000 impressions an hour. It was superseded by a rotary cylinder press on which type was locked in forms curved to fit the cylinder ; none of the motion wasted in the backward and forward rocking cylinder presses was lost in this new machine. With the introduction of stereotyping the "Journal" installed a web perfecting press, which took paper from a continuous roll, and delivered eight- page papers at the rate of 24,000 an hour. These papers were not folded; folding devices were introduced in 1886.

The "Providence News" installed the first multicolor printing press used in Rhode Island. The "Journal" in 1905 installed two sextuple perfecting presses with capacity of 48,000 eight-page papers per hour, or 24,000 per hour of ten to twenty-four pages. The "Journal's" most recent presses deliver papers folded in two sections of multiples of four up to sixty-four pages. The "Journal" and other newspapers increased their printing capacity by installing larger and faster presses to meet the demands of increasing circulation first, and later to provide for the advertising patronage which followed changes that revolutionized retail trade, particularly in dry goods and clothing. The "Journal" had reached eight pages before it left its quarters in the Barton block to remove to the Fletcher building on West- minster and Eddy Streets, occupying the western half of the present site. The "Bulletin," particularly, was patronized by advertisers, and the size of the paper was increased to furnish the space bought by enterprising merchants. Other newspapers shared in the same extension of business ; it is advertising principally that accounts for the large newspapers of the present time. The newspaper is constrained by the cost of white paper to hold its editions to the smallest number of pages that will float the advertising in a reasonable percentage of "reading matter." The same economy limits printing to the number of papers needed for actual cir- culation. In spite of the 47,000 editions of morning and 80,000 evening newspapers printed by one large Rhode Island paper, it is difficult to find copies in the street or on newsstands even a few hours after printing.

The "Journal" was the first New England newspaper to install the Mergenthaler linotype machine, and the first American newspaper to demonstrate the practicability of the new device. The new machine had been exhibited in Baltimore, and a small number in each instance had been installed in the "New York Tribune," "Louisville Courier Journal," and "Chicago News" offices when the "Journal," in 1889, on the advice of Lucian Sharpe that the machine had possibilities, equipped the composing room in its new plant in the Fletcher building with a battery of eleven linotypes. With the machine came John Burger and Ernest F. Klausch, machinists who had worked with Mergenthaler on the development of his models. One of the first successful operators was William Carroll, chosen later by Richard S. Howland to be fore- man of the composing room. The "Journal" removed its equipment of type and cases to the new building, but the arrangement was in the nature of insurance against the vicissitudes of the experiment. No Boston newspaper installed linotypes within four years after the "Journal." The machines accomplished a revolution in newspaper making, one of the imme- diate effects being a reduction in working hours. Fortunately for printers -- compositors and . pressmen-the introduction of typesetting machines and of improved printing presses preceded by only a short time the increase in the size of newspapers by reason of advertising patronage, and the remarkable gains in circulation made by modern newspapers. Threatened reduction in the number of positions for employment was offset by the larger amount of work to be accomplished.

Constantly increasing prosperity of newspapers, derived principally from advertising,

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made possible wages commensurate with changing economic conditions. But the introduction of machinery-that is, power presses of the perfecting type, linotype machines, stereotyping apparatus and photo-engraving plants, etc .- to mention only the more significant elements in the equipment of a modern newspaper plant-discouraged the establishment of new enter- prises. No entirely new daily newspaper has been established in Providence since 1891. The "Tribune" occupied the "Telegram" plant and enlarged it ; the "News-Democrat" absorbed the "Tribune." The amount of money required to equip a modern plant, and the credit for sup- plies and labor through the stages of proving a need for a new paper, give pause to ambitious journalists or politicians seeking an "organ." Whereas $5000 might suffice in 1875, $500,000 might not be enough in 1930.

SUNDAY AND OTHER WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS-The "Sunday Dispatch," a four-page newspaper without special features, was first published in Providence in 1874, and was con- tinued for twenty years, during which the ownership and place of printing were changed frequently. The "Sunday Telegram," first printed in 1876, was predecessor of the "Evening Telegram," of which it continued to be a Sunday edition. The "Sunday Tribune" replaced the "Sunday Telegram," and the "Sunday News-Tribune" continues the "Tribune" and "Tele- gram." The "Journal" issued its first "Sunday Journal" in 1885. Other Sunday newspapers not connected with daily papers, have been the "Sunday Gazette," 1878; "Sunday Morning Transcript," 1879-1885; "Sunday World," 1886-1892; "Sunday Courier," 1887-1890; "Sun- day News," 1889; "Sunday Republican," 1889-1891 ; "Sunday Times," 1890. Early Sunday papers were newspapers; the modern Sunday morning paper with departments, special sec- tions, features, color and artgravure supplements and tabloid magazines, was developed through an evolutionary process. In modern newspaper offices the Sunday paper is a stabilizer, most of the labor of production being performed at times during the preceding week when the pressure of daily work is relieved. The publisher thus provides work for the force of employes carried to meet the exigencies and emergencies of prompt printing of news.

The "Weekly Visitor," established in 1875, became the "Providence Visitor" and official newspaper of the Catholic diocese of Providence; though published on Thursday, the largest distribution occurs at church entrances on Sundays. The long list of periodicals issued from Providence presses after 1875 include French, German, Italian, Hebrew and Scandinavian weeklies, some printed in foreign languages; fraternal, religious, industrial, political, and commercial monthlies and weeklies; high school and college publications, the latter including the "Brown Magazine," "Brown Daily Herald," "Brown Alumni Monthly," and "Sepiad"; the "Narragansett Historical Register," 1882-1891 ; Sydney Rider's "Book Notes," 1883-1916; the "Manufacturing Jeweler," from 1893; "Buker's Illustrated Monthly," 1884-1894; "Rhode Islander," 1884-1894; "Outlook," 1885-1895; "Beulah Christian," 1892-1904; "Olneyville Times," 1888 and after ; "Independent Citizen," 1889-1898; "Board of Trade Journal," 1889, continued under several different titles and published in 1900 as the ""Providence Magazine"; "New England Torchlight," 1890-1897; "Home Guard," monthly, 1891-1900; "Rhode Island Republican," 1892-1907. Over 100 new periodicals were issued in twenty-four years from 1875 to 1900; few were so successful as to warrant continuance for more than a brief period in each instance. The number of new enterprises has been somewhat smaller since 1900. The Providence publications in 1930 included the "Daily Journal," morning, and "Bulletin," eve- ning, with the "Sunday Journal," all published by the Journal Company ; the "News-Demo- crat," evening and Sunday; the "Providence Visitor," Catholic weekly; the "Providence Magazine," issued by the Chamber of Commerce; "Svea," a Scandinavian weekly, first pub- lished in 1900; two Hebrew papers, the "Jewish Herald" and the "Jewish Record"; an Italian paper, "L'Eco del Rhode Island"; a Portuguese paper, "Voz da Colonia"; and the "Rhode

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Islander," whose mission was principally political. Students at Brown University published the "Brown Daily Herald," the "Brunonian" and the "Jug," the last a comic monthly. "Brown Alumni Monthly" also was related to the college.

NEWSPAPERS ELSEWHERE-Besides Newport and Providence, Pawtucket, the Pawtuxet Valley, Westerly and Woonsocket were served by daily newspapers in 1930. Pawtucket's weekly "Gazette and Chronicle," 1839, succeeded the "Pawtucket Chronicle and Manufac- turers' and Artisans' Advocate," 1825, and the "Pawtucket Gazette," 1838; the "Gazette" had absorbed the "Chronicle." Early rivals of the "Gazette and Chronicle" were the "White Ban- ner," 1827, Masonic ; the "Mercantile Reporter," 1829; the "Battle Axe," anticipating Carrie Nation's favorite weapon against the saloon, and suppressed, the owner alleged, by emissaries of liquor dealers, who dumped his printing equipment into the river; "Sparkling Fountain," "Midnight Cry," and "Rose and Lily," all with original names; "Temperance Regulator," "Truth's Advocate," "Pawtucket Herald" and "Pawtucket Observer." All the rivals were short-lived. The "Gazette and Chronicle" issued the "Evening Chronicle," a daily newspaper, April 10 to May 2, 1885. Three days before the "Evening Chronicle" was discontinued George O. Willard published the "Pawtucket Evening Times." David O. Black and Peter J. Trumpler, late of the "Providence Telegram," which they had sold in 1889, purchased the "Times" in 1890, and laid the foundations for a successful and prosperous newspaper. The "Times" was sold in 1906 to Nelson W. Aldrich, Samuel P. Colt and Marsden J. Perry, but was returned in 1916 to members of the Black family. The "Times" continued in 1930 as an evening newspaper of metropolitan size, with large circulation in the Blackstone Valley and liberal advertising patronage. Few cities were so well served as were Pawtucket and Central Falls by the "Times." The "Pawtucket Evening Tribune," 1888-1899, and the "Evening Post," 1893-1897, were Democratic newspapers. The "Post" was issued for a few weeks before discontinuance as the "Sun." J. B. S. Brazeau established "Le Jean Baptiste" in 1897, as a French weekly newspaper, circulating in Central Falls and Pawtucket. From the Times building are issued the "Automobile Journal," the "Accessory and Garage Journal," and the "Motor Truck Journal."

The "Pawtuxet Valley Daily Times," first published in 1892 and continued as a prosper- ous newspaper serving a thickly populated area of the state, was issued from a plant removed from Westerly, where Frank H. Campbell had used it to publish the "Westerly Journal," 1888. The "Literary Echo," Westerly's first newspaper, published in 1851, became "Westerly Echo and Pawcatuck Advertiser" in 1856, and "Narragansett Weekly," 1858, when the enter- prise was acquired by the Utter family. The "Sabbath Recorder" was issued from the same establishment, 1861-1872, having been published previously in New York; it was removed to Alfred, New York, in 1872. The "Westerly Daily Sun" was published August 7, 1893, from the "Narragansett Weekly" office. The weekly was discontinued later. The "Beacon," a weekly published by students of Rhode Island State College, and the "Record," official paper of the Rhode Island Republican Club, are printed at the "Westerly Sun" plant. The "Westerly Sun" was not the first daily newspaper published in Westerly. The "Rhode Island Telephone" was removed in 1884 from Wickford to Westerly, and published there as the "Westerly Times and Rhode Island Telephone." The name was changed to "Westerly Tribune" in 1888, and in that year the "Tribune" became a daily under the title "Westerly Daily Tribune." The "Tribune" was discontinued in 1897, and revived as the "Westerly Herald," which lasted until 1899. The "Westerly Times," a weekly, has been published at Wickford.

From the office of the "Weekly Patriot," 1833, Woonsocket's first newspaper, the "Daily Patriot" was issued in 1876. The establishment at the time was owned by Samuel S. Foss, who had constructed a telegraph line to Providence to improve his newspaper service. The

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"Patriot" was absorbed in 1881 by the "Evening Reporter," which continued the "Patriot" as a weekly. Rivals of the "Patriot" included the "Rhode Island Advocate," 1835; the "Rain- bow," 1836, devoted to "literary miscellany and the arts"; the Dorrite "Independent," 1842; the "Woonsocket Sentinel and Thompsonian Advocate," 1842-1843; the "News Letter," 1850. The "Farm and Fireside." 1867, an agricultural fortnightly, was published in the "Patriot" plant. The "Woonsocket Reporter," after the merger with the "Patriot," was successful for a number of years. The "Evening Call" was established in 1892, as an independent Democratic newspaper, but has changed political inclination. Other daily newspapers, all short-lived, were established in Woonsocket as follows: The "Valley Republican," 1886; the "Evening Sun," and the "Evening Star," both in 1899. Woonsocket's French population is served by "La Tribune," an evening daily newspaper, first published in 1895. Several other French papers were unsuccessful, the list including "Courier Canadien," 1880; "Courier de Woonsocket," 1892; "Le Canadien," 1892, "La Cloche du Dimanche," 1899; and "La Travailleur." "La Reveille" was established in 186; and discontinued in 1897. "La Progres," a humorous weekly, is published in Woonsocket.

TOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS-In spite of the space given by city newspapers to suburban and rural town news, and the publication of daily editions of city newspapers for circulation in towns, with the purpose of establishing a state-wide clientage, a few of the older town weekly newspapers have survived. The "Bristol Phenix," founded in 1838, continued in 1930 as a semi-weekly. It had been preceded by the "Mount Hope Eagle," 1807; and the "Bristol Gazette," 1833-1838. The "Bristol Eagle," 1840, was a short-lived rival.

The "Barrington and Warren Gazette," semi-weekly, was established in 1867 as the "War- ren Gazette"; it had been preceded in Warren by the "Herald of the United States," 1792- 1812. Other Bristol County newspapers included : "Bristol County Register," 1809; "Colum- bian Post-Boy," 1812; "Telescope," 1813-1817; "Clarion or Bristol County Advertiser," 1823- 1824; "Telegraph," 1825; "Northern Star," 1825-1855; "Rhode Island Telegraph," 1855- 1862.

"Hope Valley Advertiser" was established in 1876 as "Wood River Advertiser"; it con- solidated in 1881 with the "Shannock Sentinel" as "Sentinel-Advertiser," and the name was changed to "Hope Valley Advertiser" in 1894.

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Rhode Island : three centuries of democracy, Vol. II, Part 82

Author: Carroll, Charles, author Publication date: 1932 Publisher: New York : Lewis historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 716

Author: Carroll, Charles, author
Publication date: 1932
Publisher: New York : Lewis historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 716