The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-09-01
THE DALLAS HERALD.
DAILY AND WEEKLY PUBLICATION.
An Outline of what the Herald is and Per-
haps to Become, with n few Remarks
Concerning its Enterprise and
Its Growth.
Biographical and Descriptive sketch of
the Paper and its Quarters.

The first effort made at newspaper pub
fishing i'll this country was in Boston in
1690,on hundred and eighty-one years ago.
How feeble that effort was in comparison
with the mighty success achieved in this
day and time, the Imagination can better
conceive than words portray. 1t would in
deed be an interesting incident ifthe outlines
and the results of that effort could be made
to-day II copy of the first sheet in the
shape of newspaper could be laid along
side one of the mammoth dailics of this
year of grace, as a contrast between that
time and this-between the crude ideas of
journalism Of then, and the restless expan-
sive, brilliant intelligence of now. Twenty
five years afterward James Franklin, the
elder brother and tutor in the printers art
of the immortal Benjamin Franklin, started
apaper, also i'll Boston. SO il may be truly
said that Boston is the mother of journalism
in America. Some of the friends of James
attempted TO dissuade him from embark
ing in the enterprise, because already
there was one paper in America
and two would glut the market, but, in
spired by the same feelingthat has actuated
so many patriotic and enterprising gentle
men since then, he aspired TO fill "a long
felt want" and start another paper, and he
WOuiu INV DC hSlSlicl, anu us all evidence
OF his brothers foresight and business sa-
gacity, Benjamin remarks in his autobiog-
raphy, written fifty-sx years later, Eat this
time, Ill, there are not less than five and
twenty" Just think of it! In l77l, one
hundred years ago, there were but twenty
five papers in all this country, with a circu-
lation combined not exceeding perhaps
5000 while i'll this good year of 1851 there
are more than 10, coop periodicals, with an an
Lot Of fl,n,, l..A 600.
copies. In this matter of periodicals, however
there are four times as many in this coun-
try as i'll England, with all its boosted intel
hgence and Utilization, and twice as many
as i'll France What mighty strides have
not time and progress made in this country
since the first newspaper saw the light, one
hundred and eighty-one years ago, not
only i'll the matter of journalism, but in all
things else that tend to the material pros
perity, growth and greatness rs q nation.
The educational breath of civilization and
progress has been felt throughout the entire
land. From few colonies thirteen free
and sovereign states sprang, full panoplied,
into the arena of life, to form q nation that
has since extended its boundaries from one
ocean to another-to embrace continent,
well nigh, and to become great and power
full amid the nations of all the earth. And
journalism has kept pace with all this pro-
tASSot tAAAo
AYE has been in the van and marked the
way. To-day, through the columns of
this, its extraordinary edition, the HERALD
will he pardoned that it takes
in this edition, the first of the kind that il
has ever issued-the first of the kind that
was ever issued in north Texas--it will be
pardoned, we trust, if 1t make some self
illusions and points out, with pride it
feels to be commendable, the achievements
II hos tubt In !
by j. w. Latimer, who had been publishing
u paper at Paris, in Lamar county, and
which he moved here. Dallas was then but
the merest hamlet, having been founded but
three or four years previously, and all north
Texas was little more than an unsettled
wilderness. The population of the entire
county of Dallas at that time was but a few
hundred, and the chen village of Dallas had
but a few habitations struggling here and
there, its houses, private and business, but
log cabins. j. W. Latimer was q gentleman
of education, a lawyer OF bright promise,
and one of the most brilliant editorial
writer's that ever adorned the profession of
journalism i'll the state of Texas The HER
AID was then necessarily small and its con.
tents were in the main editorial discussions
OF the various questions political, social
and moral on the tapis There were no tcle- I
graph nor railroad facilities in Texas and
carried then mostly in this state ON horse |
bocco, so that any item of news or
species of information of private or
public character was days and weeks old |
before it could be published in the columns /
of newspaper. The HERALD soon as |
sumed position in the front ranks of the |
papers OF the state, owing 10 the terseness, !
brilliancy and comprehensivcness of its ed I
itorial discussions, and no paper welded !
.sN.. ll,..,
conducted by Mr.. Latimer until his death, !
some five or six years after he had founded /
it, when it passed into other hands. With
out following it through its fortunes, from
year TO year. suffice it to say that il has
never missed an issue from its foundation !
TO this time, not even during the war when |
it was published by Colonel John !
w. Swindells, now in one of the de- I
partments of the state at Austin. I
After the war twas continued by Col. Swim. /.
dells as a weekly until February IL, 1878, .
when he founded
THE DAILY HERALD,
issuing it on that date as n six-column, four. |
page bantling, the first daily ever published I
in north Texas. Dallas had then begun to
look upward. The Houston ~ Texas Cen 1
trail railroad had arrived here and the Texas /.
& Pacific road was but 4 short distance 1
eastward and coming on this way to inter-
sect and cross the Houston u Texas Central |
within the corporate limits. The town was
about TO become railroad center, and il |
had boom upon IL. People were flocking
here from all directions, and business was
on rush. From that time on Dallas has /
continued to grow, having increased from a
mere county site of thousand inhabitants ,
in 1873 to a CITY Of 1900 population in this
good year of 1881. Mr., ID. McCaleb was the |
first editor of the Dallas Daily HERALD,
and the paper has continued its morning |
visitations 70 its patrons from the day of its |
foundation until now. 1t encountered vary |
ing fortunes and passed through several |
hands, from its commencement as u daily |
until in the spring of 1873, Col. p. s. Pfouts, |
the senior partner Of the present firm, pur- |
chased II. In the fall of that year the |
HERALD bought out the Evening Call and |
consolidated the two offices. In February, |
J so, Major j. +. Elliott, Of the present firm, |
and the. firm Of Pfouts y Elliott
conducted II until the first day |
of June of that year when the
HERALD and the Commercial rival daily, |
were consolidated, and Mr.. w. l.. Hall, the |
Junior partner OF the present firm, who was I
proprietor Of the Commercial at the time of
consolidation came into the firm, and the |
paper was run some months under the |
hyphcnatod name OF LD-CoMMERcIAL. |
Finally the old name of HERALD was re-
sumcd, and II has so continued. Under the
management of Messrs, Pfouts IL Elliott, |
the HERALD had thrived and was
making Re wnv pruunllv nm thn liIl of inur