The evening times., 1895-08-05
STORY OF THE TIMES.

Now that The Evening Times is before
the public, a short history of its predecessor
aud parent, The Morning Times, may be
rot inappropriate.
The Was hiugton Times was started
Sunday morning, March IS, 1894. and
has Stree been continuously issued, al
though not without n great deal of unselfish
effort on the part of the men who started
it.
For The Times had n definite purpose
as its raison d'etre. That s-;rpose was the
establishment of newspaper which
should be fair to workingnieD in its news
and editorial columns. 1t was believed
by organized labor in Washington that
the other daily newspapers of the city
we're unfaii to the great body of people in
the District whose interests these news
papers pretended to serve. 1t was thought
that news items concerning the day-to- day
doiugs OF his. vast constituency were
omitted from daily news columns. either
by definite intention or carelessness. 1t
was also thought that the editorial utter
ances OF these newspapers on local and
general labor topics were unjust to work
ingmeD, and too strongly colored, either
by unreasoDing prejudice or private in
terests, which clashed with the interests
of wage-earners.
1t must be admitted that this condition
was real, and the men who started
The Times had a clear understanding OF
the necessity of just such newspaper.
The stock of the first Times Company,
called The Washington Times Publishing
Company, and incorporated in Virginia,
was eagerly ard uDstintedly subscribed to
from the treasures of local labor organ
izations and from the private purses of
Individuals who sympathiZed with the
objects in view.
But the expense of the daily issuance of
modern newspaper was too much for the
original capital and weekly income from
stock subscriptions. Only the hard work
and unselfish devotion of the first board of
directors carried the paper through this
stormy period. Bills were paid from day to
day and meetings OF the board of directors
were held nearly every night. Weeks
passed without pay day in the composing
editorial ard business departments, and
at length it was seen that the paper must
be discontinued, even though it meant the
loss of all the hard-earned money utilized
In its establishment and running expenses.
At this juncture Congressman Charles G.
Conn, of Indiana, whose lifelong sympa-
thies have been with the interests of la
boring mon, paid the debts OF the company,
including tic back salaries and wages Of
employees, and put The Times on n solid fl
nancial footing Although the w hole
plant and good will of the newspaper then
belonged TO Mr.. Conn and the stock of The
Washington Times Publishing Company be-
came valueless, q new Organization, The
Washington Times Company, was formed,
and Mr.. Conn restored, without charge,
an equivalent amount Of stock In the new
company TO holders of stock In the old
company. -
From this period the history Of Tho
Times is weii-known to Washingtomans
Under Mr.. Conns editorial supervision,
this paper has endeavored to tell the
truth in every column. In less than year
It has successfully attackrd mnny local
evils, among them the race tracks, gas
combine, alley immortality, shyiocks, mes-