The herald., 1897-11-21
OF A NEWSPAPER

former kept by Knowlton, who had
earned honorable distinction under the
confederacy. and the latter by Staples
Il Ustick. The United States hotel was
second rate hostelry and was long,
low two-storied structure.
The only railroad having access to the
city was the Los Angeles and San Pedro
railroad now the Wilmington branch of
the Southern Pacific. but work had just
been inaugurated upon the northern and
eastern extensions of the Southern Pa
cific systems. On the north the gap eX-
tended from Delano to Los Angeles, and
the grading had not reached eastward
beyond the city limits. Colonel Hewitt
was the superintendent of the road, and
in awaiting the advent Of the Southern
Pacific into the city the time was one of
great expectation.
The birthplace Of The Herald has been
out of recognition. but it was
situated on Spring street nearly opposite
the Bullard and Temple blocks. 1t was
u building Of one story, of modest pre-
tensions and destitute of all architec-
tural grace. 1t was owned by Il. =. +.
Temple, who was one of the financial
magnates of the time, and in that re-
gard shared supremacy with !. w. He'll
man, who was then cashier of the Farm
ers and Merchants bank. Under such
conditions c. A. Storke, now of Santa
Barbara, launched the first issue of The
Herald upon the broad waters of public
opinion, and with Taylor cylinder
,J har to-
engine, gained the honor of issuing the
first paper in Southern California that
was printed by steam power. Both
engine and press were such pigmies rs
to be ludicrously inadequate to meet the
requirements of The Herald today, but
they did splendid service at the time and
served admirably every purpose for
which they were intended. Indeed, peo-
pie from the rural districts, as we'll as
from the city, besieged the office to see
the new plant that was then far in ad-
vance Of anything they had up to that
date been seen in the city, and that
marked an epoch in the city's history.
At that time there were as competitors
in the journalistic field the Star, owned
and edited by Major Ben C. Truman,
who is yet in literary harness in connec-
ton with Greater Los Angeles and the
Express, owned by Tiffany & Painter,
two printers, and edited by J. j. Ayers.
who was a man of marked ability but
cramped by his narrow field of work. His
decease a little more than IL week ago
removed one Of the city's landmarks,
for he was broad minded man, of gen.
erous impulses and possessing we'll
stored and cultured mind.
In politics The Herald was liberal and
Independent Democratic. 1t treated cur
rent issues rather than past memories,
and showed little reverence for the ira
ditions of the party, save in SO far rs
they might illuminate and serve hap
py purpose in calculating the problems
of the then present and the future. 1t
was then, as now, too, consistently anti
monopoly and anti-ring at all times,
and. the avowed friend of labor
while In no wise antagonistic 30
the operations OF the capitalistic
class within their proper sphere The city
was then strongly Democratic in poll
tics, SO much so, indeed. that the Re
publicans seldom took even the trouble
to make nominations for either city or
county. The Spanish element of the
when Ignacio Sepulveda ran against
Andrew Glassell for county judge in
October, 1878. Sepulveda received 1888
votes in the city, to 2S9 polled for Glas-
sell.
The Herald was then a four-page pa
per, seven columns, paper of size almost
identical with The Herald of today. On
the first page of the first issue appeared
the following list of city and county Of
ficials, and glance at it suffices to re-
veal the names of some who have at
tained high honor and dignity, of some
who are still taking active part in the
city's affairs, while others have solved
the mystery and have Joined the great
majority" across the river:
J. r. Toberman. mayor; J. r. Wolfe,
mrshal; George r. Butler. treasurer: A.
w. Hutton. city attorney: NJ. Kremer
city clerk: William Moore. surveyor: Dr.
Wise. health officer: H. p. Barrows, presi-
dent; George Smith, William H. Work man,
William Pridham. NJ. Kremer, trustees.
r. NJ. Widney. district judge; Ignacio Sc
pulveda, county Judge; T. G. Howard,
court commissioner; B. d. Wilson. state
senator; Thomas D. Mott, Asa Ellis. as
semblymen: William r. Rowland. sheriff;
Al. D. Johnson, under-sheriff: j. NJ. Bald
win. deputy sheriff; c. T.. Thorn, district
attorney: Erskine NJ. Ross, assistant dis
trict attorney; A. w. Potts. county clerk;
c.. w. Gould. s. II. Mott. deputy county
clerks: Thomas E. Rowan, county treas
urer; William McFadden. superintendent
of schools; George Carson, public admin
istrator; +. Lecouvreur, county surveyor;