The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-07
TWO BUSINESS SESSIONS.
Story of a Pioneer Press in Montana Told
at Ono of Them.

at Ono of Them.
There were two business sessions of
the association yesterday afternoon,
each of which was well attended. Per
haps the most interesting event of the
day occurred late in the afternoon,
when D. w. Tilton Of Butte told how
the first paper to appear in Montana
was printed by himself. Mr.. Tilton was
present in the room, having been elect
ed an honorary member of the as
ISOLATION. In the course of some
remarks on a topic under discussion,
Mr.. Tilton took occasion to thank the
association for comforting the honorary
membership upon him.
Il want to say, Mr.. Tilton." said
President Walsworth, that your mem
bership here is an honor to us, and we
appreciate it,
This brought Mr.. Tilton to his feet
again with a protest against too much
honor to the pioneer. You men here
are doing more for Montana than did
the pioneers. l brought the first press
to Montana, then Idaho, and l brought
it here as financial proposition and
not for the honor or upbuilding of the
state. When l came to Virginia City
l brought with me a little job press
that / had had in Central City, Col,
when / was there in 1860 l put it in a
basement in Virginia City and helped
dig out the basement / put it in. 1t
was not a newspaper press, and the
little sheet l afterward issued on it
l do not regard as a newspaper. New
ertheless, if any newspaper was issued
before it, the fact was kept a profound
secret.
Afterwards John Buchanan brought
a Washington hand press to Virginia
City, and on it published two numbers
of the Post Then he tried to sell it
out to the democrats. l was repub-
lican but l was not running a repub.
lican paper. CHere he was interrupted
by laughter)
II mean" he explained, that l did
not run partisan paper. l recognized
democrats and republicans alike.
ITO resume. The democrats could not
buy Buchanan's paper for they didn't
have the money. Then he came to me
and wanted to sell me the press, what
little type and material he had and
little paper, for $500 in gold dust. I
had about agreed to the proposition
when he came to me one evening and
said: You can't have the paper unless
you agree to run it as a democratic
paper
II told him that if ran the paper,
l would run it as l liked. l told him it
was off then.
THE next morning he came to me
when dle was sober and told me l could
have the paper on the $4,000 basis, with
out any agreement as to the political
complexion. Then I told him I would
give him only $1,000 for it. On this
basis the plant was sold to me, and
I started what was the first real news
paper in Montana.
Some writer's have sought to throw
discredit upon me for charging high
rates in those old days. Buchanan had
been trying to run a paper for S.
year and as soon as l took hold l
Jumped the price to $3.50. If that was
extortion ] didn't know it. I had to
charge those prices to make it pay. but
l laid up no fortnue. l had to pay 81
a thousand for composition and other
things in proportion. l made the people
glad to take the paper at $50. and
when the paper was sold and taken to
Helena l had nearly 5000 paid-up sub
sCribers at that rate"