The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-09

party was in power he carefully corralled
such helps.
Where party fight was on he was
ready and usually pretty rough; where a
public or party service was needed he
was expected to be the pack horse to
carry supplies. In the community at large
he was the genial, good ma tured squash
advertiser, for which he usually got the
squash. The situation was rather broadly
described by an early editor who printed
this notice: Our family being now set
tied in housekeeping. We will take for
subscriptions anything we can wear or
that hogs can eat
A man of infinite resources was the old
time editor. He was a rare combination of
editorial writer, typesetter and printers
devil AS a rule he had the spirit and
grit of an early editor of the F'reeborn
County Standard. When some miScreant
whom he had scored tried to even up by
stealing the lever of his hand press he
set up a scalding note explanatory of the
delay in getting out his paper, unlocked
the editorial FORM put it in and then
worked off his edition with a fence rail.
But amid all his hustling wear and tear,
no editor of any class, time or kind pre-
served larger measure of integrity.
could name some of those sturdy pioneer
men who threw up their jobs rather than
support men or measures dictated by
bOOdling newspaper owners.
Do not understand by this tribute to his
common honesty that l praise the early
editor as saint. He often said and did
things that would neither sound or look
well inside a church, but it was never
said of him, as it has been too often said
of the modern editor, that 1t was his
vocation to Raise hell and sell news
papers. Nor did he pander to the animal
instincts of human nature by watching
the dirty debris of society to see where
the devil would break out next and have
a reporter on hand to tell about it.
Giving the modern newspaper full cred
it for the mighty power it yields for good
in the affairs Of men, the scandals it
much too often prints spread moral
disease among the young with tremen-
dous counteracting effect it is human ma
ture to want to see into hell as far as
possible, but there is place in. the way
where the bars should be put. up before
our boys and girls and not moved until
they come to years of discretion.
Mr.. Johnston then reviewed some
what in detail the history of the news
papers which flournished in Minnesota
in the later territorial days, with COM
ments as to the characteristics of their
editors. OF the transportation facili-
ties of that day he gave this reminis-
cence:
One day in June, 1856, there came
through the open windows of the printing
room of the st. Anthony Express, a suc-
cession >of distant long-drawn squalls
1.-The Red river carts are coming some
one said, and | went out to see them.
Winding along the Red river trail back
of st. Anthony came a fantastic process
sion Of carts nearly a mile long.
They were coarse, tWo-wheel affairs.
Each was fitted with strong pair of
thills. Between the shafts an OK walked
IN harness Of rawhide. There was
back strap or saddle and belly band, with
loops, to hold the thills, and a heavy
collar to which was attached a pair of
wide traces made of Unframed buffalo
hide. A halter of rawhide completed the
harness outfit The Wheels with not
a fI1pT 1oI on
wooden axles and as they passed the
East side cemetery made noise enough to
wake the dead ~ .
This uncouth train, managed by ath-
letic half-breed drivers who were dressed
IN dirt-begrimed mixture of mackinac
DIanket and tanned and Unframed skins
ana sashed around their waists with scar
let, had come from Pembina. They were
bringing down from their far northern
homes furs and Indian. Trimmed buffalo
robes, which they expected to trade in St
hued calicoes, beads and other trinkets
for the females of their families. In 1853
about 600 of these carts came down and
carried fsT .o back about 400 cooking stoves in
trains took about thirty days each way.
But Few Survive.
He said in conclusion:
OF the seventy-six weekly territorial
newspapers noted, only six are now living,
IheSe are the st. Paul Pioneer. now the
Pioneer Press; the Winona Republican,
Mantorville Express, Rev Wing Republic
an, Wabasha Herald and the ChatfieId
Democrat, now the News Democrat. Of
me seven dailies only one, the St Paul
T Tloneer, now the Pioneer Press, still lives.
= 5nree OF the SIX Weeklies the Red Wing
RepuDllcan, the Wabasha Herald and the
Cnatheld Democrat, were started in Sep
TEMPER; 1887, and, so far as l can learn.
went through that trying financial storm
without missing number
In the business meeting of the ex-
ecutive council, which preceded the pa
pers, the following were elected to
membership:
st. Paul. - -'A''iiH'
Annual Membership Edward A. Brom
icy, minneapolis; Nathan Butler, Minneap
OILS; capt; !. c. Donahower ST Paul:
Prot. u. LANCE, st. Paul; Herbert a.
BALDWIN; Redwood Falls; William Fl. Gold,
Corresponding Membership. J. Nc
Cardy, Washington d @