Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1904-02-03
OUR BIRTHDAY.
At Seven Years of Age a RETROSPECT.
tive Reveals rlany Changes
in Business Firms.

serving his second term, issued the first
number to the public and was the foun.
der and proprietor. From his pen the
following salutatory was given:
SALUTATORY.
We do not care to use much space in
telling what we expect tn do. We be-
lievc the better way is to do it; but peo-
pie have a right to know. and it is our
duty at the very start to outline to some
extent the policy we expect to pursue in
the management of this paper. We shall
endeavor to make the News a truthful
chronicer of all the news of ANY import
ance, which has its foundation on tact,
that it is possible for us to gather. 1t
will be our ambition to inspire in our
readers. confidence in what we write as
purported facts, that 1t is our most sincere
desire to conduct this paper in manner
so that whatever criticisms may be made
unreliability will not be one of them. In
matters of opinion we are as liable to be
mistaken as anyone else. We will. how
ever, write our own editorials. which will
be intended for the good of the commun-
ity in general, but will only be our own
opinions after all, and may be wrong as
Olte1 dS tIltE arc TlSnt.
1t is not our intention to make this a
partisan paper and it is not owned or
controlled by any political party, and
any illusions made to the dolngs of any
party will be made simply as matter of
news. We shall never. while we pretend
to run an independent newspaper in this
county, print anything for the purpose Of
slurring any political party. for we ex-
pcct to number among our patrons scores
of honest, conscientious and patriotic
American citizens OF every political faith.
and we would hate to think we could be
mean enough to take advantage of our
position to insult anyone by casting any
reflection on the party they belong to for
the purpose of helping another party
We shall not permit any correspondence
rejecting on political party to appear
in The News unless signed by the writer.
We believe that there are many other
matters of general interest which we can
all profit by, to be discussed in county
paper; and we further believe that the
time has arrived when the county needs
more newspaper service than it has had
in the past. We think we can supply
the need. We invite your patronage and
will try our best to satisfy you.
On October 10th of the same year the
great strong frame of Mr.. Thompson
was forever stilled. noble man and
fearless officer was cold in death. The
man who in a few months time had
drawn the attention of the newspapers Of
the state by his able editorials, he whose
bright and promising career politically
and otherwise was just opening, was sud
denly borne away into the ocean Of
eternity in common fate, whittier we are
all swiftly drifting. The mantle of his
work so well begun fell upon more I'M
worthy shoulders. The task of inexper-
fenced hands in carr, ing on such an en-
terprise can better be imagined than
described. We have endeavored to fol-
low to a considerable degree in the foot
steps of our lamented predecessor whose
untimely demise was a severe loss to the
community and the state. What success
has attended the effort is due to the lib
eral patronage and kindness of the peo-
pie of the town and county who in the
fullness of their hearts have always been
"a little blind to our faults and short
comings" for which we are most grateful.
While at seven years no one is usually
possessed of great dignity or decorum
we believe that in the interim the paper
has won friends, and certainly many
readers, by its strict adherence to the
cause of economy, progression and re-
form, as the faithful champion and de-
fender of truth. honesty and justice; and
the foe of fraud, ncompctency and cor.
ruption in public affairs. At seven years
the young life blood is flowing strong
and the course is onward, ever upward.
Many changes have occurred in local
history covered by the news writers on
the staff. In looking over the first num-
Der we find one merchant, w. X. Peters.
whose ad. appears and who has not
missed an issue since without his name
and business appearing in the columns.
Through this method of persistency he
has built up his great harness business
and is one of the most successful mcr-
chants in the city today. In that first
number are the professional cards of Drs.
John NJ. Adams and F. r. Burroughs the
same as today and Attorneys w. w.
Gent and o. X. Holcomb were then ad-
vertised as Holcomb & Gent. A month
later H. +. Gritman. proprietor Of the
Pioneer Drug Store, began using the
space and the results have satisfied him
as he has not missed an issue since.
Davenny Bros, the general merchants
on the lower floor Of the Pioneer State
Bank block, on January I6. 1899, started
a grocery store in the F. r. Burroughs
building on Second street and simultan-
eously inserted an advertisement in the
News which has appeared ever since in
good seasons and bad and now their big
department store with rush of busy
clerks is the result. Since Dec. I, 1900.
when they started in business. the King
Mercantile Co. have been liberal users
of our space. Below we give a list Of
other liberal patrons who are represented
in our columns and to all we extend our
thanks for past business and favors and
hope to merit a continuance in the future.
Our aim is to keep steadily abreast OF