The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-01-04
MAYOR BOYD ATTACKS COWLES

Concluded from page ~

gentlemen In Portland, but the other
half was owned by-and the policy
of the paper was controlled by-a
citizen of Spokane, a man who loved
Spokane as father loves his own
child, a man who was for Spokane
heart and soul, in ever fibre of his
being from the day he first set foot
upon it's soil until his eyes were
closed in death-Anthony M. Can
non. Mr.. Cannon often told me that
his sole interest in that paper was
that it might be used as an ipstru-
ment for the upbuilding Of Spokane.
He had larger private interests here
than any other man in the city, but
he did not use his newspaper to fur
Their his private schemes. l remem-
Der that one day when 1 was with
him and we were looking over the
ground where he was going to build
his marble bank, he said: Boyd, I
am growing old. but you are a young
man, and you will live to see Spokane
a city of 100000 people, Prophetic
vision! 1 expect to see that prophecy
fulfilled within the next five years.
Most of you remember that
throughout the northwest few
years ago there was an epidemic of
malignant smallpox, and what 1 am
going to say on that subject to illus
trate the attitude of certain papers
toward the business interests of the
community might properly be termed
"A Tale Of Two Cities. In Spokane
the health officer. after carefully
quarantining every case and reducing
the chances Of contagion to a mini
mum, decided, in order to allay pub
lie fear and that the business of the
merchants might not suffer on ac-
count of needlessly alarming people
living outside Of the city. that it was
best not to make mention of new
cases and their location in the news
papers. Then the morning paper
arose in it's wrath and demanded that
1t be permitted to publish everything.
1t roasted the health officer, and gave
the outside world the impression that
Spokane was putrid with smallpox.
The natural result that within 200
miles of the city the people were
scared to death. they quit coming to
Spokane to do their trading, and bust
ness was at standstill
about this time the management
of the paper called an indignation
meeting to censure the health officer
for not giving 1t the news. There
were several hundred business men
at that meeting, and they expressed
their indignation with a vengeance,
not against the health officer, how
ever. but against the newspaper that
was killing Spokane. That was the
last mention of the subject in that
paper. but the health officer, tired of
being maligned, resigned the follow
ing spring, and the city of Spokane
has never since had and will never
again have as good a health officer as
DR.. w. w. Potter. At the same time
of the smallpox epidemic in Spokane
there was a similar epidemic In a
city on the west side of the noun
tains, which was said to have 500
cases. but not a word was ever said
about it in the local newspapers, be-
cause they were loyal to their home
city, and business was not injured in
the least
''One of the most important factors
in the development of city is the
character of the men chosen to ad-
minister It's municipal affairs, and in
this the local press plays an inn