The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1906-01-12
MORE COMMENTS ON. THE ANNUAL
What Some of Our Contemporaries and Subscribers Think Of te
Edition
M F. o'BRIEN

<. DhA6N 1855 f
Editorial in Daily dining Record.l
Our good friend, Fitz-Mac, the pen
name of Fitz-James Mccarthy, news
paper man, story-teller and literateur,
is one Of the leading contributors to
James F. O'Brien's annual edition of
the GoldHeld News. A ~good-natured
quarrel in the columns of this hand
some issue, between the editor and the
descriptive writer, offers ground for
calling attention to the origin of the
worldwide interest in Goldfeld anil
the history of the Goldfeld News itself.
Fitz-Mac, in his most charming style,
has gone at the duty (or pleasure, 40
doubt of introducing the annual edi-
ton Of The News under the title "The
Pilgrims of the Desert" and those who
fail to read it will miss one of the de-
lightful examples of this well known
authors work. As a mere incident 20
the story, the writer remarks that the
values reported from the Jumbo and
Combination in the early days were
" multiplied, as usual, by every tongue
that repeated the story" Editor
O'Brien and Fitz-Mac are old friends,
and the former did not feel justified i'll
exercising his blue-pencil privilege.
Therefore, he takes issue with his con-
tributor in an editorial squib.
The fact is that Mr.. O'Brien was the
first newspaper man into Goldf cid
and the only one there for Sc seral
months. He went there for the Record
and, after syndieating articles for some
time, started the Goldfeld News, the
first paper in the camp. We well recol-
leet the more or less Apologize tone CT
those news letters, in which the writer
was compelled to give figures that ne
feared the world would not believe.
This hesitaney was due to his previous
acquaintance with "boom' figures in
other sections, and his natural conserv-
atism suggested the ~apologetie attitude
when smelter returns began to come in
with dazzling tr%uthfulness. In refer
ring to Fitz-Mac's statement, Mr..
o 'Brien says that he got the "straight
goods,n and that only in rare instances
was there an attempt to impose on him.
He says he has always held to the say
ing that "'the truth is good enough
Others might well borrow of his ex-
ample. Fitz-Mac has nothing to ex-
plain, for Mr.. O'Brien's readers know
that he was hitting at the outside re-
peaters of the tale.
This annual edition of The News
makes an excellent showing of what
can be done in a mining camp when Il
starts out to be precoeious. A journal
istic youngster less than tyo years old
has put put something that metropoii-
tan publications do not often surpass.
This portion of the paper is compiled
in magazine form, on high class paper
and with clear type, garnished by a pro-
fusion of portraits and half-tone cuts
of the mines. Special articles are con
tributed by both the Nevada senator's,
George S. Nixon and Francis G.. New
lands. The descriptions of the leading
properties and the biographies of the
pioneers of the district complete a veiy
valuable contribution to the permanent
literature of the camp. This is the
kind of thing that readers preserve,
and in this case preservation is due in
exceptional measure.
Feel a mining camps pulse by its
population and its press.