The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1909-02-13

Importance the waterfront is a bea,
which occupies the entire attention
OF a good reporter on each paper
and furnishes many big stories" OF
much more than local Importance
For a year the development OF the
Federal governments plans for the
iortification Of the Territory has
furnished much important news OF
National interest, aud with the in
coming Of several thousand troops 70
garrison the island this has been
considerably augmented, Sports are
more than relatively important ir
Honolulu. and each OF the three pa
pers gives one mans time almost eS'
elusively 70 looking after baseball
football. boxing, yachting, golf track
athletics, aeQuatie sports. etc. which
are on tap the year around
Other departments are as well COW
cred, There are in the neighborhood
oi twenty men comprising the stalls
OF the three papers, and there is pro-
baby not one Of the number not
capable of holding down a job on
any mainland city paper, In fact
with perhaps one or two exceptions
every man among them has at some
time had training on some OF the lar
ger American dailies, They have
either drifted 10 the Islands, in the
spirit which prompts many newspa'
per workers everywhere to DRIFT, and
have been caught in the meshes OF
| Hawaiis enchantment and never got
ten away or else they have heea
brought from San Francisco, Los
Angeles, or Seattle, by the papers
the past year Los Angeles has furn'
Iished two men, both Of whom came
here on vacations and without anY
intention OF staying and another
who went back TO the coast six mon
this ago, after a two years residence
here. has just returned and declares
that he is here for good, One OF th'
lbest local reporters who has beer
here for ten years, got into the news
paper game in little old New York
Another lost his anchor in the Ohi'
Valley, and finally brought up OF
Hawai1s shore. Two are Canadian
-one from Quebec and the othe
from the Northwest. Two are En-
plishmen. The rest have iloated II
from various parts OF the MAINLAND
west of the Rockies. 1t is remark
able that even the worst Of the drit'
ers seem to lose the wanderlust whe
! they reach here. Many arrived wit
underlined intention OF continuing o
: to Manila, or other part OF the OrieT
= but have never gone,
5 But not all Of these men renal
: slaves of the typewriter, else ther
E would be no room for the half doze
or so recruits that find places her
D every year. The others have see
opportunities in other lines and hay
n deserted the calling which brougl
n them to the Evening Isles" Seve
It al have already left their marks c
c public affairs in the Territory
l. On the mainland Of the Unite
Al States the power of the press is pr
e verbal; but its influenc has new
l. been more apparent anywhere than
has in Hawaii. Hawaii's atmosphe
+ is American where few years az
al it was monarchial, and no one wi
Is has watched the metamorphosis Wi
.r observing eye can doubt that Il
u American newspaper was the grea
= est single force in the accomplish
IS ment of it. And the power is still
A work, Problems that are old on Il
d mainland are daily presenting ther
J. selves to the Islanders, as well
problems which are unique in Il
r history of mankind and on whi'
l. more than local weight attaches.
e all these matters the newspapers a
= ever the diligent guardians Of Il
people, and the light bearers to Pr
Is gress.
y WILL J. COOPER.