The San Francisco call., 1913-08-15

tVufBHueO from fdGe Il
popularity. 1t made it its business to
investigate official delinquencies and
give them publicity. 1t managed to
secure as contributors to its columns
men who afterward achieved an inter
national literary fame. and spared no
efforts to secure bright reporters.
ASSUMES FULL MANAGEMENT
Charles and NJ H de Young were
Francisco Chronicle until the death of
the former. which occurred April 90.
1880. when NJ IT. de Young assumed full
mana cement and sole ownership.
The career of the Chronicle has been
one of continued success and pros
perity The paper has made for Itself
record in the annals of journalism. In
1877 1t began an exposure of the doings
of ring of politicians operating on the
Pacific coast The outcome was the
tirement from Office of United States
senator and several congressman and
the inauguration of a reform movement
which finally extended to the whole
nation.
In 1879 the Chronicle supported and
caused to be triumphantly adopted a
new constitution for the state of Call
the railroads and all the corporations,
and they had the assistance OF every
journal of prominence in the state ex-
cept the Chronicle. The cogent argu-
ments of the latter won success for the
new organic law, which embraced pro-
visions which anticipated all the move
ments subsequently Instituted with the
view of regulating corporations. Fore
most among these was that relating to
publicity in corporate affairs which has
since been nationally adopted.
PRAISED BY JAMES BRYCE
In 1880 James Bryce visited Califor-
mia, and later wrote his American
Commonw ealth." In discussing Cali
fornia he said: The Chronicle was ably
written and went everywhere" The
tribute was recognized as deserved.
The Chronicle has to its credit the
distinction of being the first daily jour
nal exhaustlvely to discuss in single
issue all the phases of a burning eco
nomio question. In 1895 it printed
10 page monograph on~the money Ques-
tion. Later 1T devoted nearly six pages
to a description of the industrial prog
ress of Japan In which the great future
of that nation was predicted. Both of
these monographs were printed as
United States senate documents at the
instance of senators who regarded them
as valuable contributions to economic
literature. The Chronicle was the first
newspaper in the United States to print
Sunday magazine issue.
The Chronicles offices were for many
years in Clay street near Sansome and
in Montgomery street near Sacramento
In 1879 Its proprietors erected a build
ing at the corner OF Bush and Kearny
streets. which remained its home until
June, 1890, when 1t moved into a new
structure at the corner of Market,
Geary and Kearny streets. This build
Ing enjoyed the distinction of being
the first steel framed structure to be
erected in San Francisco. 1t was called
sky scraper," although 1T was only
10 stories high, and its owner. NJ H.
de Young. was looked upon as a very
venturesome individual to dare to erect
so lofty a structure in an earthquake
country.
DURING THE GREAT FIRE
This building was entirely Quilted by
the flames in the confiagration of 1906,
and the interior fittings of a 1T story
annex, which was nearly ready for oc-
cupancy. were wholly destroyed The
great disaster, however, did not cause
the suspension of a single issue of the
paper
While other owners were contem-
plating the ruins with dismay, and
some Of them expressing the convic-
tion that Van Ness avenue and Fill
more street would become the leading
business thoroughfares NJ. H. de Young
set energetically to work to re-estab-
lish himself in the place which nature
had marked out as the business CEN
ter of the city, and his vigorous action
was soon initiated and talk of rivalry
promptly ceased.
Despite the tremendous losses sus-
tanned by the proprietor of the Chron-
iole, the plant of the paper was COM
plete1y replaced in an incredibly short
period, and its activities were renewed
on an increased scale.
THOROUGH IN IT'S NEWS
AS an illustration OF the thorough
ness with which 1t covered events it
may be mentioned than on the morning
after July 4, 1910, it printed 10000
word telegraphic report OF the prize
fight at Reno, which was illustrated
with 16 ringside pictures taken by its
special photographer, who was hurried
to the city In special train, which
made the fastest time recorded by the
Central Pacific and enabled the Chron-
icle to lay on the breakfast tables Of
its readers the biggest and most thor
ough account of such an event ever
printed.
Immediately after the great disaster
of 1906 Charles de Young, son of M Fl.
de Young. who had just been gradu-
ated from Harvard, began to take an
active interest in the publication of the
paper. After acquainting himself with
the details of the publication Office he
was made business manager of the
paper and served in that capacity until
August /, 1913, when he was created
publisher. Charles de Young, like his
father, takes an all around interest in
the affairs of the Chronicle and is as
much at home in the editorial rooms
OF the paper as he is in the business