Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-09-16
Caldwell TRIBUNE
HAS ANNIVERSARY;
A PIONEER PAPER
Established Eight Years Be
fore Statehood - Editor
Talks of Mission of Coun-
try Newspaper.

Caldwell. Sept. 15.--This week marks
the thirty-fif birthday of the Cald-
well Tribune which was established in
this city by William Cuddy, an east
ern newspaper man, who cast his for
tunes with that of the territory Of
Idaho some eight years before it was
converted into state. In 1888 the
paper was purchased of Cuddy by the
late Governor Frank Steunenberg who
was later assassinated through the ex-
plosion of a bomb placed at his resi-
dence gate for that specific purpose by
Harry Orchard, who is now serving
life sentence in the state penitentiary
at Boise for his crime.
After having had its destiny ably di-
rected for period of approximately
10 years by Mr.. Stuenenberg, the pa
per was purchased by the late Reece
Davis who was at one time state i'm
migration commissioner OF Idaho and
one of the most versatile writers whN
have illuminated the field of journal
ism within the boundaries of the state.
Mr.. Davis was no novice at the news
paper game and he soon left the i'm
press of his journalistic efforts upon
the politics of the state and establish
ed for his paper the reputation of be-
ing one of the most potent factors for
the victory of the Republican party
for which the Tribune was an organ.
He was native of Wales and was not
ed for the bold and daring firmness so
characteristic of his race. He came
to the city, when his son, John L.
Davis, the present editor Of the paper,
WAS oniy seven wears of age
GREW UP WITH TRIBUNE.
Young Davis grew up in the Tribune
office or to express it in the language
of old timers, "he and the Tribune
grew up together" He received his
education in the public school of the
city and the College of Idaho. from
which Institution he was graduated in
the academic department in 1900. After
the death of his father when less than
20 years of age, he assumed control
of the paper and became its editor.
Early in the inception of the young
journalists career his luminous and
impressive political editorials brought
him into statewide publicity, and espe-
cially in political circles, where his
pronounced individuality and excep-
tional mental traits are generally re-
cognized. The dominant feature of his
character is courage. He is always on
one side or the other, and in the
course of years, a Suspicion has grown
up that he has a penchant for editorial
battles. There is nothing in the way
of half -heartedness in his methods of
fighting either.
The full strength of his trenchant
pen Is always in the fight. His opin-
ions have not always been popular, but
there was no mistaking the fart that
they were his. He has an abiding senti-
ment for the city and county In which
he has attained his manhood and their
upbuilding and advancement is one
of the purposes to which he has con-
secrated his activities. To his mind
the function of a country newspaper is
to mould opinion beneficial to its CONF
munity. as well as to serve as bar
ometer of It's progress and record its
events. IT commenting upon the nat
ural sphere of the country newspaper
today, Mr.. Davis said:
FUNCTION OF COUNTRY PAPER.
The country newspaper has no pc
culiar function. Ii serves its COM
munity of readers In exactly the same
manner as the large metropolitan
daily, and with the same purpose in
view. The dissemination of informa- :
ton of the activities of men and the
comment, that the readers may know
Continued on Page Fiye.)