The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-04-30
MosspAv MORNING, APRIL 80, 1917.
A PERSQNAL STATEMENT.

.
Just seventeen hears tomorrow morning
May first 1890, resuiSected The Daily Muscular.
The prime purpose in visw that of giving the
town a daily newspaper ofsxs own We had just
passed through several years NJ depressed business
conditions, following the panic II ss and the de-
montization of silver, that forHhe time being
threatened to paralyze the industries-ef what was
then the mining states of the west"
The Muscular that made its appearance ~ May
first. 1900 not metropolitan sheet, by any
1t made such pretensons but it did
give Missoula daily newspaper and relieved the
community of the handicap of depending for its
publicity upon outside dailies owned and controlled
by outside interests.
The Muscular grew but slowly. The town
small and the business would not warrant an ex-
penditure beyond four page, six column, six days
in the week newspaper Increased population,
both in the town and surrounding country, brought
n bigger and better Mssoulian. The plant and
equipment necessary for the steadily growing de-
mands made upon it at times called for some fnan-
cial loss and more worry.
n But the writer never for one moment wavered in
important business and residential center. l have
it expand from town of 1900 to a thriving
little city of $1,000 people and am certain that VI,
are now again entering upon another distinctive
period of expansion that will, within the next two
three years. give 10000 population.
The past II years has The Muscular plant
expand from one linotype, drum cylinder countrt
print shop to probably the largest printing plant in
the state. with regular employees numbering 90, with
weekly pay roll approximatng $1,000, two Asso-
ciated Press daily newspapers and as fine an or
eanzation of loyal men and women as can be
found in the entire northwest.
But not professional newspaper man.
The present ownership and business came more by
accident than design my part The past
four years, during which time / have been in per-
sona charge of the Muscular Publishing company
has taken every hour of my time to the exclusion
of other things that should have been done and
which would have liked to do.
l have at time had any personal desire to own
the daily papers in my home town, as know
the natural tendency to hold the ownership of
newspapers to account for hundred little personal
things about which the owner is wholly un
conscious.
Ny one ambition during the time that have had
personal responsibility for the editorial policy of
The Muscular, has been to help develop this COM
munity in the best ways possible. l am and have
been proud of Missoula and it's high average Of in
,elligent citizenship. Necessarily I have had my
views of public matters, which have tried to
impress upon Muscular readers in reasonable
spirit. trying not to overlook the other PERSONS
viewpoint which doubtless sincere as my
own The Muscular has faithfully tried to give
expression to all viewpoints, whenever they have
been presented to it for publication. No person
can truthfuly assert that this newspaper has ever
denied publicity to any matter of public interest
whenever the proponent presented the same for
publication.
This newspaper his endeavored, in its field to
accentuate the progressive, liberal trend of the
of an evolutionary social stage in the United States
that in the end will bring wider distribution OF
the comforts of life to the common people of this
country and that should approach the situation
in spirit of sanity and mutual understanding OF
the equities that are involved.
But | DEPRESSING. We have sold the daily
newspapers. the job ROOM lithographing and book
bindery equipment to Messrs. Rice and Jones, two
experienced newspaper that have for years
held executive positions with the Chicago Daily
Journal '..-
MIR. Jones has been the business manager Of that
newspaper and Mr.. Rice has been a member Of the
eoitoral staff. They bring their families with