The Ronan pioneer., 1917-08-17

N PIONEER.
and on frequent occasions the paper
appeared several days behind sched-
ule on this account.
Country papers about this period
began to bloom in numerous locali-
ties through the state. Final proof
publcations-and rival politicians
have ever served to lure the pioneer
publishers to the frontier.
Later pretentious dailies sprang up
in Helena, Butte, Anaconda, Missou-
la, Great Falls, Billings and eventual
ly in other Montana towns.
The Early "Gang."
naturally broke into the newspa-
per game at the first opportunity,
and my first personal contact with
the gang" as it was styled, was at
the meeting of the Montana Press as
sociation held in Missoula in 1896,
when l was initiated in due and an
cient form. I shall never forget the
experience. Montana was different
in those days. Licensed gambling
houses, for example, loomed on all
the conspicuous corners. Faro, rou
lette and all other games of chance
engrossed a large element of the
population. The clear blue sky was
the limit. Variety theaters were pop
ular social centers in those days. Ct
> will add that licensed gambling and
comiques submerged shortly after the
arrival of the daily newspaper.) Two
:. incidents cling to my memory in con-
nection with that meeting. The gang
, had taken possession of a saloon, and
one of the members, whose silver
!. tongue that same year swayed dem
ocratic state convention from its
:: moorings, standing on poker table,
! delivered one of the most beautiful,
! touching and eloquent addresses,
4 treating of morals and ethics, that it
: : has ever been my good fortune to
i hear, drawing vociferous applause
from Sam Gordon, Joe Widmyer and
: other notorious members of the
3 gang. I recall that early the next
: morning several of us in response to
: the suggestion of "Rev. Jerry Round
;, er," alias "Wally," solemnly wended
: our way to the river front to watch
I the river run by. 1t helped some,
i the soothing flow of the majestic
, Columbia Oceans of water have
. SluCC swept uOW uSCIC anu WIFI
the changing environment and Gus
toms the Montana newspaper men
now rank with the most respectable
in the world. Many of the survivors
are now ardent advocates of prohibit
ton.
First Printing Plant.
In browsing among the archives /
find that the first job printing plant
was brought to Montana by an OK
team in September, 1863, by D. w.
Tilton. Ben R. Dittes, the partner of
Mr.. Tilton, issued small paper in
Virginia City in January, 1864. The
paper was edited later by the late
Colonel WILDER F. Sanders. On Aug,
q, 1864, the first number of the
Montana Post appeared, the first pa
per in Montana to issue regular edi'
tions. John Buchanan was the first
publisher, and Prof. Thomas Dims
dale. historian for the Vigilantes
was one of the first editors, although
Colonel Sanders is credited with pre-
pairing the copy for the first issue
The Post was afterward moved tt
Helena and absorbed by the Herald
which is now appearing as the Mon
tana Record-Herald.
Newspapers were early established
and maintained in the principa
towns of the territory. Notabl,
among these were the New North
west, published by Captain j. H. Mill:
at Deer Lodge; the River Press, pub
lished at Fort Benton by Jerry Col
Inns and Senator Clark's Butte Miner
whose brilliant galaxy of editors in
cludes Phil Julien, John M. Quinn, A
B. Keith and II. G. Seltzer; the Ana
conda Standard, Senator Mantle!
Butte Inter Mountain, the Missoulian
Great Falls Tribune, Billings Gazette
Helena Independent, Miles City Jour
nal, Bozeman Chronicle and Avanu
Courier and Livingston Enterprise
and Post, the latter two of which, re
Gently merged by that modern mon
opolist, Jerry Locke, were established
during the eighties and early nineties
The Art of Suppression.
Emerging from the dark age o
Montana journalism, when, due t,
the activities of great warning bust
ness interests, the art of suppression
for time threatened to eclipse tn
art preservative, we have come to th
dawn of a future brilliant with prom
ise
Montana newspaper men do no
write just for the day. Their writer
message conveys lasting impression
and every copy of all Montana news
papers, including some twenty-fiv
dailies and more than $50 weeklies
is filed in the State Historical libra
ry-history and comment HIT from
the flame. The hundreds of dea
nd ho lno1 ;v,fi M
and diminished prestige of many o
the living are mute but conclusiv
evidence that the people must an
urill in, hn Loci nl1,ci h