Idaho County free press., 1924-07-17

fuDnSnlng newspapers in those days
had its drawbacks, and the proverbial
cakes and ale were the substance of
things hoped for. Those were the
days of the pilgrim printer, incessant-
ly ON the tramp, coming unseen, stay
ing few days AID folding his tent
and departing, like the Arab. for
parts unknown. The most conspicuous
members of that craft were California
Dick, Hazlitt the Pilgrim, and l.. p.
Hall, newspaper publisher himself
in Oregon and California during the
days of the Civil war, and Democrats
all. California Dick, the most un-
reliable of all, developed n sincere
affection for myself. and trained his
wanderlust so that he stayed with
me here for several years, and when
he died our Grangeville brass band
gave him a musical funeral, and his
bones rest in peace in our Gods acre.
Printers Are Travellers
In those days the publisher had
to make his own rollers at home,
owing TO distance and freight charges.
Printers would not stay in country
towns day longer than they had to
and the present generation of printers
has not yet outgrown the habit. They
are here today and gone tomorrow.
The presses were the old-fashioned
Armstrong hand presses, with the
devil rolling the forms and the editor
publisher using his own armstrong
power for each impression. Press
paper seldom came on time owing to
lack of transportation facilities; and
it frequently happened that upon its
arrival the poor editor did not have
the wherewith to pay the @. o. ID.
charges. The revenues were largely
derived from trade. For years 1 So
licited eggs, butter, hams and what
not in payment of subscriptions. Up
here in Grangeville, we hauled our
wheat to Lewiston over Craig's noun
tain, selling it for % cents a bushel,
and returned with a load of freight
for the stores. And even then our
farmers made more money out of
wheat at that price than they do now
at so cents and railroad transporta-
tion. There was no other source of
revenue for editor and farmer, and we
had to make those long hauls to Lew
iston to raise money for taxes and
store bills. / therefore made it my
business to take in the old mining
camps. On the 9TH day of July of each
year without fail l made a horseback
tour through Elk City, Florence,
Pierce City, and the productive placer
diggings along the Salmon and Clear
water tributaries, and invariably re-
f,.... ..,st II.
times two buckskin sacks of gold dust
which almost maintained the old re-
liable Idaho County Free Press dur
ing the earlier years of its existence,
my associate editor being Judge
Robret F. Fulton for many years.
When / established the Coeur d.
Alene Eagle, at Eagle City, equipment
was an army press, used for printing
the paper and job work alike, with
the smallest amount of type possible.
The subscription price was So per
year, with advertising rates proper
tionately high. The freight came by
rail to Rathdrum, thence by Mack
inaw boat up to the mouth of Pritch-
ard creek, also carrying passengers
from Occur d'Alene at SIG per head,
and having them transfer the freight
around the many portages to destina-
ton, the knowledge of handling boats
and handling men having been ac-
quired many years before in my old
sea-faring days.
Founding of Free Press
Under such conditions the pioneer
papers of Idaho were established and
maintained as long as the business
lasted. When founded the Free Press
here in Grangeville in 1886, Idaho
county had only 40 legal voters when,
of course, there was mighty little legal
advertising, and barking back to those
olden days | wonder how the paper
survived its many eXigencies. In 1898.
[ conducted daily paper here, but
only for one year, at large financial
cost to myself. Such were the vicis-
situdes attending newspaper publish
ing in the pioneer days.
Under such conditions a publisher
must have a mind of his own, and
sincerity behind him. An old estab-
lished newspaper which has acquired
the respect of its subscribers is one
of the hardest things in the world to
destroy. You may publish news and
express opinions which your sub
scribers detest; but having faith in
your integrity they stay with the
paper until the fires of hell generate
icicles.