Evening star., 1936-06-13
:" Far From Quiet in Early Days
Publishers Followed Policy
of Every Man for Himself
on Spelling.

dispatch. Well, we'll go it. Look
to our heading"
The Evening Star, at present in
its eighty fourth year, was first regu-
larly issued on December Is. 1852.
a f1ve-column. four-page paper about
the size Of two standard leterheads
placed side to side. The first edition
was 800 copies, done on hand press.
The paper was issued by one Capt,
T. B. Tate. In 1855 Mr.. c. S. Moves
became connected with the paper.
which he and other partners bought
in 1867 for $4,000.
Washington in the 1850s had a pop
ulation of about 10000. and Capt. Tate
felt the city was large enough to sup
port paper free from party tram
mels and sectarian influences" The
editorial of the first edition began
thus:
To-day The Daily Evening Star
appears on the horizon of the
newspaper world and greetS, with
warm and kindly beam, metro
politan public. Whether it shall
be a fixed or a wandering Star.
depends upon the patronage which
it will attract. Though the Sun
of neighboring city (Baltimore)
blazes in the same armament, our
little Star will not pale even in its
luminous presence if it be encour-
aged to shine"
In December, 1877, the Washington
Post was first launched by one Still
son Hutchins This organ was then
politically Democratic and appeared
in the morning. In 1889 Frank Hat
ton and Beriah wilkins became its
owners. The former was Postmaster
General in President Arthur's admin
Democrat from Ohio in Congress sew
eral terms. The newspaper has
changed ownership subsequently, but
continued publication for nearly six
decades.
EVERY newspaper in the early nine
teenth century had its indispensa-
BILE motto. The United States Tele-
graph Q830s) bore the words below
JlGlS. HONtI ID dlW dyo
from the many to the few" The
American Argus of 1880 had this brief
watchword: Liberty and our coun-
try The Spirit of Seventy-six, a
paper which underwent varying for
tunes within the District from 1909
to 1914, bore the legend: "a frequent
recurrence to fundamental principles
is essential to the liberties of re-
public" The Busy Body, 1880, car
ried this sentiment: The liberty of
the press consists in the right to pub
lish the truth, with good motives and
for justifiable ends, although reflect
ing on government and on indi-
viduals"
To many an editorial mind of the
old school motto was far too sacred
a thing to appear in the common
tongue, and cryptic "Nunquam dor
mio" CT never sleepO, as on the Wash
ington Gazette of 1896, would grace
the front page below the title, to
mystify and appal the reader.
The twentieth century has seen
sharp reduction in the number of
newspaper enterprises, and a great
many mergers. This has been due
to rising costs of production. COM
plexity of organization, and amount
of capital involved to found a news
paper. Yet there are many compen-
sations. A century ago subscription
rates were relatively high, and citi-
zen who might subscribe for whole
year would be economically on a
similar plane to the man today who
buys a medium-p priced car. News
coverage now is infinitely superior
few editors of century ago bothered
about chrSfcling very much local
news, printag only dispatches from
afar,