The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1940-03-21
FISHING
LICENSES
BY Jimmy deK. Brown

Since statehood the small news
napers and their publishers and edi-
tors have played rather import
ant role in the affairs OF the state,
in both political and civic matters.
In recent years newspaper publish
ers have been strong conServa-
tive element in legislative circles.
This was especially true in recent
sessions, 1888, 1885, 1887 and 1899.
In fact. in 1881 small handful of
newspaper publishers, small week.
lies. had a bloc in the House which
made itself felt.
In the sessions of 1885, 1897 and
1899 when a coalition of Republi-
cans and conservative right wing
senators from the Democratic side
acted as safeguard against the
pressure groups from the left wing,
the newspaper editors played an i'm
portant role. In 1885 seated in the
Senate were C. Nifty" Garrett of
sumner, Pierce County; Keiron w.
Reardon, publisher of the Monroe
Monitor, Snohomish County, and A.
M. Murfin, publisher of the Sunny
side paper in Yakima County-three
editors on the Democratic side who,
throughout the session, stood as a
unit against the left wing attacks.
-Four years later Garrett was miss
ing, but his place was taken by
Joseph Dana Roberts, who came
up from the House, another Demo-
crat, and also conservative right
wing member. This gave the SEN
ate three publishers in that year:
Murfin, Reardon and Roberts.
At the same time, in the House,
two more weekly publishers were
active in the right wing group, Tom
Montgomery of Puyallup and Chas.
E. Trombley of Gig Harbor.
In the past sessions of the Legis-
lature there has always been a small
group of weekly newspaper publish
ers and editors. In the session of
1881, E. F.. Hultgreen, Lincoln
County; M. B. Mitchell, King Coun-
ty; and Fred L. Wolf, Pend Oreille
County; three Republicans and O.
H. Olson, Franklin County, a Dem
ocrat, constituted the newspaper
group. All were conservative.
In 1888 the publishers were rep
resented In the House by Roberts.
and in the Senate by Garrett, Rear
don and Charles F. Todd of King
County, a reporter at that time on
the Seattle Times. Here were three
conservative Democrats in the up
per body. All left their mark on
legislation enacted that year.
It is an interesting feature that
In no instance were any of the
newspaper editors or publishers ever
Endorsed or supported by the WASH
1ngton Commonwealth Federation;
the mouthpiece of the left wing
groups. The reason for this should
be apparent. They refused to ac-
cept dictation. ...
The oldest newspaper man in
point of service in legislative circles
was Senator Ralph Metcalf, who
mad retired from active business be-
Tore he became a state senator in
1907. Senator Metcalf, however.
always prided himself upon the fact
That he came West as a newspaper
man and had his early training in
the newspaper game.
Another old time active neWspa-
per reporter, still in harness, who
served the state as Chief Clerk of
the House, and later as a number
OF tn legislature is Storey Buck of
the Spokane Chronicle.
The author of the first anti-hang-
ing legislation in the State of WASH
mgton was another newspaper man,
sui active in the business, Frank
Goss, at that time a city editor of
tne Seattle POST Intelligencer.
A study of the legislative person.
nel dlscloses the fact that since
statehood newspaper men have play
ca most active part, not only in
pubic office, but in fighting against
tnose things which have not been
lor the best interests of all the peo-
pie OF the state. This has been
oone at financial sacrifice, in MANY
instances, and without thought of
personal gain.
with this past history in sight.
II is not surprising, therefore, to find
a growing sentiment in the State of