The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1941-12-22

Duh some frODieHlS r
ONCE again the calendar
Omarked by Jim Grove, city
editor. reminds that Dec. p.
1871, is The Tines birthday.
About three O'Clock on the
afternoon OF Dec. 81. thirty
eight years ago. the first issue
came of the press. II was
skinny, four page sheet. but 10
its producers il looked like
wonderful paper-something to
be greatly admired.
II WAS printed on q flstbed
press In the Anderson Job shop
on Commerce street about where
the Moose club il situated.
Young Jim Anderson. who IL
quite n man of affairs now,
loaded the first edition on a two
wheeled handcsrt and pushed IL
across the street 10 The Times
first headquarters In n building
which occupied part of the site
of the Winthrop hotel.
Another group also interest
edly studied that first issue Of
The Times. The second group
was gathered around the desk
Of the general manager of the
late lamented Ledger and the
Tacoma News in an office on
the Commerce street floor Of
the Fidelity building. To this
group The Times looked like a
very Insignificant journalistic
venture. II was. compared TO
the well established Ledger and
News, and they didn't think
very much of 1t.
But you never can tell. The
Times has outlived by several
years the aristocratic Ledger
with its exclusive clientele. The
News, though quite hale and
hearty in spite of the years,
thank you, survived by a trans
fusion and a partnership.
Much has happened since that
day in December, 1908. We have
made progress along some lines.
but about some things we seem
To be just as badly muddled.
Take gambling and liquor for
instance. Looking back over the
old files il seems to have been a
rare day when a saloon or
gambling row or a fight DE
low the line" did not figure in
the news. Gambling was wide
open. The back room of a GER
tain saloon was a rendezvous for
politicians, including some MEM
bers of the Tacoma city council
and state officials.
But after all, how much bet
ter are We today when We ex-
anime the picture carefully?
There may not he rs much poker
playing. but how much worse
were the poker games than the
pin ball machines and lone
armed bandits" which we sane
ton and by which we replenish
the public treasury:
There is some similarity in
the world news Of 1908 and
1871. There was some concern
everywhere except in the United
States, because the bantam
rooster. Japan, was strutting
around and threatening TO pull
the tall feathers out of the big
Cochin China, Russia. The fight
started all right and Japan did
give Russia good licking.
To the younger generation il
Will he news to learn that in the
land battle with Japan, Russia
experimental with aerial fight
ing. A big balloon was sent TO
Manchuria supposedly for the
purpose Of dropping bombs in
Japan's hack yard. Whatever
the idea might have been, IL
didn't work. for the Japanese
captured the balloon and rout-
cd the Russian forces.
The balloon never was used
for anything but observation
but there were rumors that the
japanese were planning an
aerial attack on St. Petersburg.
The city officials of Tacoma
were having their troubles then
too. The 1903 report Of City
Controller Alfred Lister and the
newspaper files tell that one Of
the citys worries was paying for
horse feed, veterinary service