Evening star., 1952-01-01

,artment has never sought to In
ierfere with selection Of news.
Star tradition, he said, SIS to
maintain the independence of the
editor from any domination by
my other individual Of the COM
,any."
For 80 years, as editor Of The
Star, Theodore w. Noyes followed
steadfastly the severe code OF
Journalism inherited from his
,ather. A man Of great personal
dignity and unbending devotion
TO principle, he summed mis-
editorial philosophy with the sim
olicity of a Puritan: "To be hon.
EST. fair and accurate, and to fight
ior Washington"
Under his leadership, The Star
continued to fight for the material
of the city. But
here was a gradual shift Of en-
ohasis away from such materially
things as streets and
sewers toward a more immedi-
ate concern for the welfare
of the people themselves. The
trend was nowhere better Illus
brated than in the editors preoc-
cupation with the question of
Washington's political status. Mr..
Noyes was no advocate of home
rule in the modern sense Of an
elected city government. But he
believed it a matter Of simple
justice that citizens who paid
taxes and obeyed laws should have
some voice in their government
and he championed the cause of
national representation as long
as he could hold pen.
Notwithstanding the editors
on dignified journalism,
there were occasions when mem
bers of The Stars news staff re-
sorted to dramatic methods to get
their stories. When rumors of un-
savory conditions in the city jail
reached the ear of the city editor.
he dressed a reporter In old
clothes and had him arrested, pro-
viding the paper a few days later
with a fine. full-page expose.
When it was learned that Dis
trict laws governing educational
standards needed Stiffening, five
incorporated themselves
as the University of the United
States. A degree of doctor of
laws Gas a specialist in the jour-
nalism of meteorology) was con-
ferred, with suitable publicity, on
one of The Stars copy boys. It
was explained that the lad had
earned the honor by having ham
died the official weather reports
for five years. The incident
brought the matter of bogus de-
grees forcibly to the attention Of
interested congressional commit
tees.
In the development of its news
policy, it is significant that The
Star. for 20 years, shared its presi-
dent with the Associated Press.
Frank Noyes had been one of the
founders of the present A. P. in
the 1905. He was elected its first
president in 1900 and served until
his voluntary retirement in 1898.
This relationship with a world
wide news-gathering agency had q
double -barreled effect on The
Star. On the one hand, it's news
outlook was broadened beyond
matters of purely local interest
On the other, it strengthened the
papers tradition of uncolored, un-
biased reporting. It was one o1
the factors which helped The Star
through the transition of Wash
ington from a small town to q
great world capital.
The Star of Today.
The span of two generations
brings the story Of The Star down
to recent days. Theodore Noyes
died in 1916, to be succeeded by
the present editor, B. M. Nickel
way. Frank Noyes resigned az
president Of the company in 1948.
turning over the Office to Fleming
Newbold a few months before his
death. Mr.. Newbold himself sur
vived less than a year. Since Feb
ruary Z, 1949, The Stars president
has been Samuel H. Kaufman,
grandson and namesake Of one Of
the original incorporators.
A century of material growth
has brought the paper far beyond
the widest hope of its founders
The first edition of The Star,
1000 copies, four pages and all,
used up about 28 pounds of paper
and about eight ounces Of ink.
It was written. edited, set and
printed by a total of II men.
It contained all told about IL
columns, as measured today, OF
which about 4 were advertising
The record breaking, 230-page
edition of The Sunday Star which
was turned out last December 9
consisted of 270.000 papers, pro-
duced on a battery of "a press
units at a rate Of up to 10000
copies an hour. Each 10-ceni
copy Of that Sunday Star con-
tanned in its black and white Sec
tions 299 columns Of news and
comment on what is going on ir
the world today; 875 columns o1
advertising; a 32-page Star Mag.
azine and a 32-page This Week
Magazine; q book review sector
of Is tabloid pages and a 12-page
comic section. The whole edition
used 374 tons of newsprint and
close to four tons of ink. The total
length Of printed pages would
stretch 1885 miles-more than
the distance from Washington
to Korea - or to the South
Pole. It was distributed by a feet
Iof 130 vehicles, travelling a total
distance Of 8.625 miles. More
than 90 ner cent nf newsnaners