A weekly paper, the Starbuck Standard, with a circulation of about four hundred, is published at Starbuck by H. G. Roe. It is now in its fourth year, and performs an excellent part in maintaining publicity in the vicinity. In a recent number of the Standard we note the interesting fact of a mass meeting in the town to prepare for placing the town upon one of the Chautauqua circuits of the Ellison-White Company for the coming year. That a town and community of so small population should undertake so extensive an enterprise is good evidence of the ambition and intelligence of the people.
JOURNALISM IN COLUMBIA COUNTY
As an essential element in the view of the institutions of Columbia County we will give a sketch of its journalism.
At the risk of repetition we will go back to the beginnings, when Dayton was still in Walla Walla County, for the discovery of the first newspaper. That pioneer in the journalistic field was the Dayton News. It first saw the light of this evil world in September, 1874. It was launched largely for the purpose of "booming" the idea of a new county with Dayton as the seat. It was simply a four column sheet. Its politics were democratic. A. J. Cain was the first editor, and Elisha Ping was the financial backer. Mr. Cain had quite an eventful career, both before and after, as a lawyer, writer and soldier, playing an important part in the Nez Percé Indian war of 1877. The News had a varied career, passing through a number of hands, with brief tenure, and in 1881 came into the possession of J. Y. Ostrander as editor, and Walter Crosby as business manager. But it was near its demise. For in August, 1882, it, like other valuable possessions in Dayton at that time, went up on a chariot of fire, and never came down. It had played a good part in the installation of the new county, with Dayton as its official head.
The Columbia Chronicle came into existence on April 20, 1878. It was designed as the republican offset to the News. T. M. May and H. H. Gale were the first proprietors, with E. R. Burk acting a short time as business manager. A "cute" announcement in the first issue is as follows: "Afloat—We have launched the Chronicle and spread sails for a long newspaper voyage, and we do not see any long breakers ahead. If we do not find a breeze, we will make one and sail right along. Fare, $3. All aboard!"
In a somewhat more sober vein the salutatory of the paper, entitled, "Our Bow," proceeds thus: "Friends and fellow-citizens; today we present to you the initial number of the Columbia Chronicle. Not deeming it advisable to salute the public with a lengthy preamble and platform of pledges, about what we will do and what we will not do, we will say in brief: The intention is to establish a newspaper here which shall work for the social and commercial interest of Columbia in particular and Eastern Washington in general. In starting a newspaper in Dayton we believe we are only keeping pace with these modern reading times and the wants and demands of the people.
"We shall endeavor to make the Chronicle a reliable newspaper, advocating the interest of the farmer, stock raiser, and business man, and to aid in developing the resources of this magnificent country. We shall pay special attention to gathering local, territorial and general news, and make the Chronicle interesting as a home paper. Printing our own outside we shall have room for numerous correspondents.
"The Chronicle will be republican in politics, and in all our political and public affairs it will be our aim to advance the best interest of the people, censuring the wrong and advocating the right on general principles."
That initial number of the Chronicle contains local items and advertisements of much interest. Among the former we find mention of the school, in charge of Prof. J. E. Eastham, and containing fifty scholars. Parents are exhorted to co-operate with the teachers in making the school reach its best attainments.
Notice is taken of the death near Lewiston of the Indian Levi, who, with Timothy, had saved Steptoe's command from destruction in 1858 in the disastrous expedition from Walla Walla to Spokane.