Page:History of Oregon Newspapers.pdf/112

Rh strongest advocates of slavery, perhaps the strongest, among the news papers of Oregon.

The "Ox" became the Democratic Crisis, with Odeneal as editor and publisher, two weeks before Oregon became a state. How Odeneal disposed of the Crisis is told elsewhere.

Jacksonville, interesting old southern Oregon town, is a focal point in early Oregon journalism. When the old Umpqua Gazette of Scottsburg was suspended by G. D. R. Boyd in September, 1855, the plant was purchased by Taylor, Blakely & T'Vault and moved to Jacksonville, where it was used to start the Table Rock Sentinel, with W. G. T'Vault, Oregon's first editor, in editorial charge. The paper, incidentally, was named for a conspicuous feature of the landscape as viewed from Jacksonville.

In his first number, November 24, 1855, T'Vault outlined his paper's policy as "independent on all subjects and devoted to the best interests of southern Oregon." He had done the same sort of thing, it is recalled, on the Spectator, but was unable to sink his Democratic partisanship in either case. So his Jacksonville paper, of which he soon became sole owner, really was an outstanding advocate of Democratic principles. On one occasion, however, he was accused of truck ling to the abolitionists; and he hastened to reply that if there was "one drop" of abolition blood in his veins he would "cut it out." The record seems to indicate that he was not called upon to attempt this singular surgical feat.

T'Vault took in W. G. Robinson as a partner in 1858 and changed the name to the Oregon Sentinel.

W. B. Treanor became owner in the fall of 1859, bringing into Oregon journalism as editor the stormy petrel James O'Meara.

Another Jacksonville paper of the territorial period was the Herald conducted by William J. Beggs, formerly of the old Umpqua Gazette, and B. J. Burns, who launched what they called a "neat and Democratic journal" August 1, 1857. Beggs carried on alone after the retirement of Burns in November. The Herald was a rather extreme slavery advocate at a time when that sort of thing was becoming less popular in Oregon and even such stalwarts as T'Vault were keeping an ear to the ground. Its life under statehood was short.

Meanwhile, up in the little hamlet of Eola, in Polk county, a few miles out of Salem, there appeared a little Baptist weekly, which left no particular impress on Oregon journalistic history. This was the Religious Expositor, Democratic in its political views, conducted by C. M. Mattoon. The first number was issued May 6, 1856. It was moved to Corvallis July 19, and the issue of October 11 marked its demise. (97).

Little is known of Eugene's first newspaper, the News, published by J. B. Alexander as a campaign weekly in 1856. After election it was discontinued. The Pacific Journal, started two years later, also