Page:History of Oregon Newspapers.pdf/153

144 regularities. "The divine afflatus and beautiful insanity of which poetry is born, is manifest throughout the work," is Brown's little tribute to Joaquin Miller.

In the issue of June 11, 1870, appears Brown's valedictory, a column and three quarters in length, explaining that "Democratic victory" had been the object of his "mounting the tripod" and with that accomplished "our mission is ended." The paper soon folded up.

Another newspaper of that period which left little impression on the journalistic sands was the Salem Daily Visitor, whose first number was noticed by the State Rights Democrat of Albany, Sept. 30, 1870. The publisher was J. Henry Brown. "There are now," said the Democrat, "three daily papers published at Salem." The other two, apparently, were the Statesman and the Capital City Chronicle, already noted.

The Salem Mercury struggled along for a few years after its establishment in 1869. For a time in the early seventies it was conducted at Salem as a daily and weekly by William (Bud) Thompson, Missourian who became one of Oregon's fighting editors. Thompson, who had had a fiery career at Roseburg (described else where in this volume), purchased the paper in 1871. He conducted the Mercury for three years. In his "Reminiscences," (29) Thompson describes his Salem experience as an effort to unite Democratic factions which had become discordant.

"I received (he wrote) an offer to take charge of the Salem Mercury. Leaders of the party, among them three ex-senators, the governor of the state, and many others prominent in the affairs of Oregon, purchased the plant and paper and tendered me a bill of sale for the same. Ex-Senators Nesmith, Harding, Governor Grover, ex-Governor Whiteaker and General Lane and many others urged me to take the step (30). They urged that I could unite all the factions of the party in support of a party paper at the capital of the state... I sold my paper (Plaindealer) therefore, at Roseburg, and with $4,000 in money and a bill of sale of an office costing $2500 started to Salem. My success there as a newspaper man was all that could be desired. A large circulation was rapidly built up, and a daily as well as weekly started."

Some old-timers, however, have a less rosy recollection of Thompson's relations with his sponsors. There is the story told by Judge L. H. McMahan, old-time lawyer and newspaper editor, of the time when Governor Grover was about to foreclose on the plant for a debt—not being quite satisfied with the way Thompson was supporting Grover's ideas. Thompson went to Asahel Bush, in his bank at Salem, and laid the situation before him. "How much is it?" was