Page:History of Oregon Newspapers.pdf/299

290  in opposition to the Herald. He ran it until October 1901, then sold to Mr. Lueddemann. Still another paper, the Appeal, tried the field from 1913 to 1905 and gave it up.

Though Antelope had shrunk to a mere 175 inhabitants in 1917, Harold (H. L.) Davis, backed by the Herald Publishing Company, took up the fight again in that year and continued in charge until 1921. H. C. Rooper carried on from there until the final suspension of the paper four years later.

Albany.—The Oregon Democrat, predecessor if not ancestor of the State Rights Democrat which in time developed into a part of the present Democrat-Herald, was the first newspaper in Albany, the first in Linn county, and one of the earliest in Oregon. It was established November 18, 1859, by Delazon Smith, one of Oregon's first two United States senators, and his brother-in-law, Jesse M. Shepherd. Smith continued as editor until his death, November 18, 1860, using it largely to make war on the so-called Salem clique of Salem politicians, in which his senatorial colleague, J. W. Nesmith, and his journalistic colleague, Asahel Bush, both were "charter members."

The Democrat gave its late editor one of the longest and most laudatory obituary editorials ever given an Oregon editor. It was written by Rev. Thomas H. Pearne, of the Pacific Christian Advocate, a political opponent but personal friend, and the newspaper's column rules were turned upside down to give the proper effect of mourning.

Shepherd continued publication until February, 1861, when he sold to W. G. Haley and his brother-in-law, A. L. Stinson. Haley, the editor, was a son of Judge S. D. Haley, prominent early Albany jurist.

The paper was still appearing as the Oregon Democrat, January 28, 1862, with the serial number volume 3, number 14 (which checks with the November 1859 start by Smith & Shepherd.) The name at the masthead of this issue, however, is W. G. Haley, proprietor. Soon afterward Pat Malone appeared on the scene and the paper, sup pressed, resumed under the name Albany Inquirer, with Pat as editor. Malone was well known as a strong southern sympathizer, and it was not long until he too was in trouble with the government for pro-secession utterances. His paper was excluded from the mails April 30, 1862, by General George Wright, in charge of the federal army in the Northwest.

Malone, in fact, was doubly unfortunate in his expressions of opposition to the war. He was editing the Corvallis Weekly Union,