Page:History of Oregon Newspapers.pdf/370

Rh and the editorship went to Siglin. The paper was enlarged to eight 12×18.

Another early paper, the Argus, published by "one Marquard" in 1873, soon died.

The Coast Mail was launched at Marshfield in 1878. By 1897 the News, then under G. A. Bennett, was reporting a circulation of 750 for a Wednesday four-page 18×24 Democratic paper at $2.50, while the younger Mail at the same subscription price was selling or, at least circulating, 775 copies of a Thursday Republican organ.

The Marshfield Sun, established in 1891 by J. A. Luse, a native son of Coos, as a Thursday weekly in the interest of the Populists, is still being published by the same owner on the same day of the week, after 48 years, a high record of continuous ownership and direction. The paper has no Linotype and is one of the last surviving handset papers in Oregon.

In 1879 I. Hacker was associated with Mr. Webster as co-publisher of the Mail. John Church then carried on the paper until 1884. In 1883 an evening daily as well as a weekly edition was published, continued until 1911, when the paper, after many changes of owners, including P. C. Levar and Thomas Barry, went into a receiver's hands and was sold to the Evening News.

The Times, meanwhile, had been started as a morning daily, in 1906, as already told.

A new paper, the Record, evening except Sunday, was established (1909) by A. R. O'Brien, former Alaska publisher, who conducted it until 1921, when he sold to a stock company, known as the South western Oregon Publishing Co., with Lew A. Cates editor. The name of the paper was changed to the Southwestern Oregon Daily News. The next year the paper was in a receivership, with William L. Carver, receiver and editor-manager. The next change brought C. W. Parker to the editorship, in 1923. He continued through 1924, with Earl W. Murphy as editor for the last year. Then came a change which brought L. D. Gordon in as editor-publisher in 1925. The next two years were those of bitter strife between the papers, already referred to in the story of the Times. The sale of the Times and the recession of the News into the weekly field came, as related, at the beginning of 1928. For a time in 1923 Carver employed William H. Perkins, formerly of Portland and Klamath Falls, as editor of the News. The battle for circulation between the Times and the old Record was a spirited one. In 1914 O'Brien, with 1757, claimed 77 more subscribers than his competitor. The Record cut its rate and forged ahead in 1915, but by 1918 the lead of the Times was unquestioned. In 1921, on sworn circulation, the News had 1100 and the Times 2800. That year saw the departure of O'Brien. Under the Gordon regime the circulation once more became close.

In 1929 Edwin Rose succeeded Mr. Gordon as editor of the