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Rh is nowhere more aptly illustrated than in Bancroft's History of Oregon. Here the historian had at his disposal a rich collection of newspaper material. That he appreciated its value is shown by the collection in his library, now housed at the University of California. Walter C. Woodward made better use of newspapers in his Political Parties in Oregon, however, he has narrowed his field to such an extent that the corresponding economic development is scarcely noticed. The growth of the "Oregon system"—the initiative, the referendum, the recall and the preferential primary—doubtless had its ground work laid during the period covered in this bibliography.

To justly reconstruct the life of any time, the historian must examine not only the official documents and the autographic records of his period but also any other contemporary material. Newspapers are a mirror of the life of the times—even the study of advertisements may be profitable. For instance, in Oregon, the arrival of every boat bringing merchandise had its echo in the advertisements offering these wares to waiting households. Woodward says, "It is only by a study of the newspapers of the period (1852) that one can appreciate the party rancor that by this time existed. Epithets unprintable, now, were hurled back and forth as freely as if they were the mere social amenities of the day."

James Ford Rhodes gives sound advice when he says, "The duty of the historian is not to decide if the newspapers are as good as they ought to be but to measure their influence on the present and to recognize their importance as an ample and contemporary record of the past."

Another indication of the growing appreciation of newspapers in this connection may be seen in the large collections in the Widener Library at Harvard University, the American Antiquarian Library at Worcester, the