Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/694

 experience, and a large equipment of energy and persistence. Mr. Jackson has been successful in establishing his paper in the face of the active competition of the Telegram; and it has now a circulation of 40,000 copies of the daily edition, and a large and growing circulation of the weekly and Sunday issues.

The Daily Evening Press, the latest venture in a daily — was started three years ago as a penny paper, and has steadily increased its circulation and advertising, especially among the working classes ; and seems to be firmly established.

An editor and his paper, which attracted much attention and criticism in their day in Portland, but which have now practically disappeared from the remembrance of men and the thoughts of this day, was Beriah Brown, the second editor of the Daily Herald of Portland. Mr. Brown was an amiable, kind hearted, Christian gentleman of the old school; but nevertheless so conscientiously (some people would say, so much of a bigot) attached to his political principles as to be willing to die as a martyr if need be.

Mr. Brown secured his malodorous fame in San Francisco where he published a paper before coming to Portland. He did not believe in prosecuting the war to suppress the rebellion of the southern slaveholders; and in his San Francisco paper he openly said so, and to the full extent of his ability and the circulation of his paper opposed the war and bitterly assailed President Lincoln. This did not suit the hot-blooded patriots of the Golden Gate city, and they gathered in mass, stormed his printing office, wrecked the whole concern and threw his type and press into the street. Thoroughly alarmed for his life, Brown fled to Mexico where he remained for a year; and then came to Oregon and took editorial charge of the Herald.

True to his religious and temperamental disposition Mr. Brown took his loss and public condemnation with more fortitude and equanimity than those would have taken it that had destroyed his property.

The first illustrated paper published west of the Rocky mountains, was started in the city of Portland in the year 1875, by L. Samuel. It was a risky enterprise at that age of the city ; and was made a success only by the most intense energy, untiring persistence, and rare qualifications for the work possessed by Mr. Samuel. At that day, illustrations for magazine articles had to be engraved on stone, which was a very slow and expensive work as compared with the half-tone engraving of the present day. But the work on "The West Shore" was well executed, and some of Mr. Samuels old pictures are serving as copies for illustrations of this book.

"The West Shore" was the first publication to attract attention to the grand natural scenery of Oregon, and advertise the great resources of this country; and in this respect rendered a service to Oregon which cannot be estimated in dollars or thousands of dollars. The magazine was published continuously for fifteen years and attained a circulation of 15,000 copies on regular issue.

But the large expenses involved for good illustrations, and good paper, with the limited advertising, the city could, or would then give, limited the net income to an amount that did not recompense the labor, brains and push necessary to keep the journal up to the high standard of excellence the publisher aimed at. And so Mr. Samuel made a milestone of his magazine foundling, on his journey through life; went into the life insurance business, and founded the Oregon Life Insurance Company, which has proved a great financial success, and given the erstwhile magazine publisher a larger field to do good to his fellowmen.

The historical magazine entitled, "Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society," is the outgrowth of the Oregon Pioneer Association and the Oregon His-