Holman (25) tells of having come upon sheets of paper covered with this one word in the unmistakable script of the editor. He wrote his associate estimates, millions of times—an unexplained habit.
But "solidity" tells the story of Scott—strong, substantial, sound—"the schoolmaster of the press of Oregon."
JOURNALISM IN SALEM
When statehood came to Oregon. Asahel Bush, the founder, was still the editor of the Statesman, continuing until March 1863.
L. F. Grover, later congressman, governor, and United States senator, was Mr. Bush's assistant with editorial work on the Statesman, doing the writing when Bush was absent from the city. In 1861 and 1862 Harvey Gordon was managing editor. He was elected state printer in 1862 but died before he could take office.
J. W. Nesmith, prominent in early Oregon, was partner in the Statesman with Bush when it was leased in 1863 to C. P. Crandall and E. M. Waite. Crandall and Waite conducted the paper until November 26, 1863, when it was purchased by a group composed of W. P. Huntington, Ben Simpson, Rufus Mallory, Chester N. Terry, George H. Williams. D. W. Craig, who spent a long lifetime in Oregon journalism, was running the Argus in Salem at the time. It was combined with the Statesman, and Mr. Craig and J. N. Gale taken in. Craig became principal stockholder in the Oregon Printing and Publishing Company, a corporation formed at that time. The paper supported the Union cause in the Civil war with outstanding vigor.
A feature of an early issue (August 19) was 200-word editorial explaining that there was no room for publication of several addresses and essays read at a recent teachers' institute and suggesting to the teachers' association management that "the difficulty would be obviated by the publication each year of a small pamphlet containing the proceedings of the session and all productions worthy of publication." Here the germ of the educational publications, such as the Oregon Teachers' Monthly which Charles H. Jones built up so successfully at Salem in later years. "We publish a political newspaper," is one announcement of interest, "and in these times that 'try men's souls' we have to consider numerous questions of exciting interest."
Joseph Gaston became editor a short time before Craig sold out, in August 1866, to Ben Simpson, who put in his sons, Sylvester and Sam L., as editors and managers. It was Simpson's hope to re-elect Nesmith to the United States senate, but he was disappointed.
Sam L. Simpson, better known to fame as a poet, was editor of
