time of his retirement Mr. Scibird summarized his pet ideas as follows:
Working hours, 7 a. m. to 5 p. m., winter and summer, longer if necessary
Office always in order.
All bills paid promptly; help paid always at end of week.
No delicacy in collecting—no hesitancy in asking for money earned.
Always fair with employees.
Never a cheap workman—a fair price for good work.
Elgin.—The Elgin Recorder, first newspaper published in Elgin, succeeded the Annotator, published in the neighboring village of Summerville, when the owner, J. E. Devine, correctly decided that the town was too small to require or support their paper, which had been established in 1889. Devine sold the small plant to A. R. Tuttle, father of Lee B. Tuttle, who has been prominent in Oregon journal ism for many years, and G. B. Swinehart.
The new owners, two young school-teachers at the time, moved the plant to Elgin, to which a branch line of the O. R. & N. railroad was about to extend northward from LaGrande. The move was made in February of 1891, and it required all of one day to move the equipment through the deep snow on horse-drawn bobsleds the eight miles from Summerville to Elgin. The first issue of the Recorder came off the press February 24, 1891. The publishers distinguished themselves by surviving two fires within a year of each other. In each instance the small plant was wiped out, within the first four years of the paper's existence, without missing an issue. The second fire, too, came in 1893, during depression days. Mr. Tuttle Sr., who had bought Mr. Swinehart's interest, died in 1904, and his work was carried on by his son Lee. (110).
E. H. Flagg, veteran Oregon publisher, bought the paper from Lee Tuttle in 1908, later selling to W. J. Henry, who carried on until 191 7, meanwhile installing the first Linotype in Elgin. Mr. Henry, who is now living at the national home for union printers at Colorado Springs, sold the paper back to Lee Tuttle and associates. E. E. Southard, another newspaper veteran, was the next owner, purchasing the paper from Mr. Tuttle after about 16 years newspaper experience in Portland. A year later he sold to W. M. Dynes, who stayed less than a year before selling in 1922 to Earle Richardson, of the Clatskanie Chief. Two years later Richardson sold to J. M. Cummins, who remained a year and then (1925) sold to J. Y. Wright. He soon sold to Fred C. Sefton and went back to Montana. Mr. Sefton sold to Manly M. Arant, Polk county boy, brother of
