Mr. Boyd changed the name to the Ontario Argus and transferred its allegiance to the Republican party. Later Mr. Boyd's father-in-law, ex-Judge J. T. Clement, became associated with him as joint owner.
All the papers thus far mentioned ran as weeklies. For a short time in 1897 the News ran as a semi-weekly, as noted. The first daily in the county was run by the District Silver Advocate at Vale in the latter part of 1897. The weekly issue was soon resumed. Seven years later the Ontario Argus for a time ran a daily edition.
The sixth newspaper to appear in Malheur county was the Ontario Mattock, founded in Ontario March 14, 1899, by G. L. King, who made his son, Edward L. King, editor. G. L. King was the first agent of the Oregon Short Line at Ontario and later served as justice of the peace there. He died in 1932, aged 84. He was, old-timers recall, one of those instrumental in starting the old Atlas in 1887. The Mattock survived only about a year, when John E. Roberts consolidated it with the District Silver Advocate.
The Malheur County Herald was started in Vale in 1898 by William Plughoff, formerly with the Gazette. He conducted it as a Democratic organ until March 1901, when Almer G. King and Paul Delaney acquired the plant and King acted as editor. Delaney retired, and King moved the plant to Ontario. B. W. Rice became editor in February 1902. King and Delaney changed the name to the Democrat, and when the paper was moved to Ontario the name was made the Ontario Democrat. Soon Judge Will R. King became owner and editor, with William Plughoff in charge of the mechanical department. Judge King was long prominent in Oregon politics. He served Malheur in both the senate and the lower house. In 1898 he was the candidate of Democrats, Silver Republicans, and Populists for governor. He was later a member of the state supreme court and was chief counsel of the U. S. reclamation service under President Wilson. He died in Washington, D. C., June 1, 1934, aged 70.
About 1903 Judge King sold the Ontario Democrat to J. R. Gregg, who at various times had been connected with the News, Advocate, and Argus and was at the time in charge of the mechanical department and also local reporter for the Democrat. For the next seven years Mr. Gregg conducted the paper as owner, editor, and manager.
During his management a succession of women compositors worked on the Democrat—Miss Grace Brown, now Mrs. Henry Moody of Ocean Park, Calif.; Miss Lizzie Butler, now Mrs. N. C. Farmer; Miss Nellie Purcell, now Mrs. Frank Morfitt; Miss Winnie Purcell, now Mrs. James Divin; Miss Maude New, now Mrs. Will Butler, the last four all still residents of Ontario.
The first woman editor in Malheur county, which has had several, was Miss Estelle Riddle, who with C. C. Dodge purchased the
