A Veteran of 1884
ONE of the old-line newspaper men who helped to round out the history of Oregon journalism from the “80’s” until a few years ago, when he retired with full honors, is D. I. Asbury, now a resident of McMinnville.
In 1884 Mr. Asbury purchased the Grant County News at Canyon City, and occupied without competition for several years a field covering a large area of eastern Oregon, with a great measure of success.
Mr. Asbury, whom his colleagues and associates affectionately named “Colonel,” did most of his own typesetting and printed his paper on an old Washington hand press until the land office patronage in his district enabled him to purchase a cylinder press and employ help in his business.
The “Colonel” was resourceful and original and gave his patrons a good paper. With equal poise he went about the task of teaching a class in the village Sunday school or acting as one of the floor managers at the Friday night dance as occasion demanded, thus adapting himself to his surroundings—a much valued accomplishment in the pioneer days of rough and-ready journalism in Oregon. He was a “scrapper,” too, when good scrapping was required. Serving his country once as a juror in the circuit court his decision was against the interests of one of his valued subscribers, who, alas, were none too plenty. The good subscriber at once took the
editor to task and “stopped” his paper. As a sequel to repeated roastings in the paper for his narrow views, the repentant subscriber came in shortly and renewed his subscription, paying two years in advance for the sake of peace.
It is related of the “Colonel” that in the days of the old party convention he, being a delegate from his precinct, was approached by a newly made subscriber who was a candidate for county treasurer. He had a delegate who had promised to place him in nomination, and “would the ‘Colonel’ be so kind as to second the nominationl”, Sure! he would do anything to accommodate him. “Mr. Chairman,” the “Colonel” said, “I take great pleasure in seconding the nomination.” Nothing had been said about voting, and when the ballot was counted the candidate had received only one vote.
The country editors of a generation ago, unlike those of the present, were neccessarily learned in the mechanical arts from cleaning the form rollers to keeping the books, but they made history. A few of them made a little money; more of them
“Labored full long for the True and the Good
’Mid the manifold evils that irk us,
Their emoluments: raiment and food
And a pass now and then to the circus.”
Journalists Make Good Soldiers
Advices from England say journalists are much sought by the army authorities, because they make good oflicers. The initiative and resource they have constantly to show in their civil occupation is credited with in
creasing their military value.
