History of Oregon Newspapers/The Bulletin and the Bee
THE BULLETIN AND THE BEE
Along in 1874 came another daily paper called the News, which engaged the combined talents of two capable newspaper men, Charles B. Bellinger and George Law Curry, already noted in connection with several other early Oregon publications. Its first issue appeared in May, 1873. Issued in the evening, it was a five-column tabloid. Its newswriting was of a homey, wordy type, with gushing enthusiasm but a dearth of information, in the following story of the new fire engine, from the issue of July 9:
Bright as a as New Dollar.—The new steam fire engine arrived a few days ago now reflects your form and face from every particular portion. The application of the brush and plenty of elbow grease by the engineer in charge of her has made all the sea-stains vanish, and brought out a polish that is brighter than the newest stamped dollar ever heard jingle. She stands in Multnomah Engine House now a "thing of beauty," and will, evidently, be a "joy forever" to the company. Foreman Hallock contemplates a little practice with her in a few days, just sufficient to straighten her joints.
The paper, though interesting, failed to attract support, and it faded out in less than two years, giving place to the Telegram. Harvey Scott makes no reference to the paper in his chapter on Portland newspapers in his History of Portland. The News represented the last important newspaper work by two exceedingly capable newspaper men. Curry died in 1878, and Bellinger moved over into law, where he became distinguished as jurist, and compiler of Oregon laws.
Within two years two Bulletins, unconnected with each other, were started in Portland, and in 12 years there were three. The first, known as the Evening Bulletin, edited and published by J. F. Atkinson, founder of the Sunday Welcome, was launched January 6, 1868. It soon failed, as did the Portland Evening Commercial, started July 11 of the same year, by M. P. Bull, later of the East Oregonian, Pendleton. Atkinson's Bulletin was an evening paper, with no Sunday edition. Of tabloid size, four pages, four columns, it filled just about half of its space with advertising. Atkinson charged 25 cents a week delivered by carrier or $8 a year by mail or express. He had no editorial, as a rule. In the issue of July 8, 1868, the paper carried only two columns of local news in its sixteen columns of space.
The longest item was one of more than 300 words on "A Fine Picture" of Mount Hood painted by William Keith. One street fight received 60 words, and a shooting affray at The Dalles, 50 words.
The next Bulletin was the Portland Daily Bulletin, the Ben Holladay venture. Holladay, a Kentuckian by birth and a frontiersman in experience and temperament, arrived in Oregon in August 1868 and led the fight in and out of court for the east-side railroad through the Willamette valley as against the west-side promoters. Holladay played a dominant part in both the railroad construction and the politics of Oregon (the two were closely related) (35) for the decade following his arrival. As a part of his promotion he started the Portland Daily Bulletin, with James O'Meara as editor. Holladay did things "in a big way." For the Bulletin he moved north the entire plant of the San Francisco Times, formerly the Town Talk, when the paper was taken over by the Alta California in 1869 (36). Holladay, none too ethical but a driving promoter, stirred up Oregon business conditions and did put through the eastside railroad, which was completed from Portland to Roseburg by December, 1872. The properties, however, could not at that time pay interest on the investment. The bonds were defaulted; and the on behalf of German bondholders ensuing investigation brought Henry Villard to Oregon. A former newspaper man, press correspondent in the Civil war, Villard in time became a much greater railroad magnate than Holladay ever had been. Public-spirited and generous, he did much for both Oregon and Washington, saving the life of the University of Oregon by a substantial gift when the sheriff was at the door to seize the struggling institution's property for debt in the early eighties.
But to get back to the Bulletin. It was a neat and well-edited newspaper, and it is the only newspaper aside from the Oregonian ever to engage regularly the services of Harvey W. Scott. When the Henry W. Corbett interests bought a heavy block of Oregonian stock from Henry L. Pittock in 1872 the resignation of Scott as editor followed, and for several months in 1873 he was occupied with the editorship of the Bulletin. In the issue of December 7, 1872, appeared announcement of the change of ownership, involving the retirement of Holladay. The new owners were a stock company in which Harvey W. Scott, late of the Oregonian, and J. N. Dolph were interested. Scott, succeeding O'Meara as editor, remained only a few months, devoting his energies for the next three years largely to his position as collector of customs, which he had held since 1870. During that period he contributed occasionally to Portland newspapers, including the New Northwest, conducted by his sister, Abigail Scott Duniway.
Scott was succeeded on the Bulletin by T. B. Odeneal, formerly of Corvallis, who became editor and manager. The paper was definitely on the decline before either Scott or Odeneal had a chance to do anything for it. Known as the Holladay organ, it failed to pick up popularity even after the withdrawal of Holladay, and Odeneal suspended publication in October 1875. Holladay's little journey into journalism had cost him, according to his own story told to several Portlanders, nearly $200,000, representing money invested which failed to return. It was one of the most complete newspaper debacles in the history of Oregon. The plant was sold at auction and scattered.
Through most of its existence the Bulletin was a four-page eight-column paper, about half advertising. The space totaled, in the July 16 (1872) issue, 758 column inches of which 379 was given to advertising. Of the non-advertising space, telegraphic news occupied 65 inches; editorial, 69 inches; science, 7 inches; literature, 8 inches; travel stories, 38 inches; crime, 22 inches; sports, 4 inches; commerce, 48 inches; local news items, 18 inches; agriculture, 17 inches.
The shortage of local news is typical of all the pioneer papers as compared with those of today. The three reasons for this may be (1) the relative scarcity of important happenings as compared with today; (2) the fact that the demand was still much heavier for the news from "outside" than for the home news; (3) the earlier reporters had not yet built up the technique of effective reporting.
One of the historic stories in the Bulletin as reflecting the opening of one phase of Portland's development was an article in the issue of Monday, December 9, 1872, describing Portland's first street-cars.
The Bulletin at first came out as a morning, evening, and weekly paper. During that time it commented that no other newspaper on the Pacific Coast covered the whole time field in that way. On one occasion, December 9, 1872, the Bulletin announced, in addition to changes in form and management, a move from the evening to the morning field, explaining that "an evening journal cannot hope to be much more than a merely local paper." This was before the "today's news today" era.
Under the editorship of James O'Meara in 1872, the Bulletin conducted a campaign against the police department, which it accused of inefficiency in suppressing and solving crime in the city. This strained relations between the paper and the police; and one day, with the connivance of other reporters, police headquarters "planted" a fake story of the discovery of the murdered and mutilated body of a missing man. The Bulletin's reporter swallowed the story whole, including the detail of the body's being brought up by the anchor of a ship putting out for sea; the skull fractured, throat cut, and 18 bullet-wounds in the body.
The indignation of the Bulletin when the hoax was exposed was equalled only by the amusement of the other newspapers, openly expressed by the Herald.
The death of the Bulletin was followed by the rise of a new paper, the Bee, first number of which, a diminutive tabloid (3-column, 4-page) appeared November 2, 1875. Like the Bulletin, the Bee started with two editions daily, and for a time circulated 1,000 copies free. D. H. Stearns was editor. The paper was published at 5 Washington street, office of Himes the Printer, and when the paper finally died George H. Himes was one of those who had lost some money — for unpaid printing bills.
The flea-sized Bee started off with high hopes. It seemed to have, at the beginning, no special program, political, social, or economic, other than reasonable profit for the publisher. Said the salutatory under the head, "Here We Are":
This is the first toot of our tin whistle. We will be older if we live and have the little end of a golden horn to blow at, if the politicians come and "see" us as they do the big papers that have pockets on their backs, to catch the gold dollars that "drop off" from their hats.
We don't apologize for coming into the world, nor expect anyone to be glad to see us, and shall not growl about being kicked till we are big enough to fight.
Neither politician nor preacher, we shall not attempt to influence elections, nominate presidents, nor run for office ourselves, or try to convert others to our religious faith. We shall fearlessly spell Willamette Willamette or Willamette Wallamatte, according to our interpretation of law and order — as our i's and a's happen to run.
* * * *
We are a working Bee, and expect to labor with laborers, find our friends among the laborers in all walks of life, and be the laborer's friend.
The Bee's biggest local item in that first number, taking up half of page 4, was the story of a mass meeting to discuss the subject of instituting a reform school in Portland for the handling of the city's obstreperous youth. The head and first paragraph follow:
MASS MEETING
Reform School Question.$5,000 Wouldn't Buy a Farm
That Would Save That Boy!
A mass meeting of Portland's best citizens assembled at Oro Fino hall last night to devise how the wisdom of the head and of the pocket could be best applied toward raising funds for the endowment of a Reform School for the city. Mr. William Wadhams called the meeting to order, when Hon. H. W. Corbett was elected chairman, and Rev. W. C. Chatten secretary. . . .
Then, in the usual leisurely style of the 70's, the story went on to tell of the passage of resolutions and the appointment of a committee to work out details of a plan.
The Bee grew in size but not consistently in journalistic excellence. In December of 1875 Mr. Stearns enlarged the paper and began charging for it. The next year he sold it to W. S. Chapman, who, having conducted it during its two stormiest years, sold it back to Mr. Stearns, who conducted it through most of its career. In June 1880 Stearns sold the now declining paper to Atkinson (J. F.) & Farrish, who in August changed the name to the Portland Bulletin. Under this name the paper ran until the latter part of 1882, when its publishers gave it up as a bad job.
The personnel of the Bee in 1878 was listed in the issue of September 30: "Editorial and business department—Mr. J. J. Burnett, Mr. H. M. Clinton, Mr. J. G. Chapman, Mr. G. H. Ward. Typographical department—F. C. Baker, foreman; J. T. Hayes, assistant; five regular compositors, two subs, two in pressroom."