.: I page Foirar 80th Anniversary. Edition, The Oregon Statesman '
.ba
Politics
B
asis
for
Bush, Democrat, Wielded Great Influence in Early Days; "Petty
No Place; Editor Wanted Paper State-Wide in Scope; Partisanship
rilWe Puffery Had .
jrought Fervid Writing
paper
rE OREGON STATESMAN was conceived and born in
politics ; and throughout its history has been an active
influence in the political development of the territory, -state
and nation. It was folmded as the organ of the Democratic
party in the territory The governor, John P. Gaines, was a
Whig, appointed by president Zachary Taylor. The prevail
ing sentiment in Oregon was democratic. The Statesman was
the first organ of itsjparty and consequently under the able
editorship of A. Bush, immediately attained a position of
'great power. It was essentially in those early years a political
newspaper, it lgnorea iocai new.v
Bush ran it as a sort ojC official
jgasette, which it was, as the offi
cial paper of the territory and the
spokesman of the dominant party.
Thus when The Statesman moved
ack to Salem from Corvajllis, Bush
nublished the following editorial
jin reply to critcism that he had
not been a town "boostej":
"We have never been in the in
terest of any town, proprietor,
speculator or- propeVty-holder, and
never intend to be. If thee is any
thing in journalism that ve despise
utterly it is the petty village puff
ery the habitual announcement
jthat Mr. So-and-So ha hung a
gate," put a new fence in! front of
his residence, or repaired an old one
in rear of it; that Mr. Such-a-one
has painted his barn, laid down a
plank in front of his store, hoisted
a new sign upon his shop, built a
chicken house, smoke house or some
other house of equally importance.
We have never published a local
paper an Oregon City, Salem or
Corvallis paper and never expect
to. The Statesman has been pre
eminently an Oregon journal, and
will continue to be such. We pub
lish the news of interest from every
part, and know that the body of -our
readers care no more for the or
dinary local transactions of one
than another."-Statesman, Dec. 18,
1855.
Bush's Printer Office
Early Brought Attack
It was an age. of bitter style in
expression of editorial; opinion;
and one with the personality and
vigor of the editor of The States
man was certain to be ja shining
mark for his editorial Opponents,
the old established Spectator and
the slightly senior Oregonion ed
ited by T. J. Dryer, and: the Star.
The fact that Bush was made pub
lic printer, which office was a luc
rative one, drew hot fire from his
competitors. The journalistic war
fare began with the first issue of
The Statesman, and in his second
issue Bush replied to Dryer of the
Oregonion in the following lan
guage: j
"Complaints of this kind come
with a special grace from a paper
devoted from its first to its last
number almost exclusively to the
grossest personal abuse, jthe most
foul-mouthed slander, grovelling
scurrility, falsehood and ribald
blackguardism; insomuch that it
has long since ceased to sustain
any but a pot house reputation, or
to receive the countenance and re
spect of any party or community.
Nothing that incurred the editor's
displeasure has escaped. Business
concerns, personal difficulties, pub
lic and private matters have all
alike been drawn through the slime
and slander of his columns. And
now he complains, and without rea
son too, of our employment of per
sonalities and whines over the mat
ter like a whipped Spaniel."
II. S. Lyman in his "History of
Oregon" describes this period of
newspaper history as follows:
. . . a non-political newspaper
was no longer desired, and while
the old order was passing new
spirits wore already planning a
new democratic paper. This was
the Statesman.
in Oregon journalism, the names of
Asahel Bush, W. L. Adams and D.
W. Craig with other, appearing in
our: journalism. In this era also
was formed -what became known
as The Oregon Style, a species of
storm and stress ". composition,
strong chiefly in invective, and
availing itself of the condition of
the j times in m community when
everyone's private affairs and per,
sonal name were known to every in
habitant to coin amusing or even
offensive titles for opponents.".
Bush was skilled In this style,
and has been characterized as wa
witty, pungent, and rather . bril
liant writer, having a peculiar cut
ting, abrupt and sometimes harsh
style, but one which was very ef
fective in molding public opinion. . .
He is said to have largely con
trolled the politics of Oregon Ter
ritory." H. H. Bancroft wrote of The
Statesman and Bush in his "His
tory of Oregon":
"As a party paper it- was con
ducted with greater ability than
any journal on the Pacific coast
for a period of about a dozen years.
Bush was assisted at various times
by men of talent
first eight years
it was the ruling
wielding an influence
and unmade officials at its plea
sure". General Lane Gained
Paper's Strong Support
About the first controversy was
between the territorial officials
who were federal appointees and
whigs, and the democrats. The lo
cation of the state capital became
an issue, the democrats favoring
Salem, and Gov. Gaines and the
"federals" holding to Oregon City.
The Statesman early raised the
banner of Gen. Joseph Lane, who
after winning distinction in the
Mexican war had been appointed
governor of Oregon by President
Polk. The Statesman supported
him consistently for delegate to
congress and fought Lane's battles
with sweeping editorial broad
sides. " S
Bush fought the "know-nothings,"
the anti-foreign, anti-Catholic
party of pre-Civil War days.
He fought the "Maine-law" or pro
hibitidn party. He fought sectar
ianism and bigotry; but staunch
partisan that he was he tolerated
no defection from the democratic
faith, such as the "National Dem
ocratic party" of the late '60's.
One, of his bitter fights was with
J. C. Avery of Corvallis, which
grew out of the strife over the
seat of government and the
burning of the capitol.
During the first decade, when the
democrats were most powerful and
regularly carried the elections
over the whigs and the "know
nothings" the ruling heierarchy,
headed, by Bush, was called the Sa
lem clique., C. H. Carey in his
"History of the Constitution of
Oregon" has this to say about the
clique:
Salem Clique was
Powerful in Politics
"Gradually under the guidance
of Mr. Bush, a group of democrats
1 gained great influence in that par-
THE FOUNDER
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Bush Started as Pmnter
At 1 5 as Father Died
' Asahel Bush, founder of The
Oregon Statesman, was born in,
Westfield, Massachusetts, on June
4, 1824. He went to school at the
Westfield Academy, but when he
was 15 years old the death of his
father compelled him to give up
school and go to work to support
himself. He-learned the printing
trade in Westfield. In 1843, on his
way to Cleveland, he left Albany
on a line boat (a signal boat) and
was one week reaching Buffalo. He
continued the journey by boat to
Cleveland, where he lived about a
year working at his trade. From
there he went to Saratoga and re
mained in Saratoga for two and
a half years. Here he cast his first
vote for President, voting for Cass,
at the 'same time he voted for Silas
Wright for Governor of New York.
In 1846 he moved to Albany, N.
Y and Was employed in the state
printer's; office. Later in 1846 he
returned to Westfield, and until
1850 resided there. While there he
studied law andl was admitted to
the bar in the state of Massachus
etts. From Apr 24, 1849, to July
3, 1850, he was editor of the West
field Standard. .Shortly after July
4, 1850, he left Westfield for Ore
gon, going by thp way of Panama.
He arrived in regon September
30, 1850.
First Editor Weekly
At Westfield, Mass.
In Salem on O :tober 12, 1854, he
married Eugenia Zieber, who died
September 11, 18S3.
4
He establishes
1851 and was
sold it in 18G3
from active business until 1868,
when, with MrJ
Ladd & Bush.
until
few
(From biograp
quarterly, Apr. :
the Statesman in
s editor until he
He then retired
W. S. Ladd, he
established the tanking house of
He continued to
come ' to the bank almost daily
nays before ' his
death, which occurred December
23, 1913.
y in Ladd & Bush
914.)
ty and came to be known as the Sa
lem Clique, the personnel of which
undefined 'political force changed
from time, to time. It originated
measures : 'ordained party policy,
decided upon candidates for office
and awarded political honors.
"John R. McBride included the
following as supposed at times to
be within the magic circle: Asahel
Bush, L, F. Grover, Ben. Harding,
R. P. Boise of Marion county; J.
W, -Nesmith and Fred Waymire of
Polk eonnty; M. P. Deady of Yam
hill county; S. F. Chadwick .of
Douglas county; J. W. Drew of
Umpqua county a George L.' Curry
of Clackamas Jcounty; William
Tichenor of Cool county, and Del-
azon Smith of L
Such strength
opjjbsition, and
desperate plight
party in meetin
nn county."
inevitably bred
the increasingly
so f the democratic
the slavery issue
hastened the divisions. In the split
Bush turned against Gen. Lane and
against Senator! Delazon Smith
who was upholding Lane. Bush's
opposition to Li&ie was based on
the latter's failure to push through
the Oregon statlhood bill in con
gress in 1858; but was doubtless
"increased by the apparent effort of
jLane to run Oregon's political, af
fairs with a high hand, making the
new state his political appanage in
his ambitions for presidential hon
ors. ... ;
Bush Denounced
Free State Movement
In most of the issues prior to
1860 ala very was given scant not
ice. Local issues took most atten
tion. Washington was far away;
slavery here had been barred by
popular vote in adopting the new
constitution and all negroes were
barred fromhe state as well. The
rising free tate movement was
denounced by Bush as abolitionism
and black republicanism.
Here was an editorial in The
Statesman of Sept. 2, 1856, dur
ing the Buchanan campaign: x
"The Presidential contest is now
at its heat throughout the States.
The hydra of black republicanism
is already unmasked, and the flag
of treason, with sixteen stars, rep
resenting the sixteen free states, is
unfurled and flung to the wind in
te infected districts of the north.
"Fanatics of all shades, from
Fred Douglass to Lloyd 'Garrison,
are upon the stump, with venomed
fangs gnashing at -the Goddess of
Liberty,, and spurring on . the
masses, blinded by their sophis
tries, to turn the mad batteries of
sectionalism on the sacred temples
of the Constiution.
"The issue is already made up
can the Constitution and the Union
be maintained?
"If democracy triumphs as tri
umph it Willi it will be the tri
umph of the Constitution; if de
feated, our national flag may be
trailed in the dust by those whose
protection it has been, and our
noble Union be fractured into dis
cordant states."
Bush Stood Squarely 1
Behind Douglas
When the" slavery question .fin
ally did demand a .definite stand.
Bush placed The Statesman square
ly behind Stephen A. Douglas and
followed him through the presi
dential campaign of 1860. jWith
Douglas The Statesman stood for
the Union when secession ,, threat
ened. Bush and I his group com
bined with the republicans in the
1860 legislature to defeat the Joe
Lane-Delazon Smith combination
and .elected J. W. Nesmith and E. .
D. Baker United States senators.
The Civil War broke out, and
The Statesman vigorously support
ed the cause of the union. The
fusion of democrats and republi
cans produced the Union party in
Oregon which finally emerged as
the republican party. Bush sold
out in 1863, but when S. A. Clarke
gave rebirth to The Statesman he
made it a republican organ r and
its subsequent affiliation has been
with that party.
Clarke was fearless as a writer
on political questions. Unfortun
ately the files ef that period are.
not available, so a study of his edi-,
toriala cannot be made.
JOURNALISTIC ETHICS
"Our column rules always sep
arate the reading matter from the
advertisements, and as to editorial
puffs of business men, we would
prefer to make the proclamation,
viva ' voce, along ' the street with
handbell accompiniment, States
man, March 10, 1862.
FIRST POWER PRESS
"Some time in, April a new print
ing establishment will be received ,
from New York, and the Statesman
will be issued from an Adams New
Patent Power Press arid printed
upon new material throughout."
Statesman, 1859.
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