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CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE

PASADENA STAR -NEWS : THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS

A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Mass Communications by Kenneth Warren Chew

May 1987 ----"';:---.--=-==---=~---lfl.~,p£

California State University, Northridge

ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thousands of hours of my life were spent in acquiring the raw data that form the basis for this study. Countless more were spent in sorting, sifting, and weighing the information, then composing the words that appear on the following pages. But as self-sufficient as I would like to believe myself, I recognize the immense contributions made by many others before the completion of this work could be ensured.

The important people include:

My ever-supportive wife, Elaine, who suffered through countless nights and weekends without me while I gathered information and later wrote the chapters that she patiently critiqued.

My three children, Lynn, Debbie, and Paul, who became "thesis orphans" during the project and learned to keep low profiles during the rare times that I was at home.

My mother and father, Anne and Paul, who read the manuscript and offered personal observations about the Los Angeles area in earlier days and some of the important characters like Charles Paddock, who shared a French class at USC with my mother.

Megs Meriwether, who provided tremendous insight into early-day Pasadena and invaluable advice on important community events; Charles Cherniss, Howard Collins, and other present and former Star-News employees, who helped immeasurably by sharing with me their knowledge of the newspaper; and Carolyn Garner, who guirled my way through thousands of feet of microfilm on past ne\vspaper issues at the Pasadena library--all· were instrumental in their respective areas.

Drs. Tom Reilly, Michael Emery, and Ken Devol, who directed the project so capably.

Maryann Gomes, who very nearly lost her job by helping make this thesis a reality.

My everlasting gratitude to you all.

iii p '

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE Acknowledgments iii Abstract v

Chapter 1. Introduction 1

Chapter 2. Review of the Literature 14

Chapter 3. Methodology 56

Chapter 4. The Vails Found the Pasadena Star 70

Chapter 5. The Star Goes Public 87

Chapter 6. A Half-Century Dynasty Begins 124

Chapter 7. The World War I Years 153

Chapter 8. Return to Normalcy 175

Chapter 9. The Depression to the Golden Age 210 Chapter 10. The Second Half Century 240

Chapter 11. Conclusions 313 Selected Bibliography 327

iv ABSTRACT

PASADENA STAR-NEWS: THE FIRST IIDNDRED YEARS by Kenneth Warren Chew Master of Arts in Mass Communications

On April 21, 1986, the Pasadena Star-News celebrated its one hun dredth anniversary of continuous publication. This thesis is a his tory of this past century and examines the newspaper under the various publishers and editors responsible for its production over the years. The information presented includes a view of the newspaper's politics and the interrelationships of the publication with the community dur ing its life. This research investigates these interactions and relationships through a comprehensive study of editorials, news stories, and opinion columns published by the Star-News since 1886, through an exhaustive content review. These data are supplemented by personal discussions and interviews with selected newspaper employees, both past and p:::-e sent, and other persons who are intimately familiar with the city of Pasadena, especially in the historical sense. The thesis addresses such issues as how changes in Star-News ownership affected the newspaper's philosophy, what effect did mergers have on the newspaper, and did group ownership introduce an economic stability to the Star-News that was lacking with family control.

v CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

TOPIC J. W. Wood, an early-day, influential Southern Californian and one of the founding fathers of Pasadena, writes that it was a "good paper, • • • rabidly Republican . [and] Pasadena's first real daily newspaper. 111 Les Wiltse, veteran newspaper production manager, says its 2 "goal is to reduce the number of composing room employees to zero. " Noted media critic, Ben Bagdikian, calls it "the most bizarre front page in the state. "3 And Typeworld, a leading trade journal in the publishing field, indicates that its "pagination system continues to be at the forefront of electronic prepress technology."4 The subject of these quotes is the Pasadena Star-News, a community newspaper that celebrated its hundredth anniversary of publication in 1986. This study follows the life of that newspaper since its first four-page issue was distributed on Wednesday, April 21, 1886, by the father and son team of H. J. and W. L. Vail. 5 In the following chapters, this history will examine the newspaper under the various publishers and editors responsible for its produc tion over the years, the political views it has favored under these different leaders, the interaction and relationship between the news paper and the city of Pasadena, and similar related topics. It culmi nates with the joint newspaper and city centennial in June 1986, which saw the Star-News currently serving in excess of 45,000 daily readers 6 in the thirteen communities that comprise the San Gabriel Valley.

1 2

FOCUS

This history of the Pasadena Star-News focuses on the degree to which the newspaper has interacted with the city of Pasadena and its administrations through the successive publishers and editors of the publication during its hundred-year life. The research investigates these interactions through those editorials, news stories, and opin ion columns involving Pasadena policy as revealed by a comprehensive review of Star-News copies dating back to 1886. This shows the news paper's side of the story. To balance the study, the Star-News' views then are compared with data obtained during interviews and from print sources other than the newspaper. These data are studied without re gard to whether the Star-News article favored or rejected the position of the administration in control at that time. This thread is woven throughout the entire fabric of this study.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Particular attention will be paid to several questions considered vi tal to this research. The questions addressed by this study cover the entire life span of the Pasadena Star-News and its predecessors from the founding in 1886 to the current day one hundred years later.

1. How have successive publishers/owners changed the look and

philosophy of the Star-News during its hw1dred-year history?

2. What effect have the newspaper's various mergers had on the

Star-News/Pasadena relationship?

3. Did the purchase of the Star-News by a newspaper group intro

duce an economic stability to the paper that did not exist

under family ownership? 3

4. Did the gender of the Star-News publisher/owner influence or affect the newspaper's fonnat or otherwise cause changes in the coverage of political, editorial, or society-related material? 5. How did the Star-News view "boosterism" during the periods of high and low population growth in the area? 6. What factors have allowed the Star-News to remain in business for one hundred years? 7. Are circulation and profitability of prime consideration at the Star-News under Knight-Ridder? 8. How does this philosophy compare with the principal values of the newspaper under Prisk family ownership?

SIGNIFICANCE OF WORK Community newspapers were the principal sources of infonnation in early California because of the limited communication techniques available during the latter part of the nineteenth century. This fact, coupled with the citizens' quests for information, resulted in newspapers exerting considerable influence on public opinion. 7 Remi Nadeau, for example, credited the Los Angeles News with in troducing more trade to the Los Angeles area in 1869 than "any other five men in the city." 8 Other early residents such as Judge Robert Maclay Widney used newspapers to spread the word on the benefits of Southern California living. Judge Widney authored a series of real estate articles in the 1870s proclaiming "the climate and agricultural advantages" of the Los Angeles area in an effort to induce population growth. 9 4

Charles Nordhoff, an early Southland resident, was probably the

first to publish a "booster" book in 1873 that touted Los Angeles. It

received widespread distribution throughout Canada, England, and the

United States .. However, it wasn't until April 1892 that Gen. Harrison

Gray Otis, later to be publisher of the Los Angeles Times, perfected

the booster news release, which had been timed to coincide with the

National Editorial Association's visit to Los Angeles. This release,

which was aimed at the "back home" folk in Eastern cities, praised the

virtues of Southern California weather and was the "earliest publicity

handout in the history of journalism." (Ironically, that April visit

saw the Los Angeles area register the highest temperatures recorded to

date.)10

More convincing evidence of newspaper influence was the role of

the local press in effecting the installation of a high protective

fence atop the Colorado Street bridge that spans the Arroyo Seco and

links Pasadena with Eagle Rock and Los Angeles. Before their action

at the height of the Depression Era, seventy-nine persons jumped to

their deaths from the structure, which by that time had earned the

dubious title, "Suicide Bridge."11

In March 1930, Charles Prisk, Star-News owner and publisher, re-

cei ved the coveted Arthur Noble Award for distinguished service to

Pasadena. This award was in recognition of his personal contributions 12 and t h ose o f hIS. newspaper to t h e c1ty . an d 1ts . res1.d ents.

This study looks at the Pasadena Star-News as representative of

the community newspaper, and, more importantly, one with the distinc-

tion of having survived for one century of continuous publication.

Newspaper takeovers and failures have been encountered with alarming 5

regularity during the past few decades. Where newspapers sprang up overnight during this country's period of expansion (i.e., from 1200 newspapers in 1830 to 3000 newspapers in 1860), the numbers have de clined steadily as hard economic conditions took their toll. 13 Although combined circulation held fairly constant between 1983 and 1984, that period saw the net number of American daily newspapers decrease by more than 400. And the net reduction in the number of dailies across the United States in the two decades since 1964 is an astonishing 470 newspapers. 14 The longevity of the Star-News, in view of these multiple failures, is an accomplishment worthy of study to determine what factors have contributed to its survival. This requires an in-depth investi gation of the newspaper's history. Automation is altering the produc tion methods used in publishing on a world-wide basis. The Newspaper Pagination System used by the Star-News puts it on the leading edge of technology and identifies it as one deserving of study. Lastly, there is and has been a concerted effort by the publishing community to preserve old newspapers for their historical significance. This thesis documents the hundred-year life of one such newspaper and contributes in small measure toward this endeavor which has been supported in the past by such notables as Knight Newspaper Chairman, James Knight. 15

HYPOTHESES Certain ideas have been developed to guide the conduct of this research. The data gathered during the course of this study tested the hypotheses listed below. 6

1. Like the city of Pasadena, the Star-News has consistently been a Republican stronghold. 2. Prior to group ownership, every new Star-News publisher and owner retained a philosophy for the newspaper similar to his or her predecessor. (This includes political preference and stance on urban renewal, school busing, and other controver sial measures involving the city.) 3. The Star-News has consistently supported the city's admini stration policy, regardless of political changes in Pasadena leadership. 4. Electronic pagination at the Star-News is the latest in a long line of technical firsts for the newspaper during its hundred-year life. 5. Without the large financial base of the Knight-Ridder organi zation, the Star-News would not have been able to acquire its pagination system. 6. Before corporate buyout in 1956, publishers and owners of the Star-News were Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley residents deeply involved in community activities as well as being socially and politically prominent.

METHOD This history of the Star-News first was recreated by means of a thorough search of materials containing information on early-day Southern California, Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley, and Pasadena to determine under what circumstances the Star-News and other area news papers were founded and how these publications interfaced initially 7

with the conununi ties they served. The early histories were supplemented with more current-day material, which identified the various publishers and owners of the Star-Ne\vS over the years, as well as detailing philosophical changes in journalistic practices in the United States generally and the Southern California and Los Angeles areas specifically. This was followed by a careful review of all available issues of the Star-News from 1886 to 1936, and selected issues from 1936 through 1986, to reveal any changes in newspaper coverage involving city policy, political support, socio-economic issues, national versus community content, and city social life. This procedure set the tone for this research by providing needed insight into the interrelationship of the Star-News and the conununities it serves, as well as identifying issues that the newspaper chose to champion or fight. Next was a series of interviews with individuals either currently or previously at the Star-News itself, which provided several views of the contemporary newspaper. The interviews also helped to identify I key occurrences involving the newspaper that were deemed significant to this research and warranted an in-depth study. The information ob tained from these interviews was augmented by interviews with selected Pasadena residents who have particularly keen knowledge of the city's history and suggested additional specific events to review carefully beyond those recommended by the Star-News staff.

ESSENTIAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION Pasadena is a small community with a population of 119,000. 16 It is located in the western portion of the San Gabriel Valley, twelve 8

miles northeast of Los Angeles. Nestled at the southern base of the

Sierra Madre Mountains, the city occupies a total area of twenty-one square miles. Because it is land-locked, Pasadena's population has remained relatively stable over the last thirty-five years, increasing by a very modest 15,000 people since 1950. 17 The inability of Pasa dena to expand its borders has impacted on the potential readership of the Star-News and caused it to cover the neighboring communi ties of

Alhambra, A1 tadena, Arcadia, Bradbury, Duarte, La Canada/Flintridge,

Monrovia, San Gabriel, San Marino, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, and

Temple City also. However, covering these communities in circulation is quite different from covering their unique problems through news reporting. The Star-News publishes only one edition each day and its principal slant favors Pasadena events, rather than any of the others.

In addition, the changes in the city's ethnic makeup over the years 18 have also affected the readership as we11.

The city is noted for its world-famous Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl football game that pits two of the best college teams in the United States against each other, often for the national title.

It is also well known as a residential community for socially prom~ 19 nent and wealthy families. Currently Pasadena is undergoing a radical facelift through urban renewal, attempting to retain - its architectural flavor of the past

\vhile modernizing and revamping many of its old buildings for modern- day uses. 20 The community is also prominent in this nation's space program, being the location of the National Aeronautics and Space Administ:;:-a- tion' s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where data from a large number of 9

sophisticated deep space probe and geological survey satellite pro grams have been monitored and managed. 21 The laboratory is situated on the grounds of the prestigious California Institute of Technology, one of America's leading engineering universities. Caltech, as it is presently called, is the successor to the Throop Polytechnic Insti tute, which was founded in 1891 by Amos G. Throop, a Pasadena pioneer and very influential resident. 22 However, Pasadena has not always been in this position, and certain factors, including local papers, were instrumental in creating the differences between then and now. As previously noted, newspapers were responsible for much of the population growth of the area, both directly by encouraging tourism and immigration, and indirectly by convincing the railroads to include Pasadena on their main lines. Some promoted the election of pro-railroad candidates to the state legislature, while other newspapers openly supported the "5% Law," which ensured that the railroads received a subsidy amounting to five 23 percent o.f t h e assessed va 1uat1on . of c a 1" 1 f orn1a . property. The success that the publications and the railroads had in bringing people to California was not lost on Hiram Reid, another Pasadena pioneer and historian. Reid recognized the influence that the press had on public opinion, and, with the larger population because of the railroads' efforts, founded the Pasadena Standard newspaper in 1887 to promote popular support for a measure he favored: the highly contro 24 versial anti-saloon movement then underway in the Pasadena area. It was into this climate of land expansion, population explosion, and temperance movements that the weekly Pasadena Star was conceived. Early newspapermen were incurable optimists and thus made extremely 10

ardent supporters of the kind of land booms so common to California 25 during the late 1800s.

Several decades and two World Wars later, the Star-News had en tered the race toward technically superior publishing methods. In

1982, the Pasadena paper joined an elite group of publishers who have also automated their operations. Today, the Star-News is produr.ed using the highly sophisticated Newspaper Pagination System, giving it the reputation for technical excellence in the newspaper industry. A delegation of Chinese publishers, who visited the United States in

1983, identified the Pasadena daily as the world's most technically 26 advanced newspaper after touring its plant.

KEY TERMS

The following terms are integral to this research. The defini tions provided here may differ somewhat from those of other authors.

However, for the purposes of this study, they are defined as follows.

Community newspaper--a newspaper with less than 100,000 circula

tion that serves a comparatively small geographic area usually

confined by natural boundaries such as mountains or a coastline.

Boosterism--strong support for land and population expansion; add-

ing power or momentum to an existing movement, helping it upward

or forward.

THESIS LTIMITATIONS

This thesis is limited to a historical view of the Pasadena Star-

News and introduces just enough history of the Southern California,

Los Angeles, and Pasadena areas to explain the environment within 11

which the newspaper was founded and grew. The same is true of jour

nalism in America. Ample history is supplied to determine whether the

Star-News is typical or unique when compared to its peers. 27 The review of back issues of the Star-News focuses primarily

on page 1 headlines and stories, editorials, feature articles, and

news stories and recurring columns involving public opinion on poli-

tics, social issues, and Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley society.

Although these sources support the central theme of this research, which traces the historical development of the newspaper during its

first century of operation, and allows an investigation of the news

paper/city relationship, other material not falling within these cate

gories could be important and therefore will not be ignored.

REMAINING CHAPTERS

The remainder of this thesis is divided into the following chap-

ters, which continue the Star-News story through 1986.

Chapter 2: Review of the Literature

Chapter 3: Methodology

Chapter 4: The Vails Found the Pasadena Star

Chapter 5: The Star Goes Public

Chapter 6: A Half-Century Dynasty Begins

Chapter 7: The World War I Years

Chapter 8: Return to Normalcy

Chapter 9: The Depression to The Golden Age

Chapter 10: The Second Half-Century

Chapter 11: Conclusions

Selected Bibliography 12 Q •

ENDNOTES lJ. W. Wood, Pasadena, California: Historical and Personal--A Com lete Histo of the Or anization of the Indiana Colon (Pasadena: J. W. Wood, 1917 , p. 238. 21. Wiltse, "Pagination in Pasadena: The Waiting Period is Over," Editor & Publisher, 19 February 1983, p. 47. 3Ben Bagdikian, "California's Version of the World," California Magazine, November 1984, p. 95. 4"Star-News Adds Makeup Station," !ypeworld, 28 October 1983, p. 19. 5Harris Newmark, Sixt Years in Southern California 1853-1913, 4th ed., ed. Maurice H. Newmark an Marco R. Newmark Los Angeles: Zeitlin &VerBrugge, 1970), p. 654.

6The ]MS '84 Ayer Directory of Publications (Fort Washington, PA: IMS Press, 1984), p. 179. 7Lon F. Chapin, Thirt Years in Pasadena With an Historical Sketch of Previous Eras n.p.: Southwest Publishing Company, Inc., 1929), book 2, p. 63. 8Remi Nadeau, Los Angeles: From Mission to Modern City (New York: Longmans, Green and Co., 1960), p. 61. 9t.iarco R. Newmark, Jottings in Southern California History (Los Angeles: Ward Ritchie Press, 1955), p. 83. lOearey McWilliams, Southern California: An Island on the Land (Santa Barbara, CA: Peregrine Smith, Inc., 1973), p. l12; Nadeau, p. 82. llMcWilliams, p. 246. 12Harris Newmark, p. 654. 13Encyclopedia Americana, 1961 ed., s.v. "Pasadena." 14Encyclopedia Americana Annual, 1984 ed., s. v. "Publishing"; Encyclopedia Americana Annual, 1985 ed., s.v. "Publishing." 15"Publishers Seek $1/2 Million to Preserve Old Newspapers," Editor &Publisher, 7 April 1973, p. 11. 16Ayer Directory, p. 179. 17Encyclopedia Americana, 1961 ed., s.v. "Pasadena." 13

18Telephone interview with Larry Collins, former publisher, Pasadena Star-News, Pasadena, California, 23 April 1985.

19Joseph S. 0' Flaherty, Those Powerful Years, The South Coast and Los Angeles 1887-1917 (Hicksville, NY: Exposition Press, Inc., 1978)' p. 201.

20Interview with Charles Cherniss, editor, Pasadena Star-News, Pasadena, California, 7 January 1985.

21J. M. Mathews, ed., 1RW Space Log, 1978/1979 (Redondo Beach, CA: 1RW Defense and Space Systems Group, 1980), pp. 21-22, 27-28.

22wood, p. 299. 23Remi A. Nadeau, City-Makers (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1948), p. 73.

24Hiram A. Reid, History of Pasadena (Pasadena: Pasadena History Company, 1895), p. 160.

2~ir Dawson, "Southern California Newspapers, 1851-1876," The Historical Society of Southern California Quarterly, part 1, March 1950, p. 19; Frank Luther Mott, American Journalism, A History: 1690-1960 (New York: The ~mcmillan Company, 1962), p. 282.

26Information International, Inc., 1983 Annual Report, Information International, Inc. (Los Angeles: n.p., 1983), p. 2.

27The newspaper also was knm-m under the following names during the times indicated: the Pasadena Star from 1886 to 1889, the Pasa dena Evening Star and Daily Union during 1890, the Pasadena Eveiliilg Star from 1891 to 1907, and the Pasadena Star from 1908 to February 1916. CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF 1HE LITERATIJRE

This review of the literature investigates materials documenting research in five different areas, all of which are significant to this historical study of the Pasadena Star-News. The topics are history of the Southern California, Los Angeles, and Pasadena areas, from the late 1700s through 1985; history of newspapers and journalism across the United States during the same period; the Pasadena Star-News (over the past hundred years) and the Knight-Ridder Corporation; automation in the newsroom; and the historical method itself. When they are com bined, these subject areas provide the background necessary to conduct a thorough historical study of the Star-News. The five subject areas covered in this thesis are closely related and blend together to form a complete picture of the Star-News and the evolutionary process it has undergone since 1886 when it was original ly founded. Southern California history, with a specific focus on the Los Angeles, Pasadena, and San Gabriel Valley areas, sets the stage for the establishment of the Star-News and other newspapers in that locale during the late nineteenth century, as well as the reasons for colonization of the region. A review of newspaper and journalism histories discloses how the print media had rekindled the nation's belief in Manifest Destiny fol lowing the Civil War, and induced both real and would-be journalists to uproot secure businesses in eastern cities and travel west to un certain futures. It also describes the influence that most American

14 15

newspapers enjoyed over their readers, and introduces the technical environment prevailing during the late 1800s when expansion to the

Pacific opened up opportunities for people with a pioneering spirit.

This detailed study of the Pasadena Star-News, and its predeces sors, their founders, and owners, culminates with the newspaper as a member of the Knight-Ridder family and a leader in publishing technol ogy. (Knight-Ridder is the current corporate owner of the Pasadena daily.) The study allows the newspaper to be viewed in terms of sig nificant events it faced over the years and the manner in which it dealt with those events. Examination of newspaper and publishing technology allows a com parison to be made of yesterday's techniques with today's methods and tomorrow's promises, and an investigation of the effect of technology on the Star-News during its first hundred years. Lastly, a look at the historical method itself provides the appropriate framework within which to prepare this study and establishes the ground rules for the data-gathering process.

Because this study is a history, the principal sources contnb uting much background information are books on early Pasadena and

Southern California. The Oviatt library at California State Uni ver sity, Northridge, is an excellent repository for such material and provided many volumes written by prominent Pasadena residents and published around the turn of the century. While most books in the

University library are available in the open stacks, several publi cations of significant value to this study could be accessed only through the Special Collection librarian, who monitors their use to prevent damage to the irreplaceable documents. 16

A similar situation exists at the Pasadena Library, where histori cally important documents are kept in a locked vault to ensure their safety. Although carefully controlled, this one-of-a-kind material is available for research only within the library building.

INDEXES The following indexes were consul ted for information relevant to this study. The earliest index searched was the Comprehensive Disser tation Index, which dated back to 1861. Other indexes began with the 1960 and somewhat later period timeframes. Although considerable material could be found on all five topic areas in these sources, two of the topics were not particularly well represented. Extensive searches for newspaper histories paralleling this thesis to use as models were somewhat disappointing, and revealed only three that were somewhat beneficial. The dissertation index dis closed 1960 research on the Brooklyn Eagle, a 1973 dissertation on the Alton Evening Telegram and its predecessors, and a one-hundred-year history of journalism in Provo, Utah, written in 1972. In the second topic area, the relatively minor role of. the Star News as a traditionally community rather than metropolitan newspaper kept it from national prominence until the early 1980s when it became the first daily to introduce total pagination in its production cycle.

As a result, references to the Star-News in the newspaper and periodi cal indexes are nonexistent before 1980. In a rapidly evolving industry such as computers and publishing technology, "old" information, unless associated with a specific event such as the installation of the pagination system at the Star-News or 17

the publication of the first Star-News issue using the new system, is virtually worthless except for background purposes. Despite these limitations, the earliest newspaper indexes searched begin with 1960. This provides a long time span for introductory material on the Star News, and includes the period during which the Pasadena daily acquired and went on-line with its revolutionary total pagination system.

As will be seen later in this chapter, numerous articles appeared on newspapers that were experimenting with various forms of automation from the late 1960s on. This shows the interest in mechanized pub lishing techniques that captured the fancy of newspaper publishers. However, the absence of the Star-News in these articles also suggests that its management was conservative, and instead adopted a "wait-and see" attitude until the appropriate time arrived for it to automate. The articles also reveal material on significant local and national events that often provide controversial subject matter against which to study the Star-News in its long-lived role as a successful commun ity newspaper. A thorough search of Business Periodicals Index from August 1968 through July 1984 supplies the majority of the material available in periodicals on computerization in newspapers, as well as extensive background information on community dailies, the Knight-Ridder Ne\vS paper Corporation, Pasadena, and similar related areas. Several arti cles appearing in Advertising Age, Editor & Publisher, Graphic Arts Monthly, and Publishers' Weekly were found when the indexes were re viewed under the headings "community newspapers, computer typesetting, data processing, Knight, Knight-Ridder, newspapers (automation, Cali fornia, and publishers), Pasadena, Pasadena Star-News, and Ridder." 18

Most of the material discovered is oriented toward some aspect of pag ination at the Star-News, although several articles deal with suburban publications and the Knight-Ridder corporation in general. The Topicator between January 1981 and August 1984 contributed much useful information. Most of the sources are of a current nature and generally pertinent to the parameters of this study. Topic areas searched were "computers, print; newspaper composition, equipment; and print, type." The years searched in this index are limited since it was believed that this source would provide important data on elec tronic prepress techniques at the Star-News and that Pasadena newspa per did not automate its newsroom and composing room operations until 1981. Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature provided very few refer ences of value to this research when searched under the topic headings "computers, printing use; newspapers, electronic; word processing; in formation storage and retrieval; Pasadena; Pasadena Star-News; and Knight-Ridder." Although the issues reviewed range from March 1963 to July 1984, this index is limited in breadth of coverage for this par ticular study. The organization of Computer and Information System Abstracts makes this index exceptionally usable. Only two subject areas needed to be searched--"printing industry" and "publishing"--because of the way they are grouped. A search for material of interest to this study covers only the period from January 1979 to July 1984, since state-of the-art advancements obsolete computer-oriented data so rapidly. Book Review Index between 1980 and 1984 supplies a considerable number of interesting titles. Searching under the topics "California, 19

communications, composition, computers, graphics, history, Knight

Ridder, Pasadena Star-News, newspapers, printing, publishing, and text/word processing" discloses a sizable list of fairly current books ranging from the history of books and printing,_ to newswriting for the electronic media, to California history.

Computer and Control Abstracts is a technically oriented index.

However, the material it cites indicates that the data processing in dustry is providing extensive support to office automation as computer manufacturers recognize the potential market that exists in the pub lishing business. It was searched from January 1979 through July 1984 under the following topics: "computer typesetting, photocomposition, texthvord processing, publishing, and reproduction."

Most of the material revealed in a review of the Applied Science and Technology Index between 1979 and 1984 is very technical, which limits it somewhat for this study. Nevertheless, information found under "electronic data processing, information systems, keyboards,

Knight-Ridder Corporation, microprocessors, office automation, Pasa dena Star-News, and text editors" shows that the business environment has its needs supported well by automation.

The 1978 through August 1984 issues of Popular Periodical Index were examined under the headings "computers, Knight-Ridder Corpora tion, newspaper composition, Pasadena, Pasadena Star-News, text pro cessing, and typesetting." The search of this particular index is stopped earlier that the other reference sources because very 1i ttle information of pertinence to the areas of interest could be found, and it was determined that further review efforts would produce nothing of significance. 20

Facts on File proved of no value to this research. The table of contents search of this index was limited to California (business and economy, labor and employment, press and broadcasting) , computers, press, and Knight-Ridder Corporation, and produced nothing usable.

Two newspaper indexes (the Los Angeles Times and the Christian

Science Monitor) were reviewed under the following headings: "Knight,

Knight-Ridder, news media, newspapers, Paddock, Pasadena, Prisk, and publishing industry." The Los Angeles Times Index between 1972 and

1984 provided a wide variety of news and feature articles on the city of Pasadena, Knight-Ridder, and the Star-News. On the other hand, the

Christian Science Monitor Index was oriented more toward articles on general trends of American newspapers and journalism, and California history.

ABSTRACTS

Searches of Dissertation Abstracts International from 1983 to 1984 produced a limited number of doctoral dissertations that could possi bly support this study. Because these dissertations are drawn from worldwide sources, the subjects of these studies are often so narrow in scope as to be valueless except for background information or for methodology. Topic areas searched in this reference were limited to

"journalism, mass communications, history (United States), and busi ness administration."

Some duplication exists between the works listed in Dissertation

Abstracts International and Journalism Abstracts, which was also con sulted for the years 1983 and 1984. As might be expected, the same doctoral titles appear in.both sources covering the same time frames. 21

However, Journalism Abstracts also includes master's theses from the communications discipline only, which aids this search by limiting the material reviewed to that specific area of study.

As previously noted, the Comprehensive Dissertation Index, which was checked from 1861 to 1980, produced several journalism-related histories that appeared to be of value to this study. Part 1 of this reference was searched under the main subject "mass communication::;," which was further subdivided into "California, community, daily, dis play, editors, historical, history, journalism and journalist, mass communication, mass media, news, news-editorial, newspapers, newsroom, press, and technology."

In Part 2 under "business and economics," the subsections "community, communications, Knight-Ridder, mass media, media newspapers, and

Pasadena" were searched. The major topic "history" was also reviewed in Part 2, using the subtopics "America, California, communications, community, journalism, Knight-Ridder, mass communication, media, newspaperman, newspapers, Pasadena, pioneer, press, southern, southwest, and technology."

OTHER REFERENCE SOURCES

The California Handbook, although published in 1975 and therefore 1 somewhat dated, is a surprisingly valuable reference document. It contains a wealth of information extremely useful in identifying geo graphic areas where data could be located. Included is such informa tion as the names and addresses of various California libraries, as well as the contents of their collections.

A biographical sketch of the Knight-Ridder Newspaper Corporation 22

2 appears in The Encyclopedia of American Journalism. Although it is brief, the information is current and includes a listing of all the newspapers belonging to the Knight-Ridder family in addition to financial data concerning the company. California Journal proved to be of limited value when searched by titles between the periods 1979 and 1985. The material contained in this reference is principally associated with governmental issues such as legislation, labor forces in particular locales, and similar demographic data, which are of relatively little value to this research since they disregard communication, historical, and media studies that are pertinent. In contrast, the academic periodical Journalism History contained some worthwhile material. An examination of the Spring 1976 through

Winter 1979-80 issues of this publication produced a review of one hundred years at the Washington Post, 3 and an article on the early role of frontier journalism in promoting "boosterism."4

Also of value was The IMS '84 Ayer Directory of Publications, which supplied important demographic information on the city of Pasa dena and the Pasadena Star-News. 5 Included were circulation figures and key personnel at the newspaper, and city population.

BOOKS AND ARTICLES

As previously noted, books are very valuable sources, providing both background and information specific to this study. While all topic areas are covered by this material, California/Pasadena history, newspaper/publishing history, and publishing automation are especially well represented. Articles, which appear in trade journals, popular 23

periodicals, and scholarly journals, also supply a wealth of information on all areas of this research.

California/Pasadena History

To establish the political and social environment prevailing at the time that the Pasadena Star was founded, as well as the subsequent hundred years, it is necessary to understand the history of the Los

Angeles, Pasadena, and San Gabriel Valley areas.

By far the most comprehensive and current (1972) book on the San 6 Gabriel Valley is Pasadena Area History, written by Manuel Pineda and E. Caswell Perry. It covers the period of early Indian settlers in the Valley to the 1970s, following the growth of Pasadena through the events that influenced its emergence into the twentieth century.

Particularly valuable is the biographical profile section at the back, which lists those prominent citizens who played important roles in the city's development. This section also features extensive data on the

Prisk and Paddock families, the last and longest private owners and publishers of the Pasadena Star-News.

Shortly before the end of World War 1, J. W. Wood published his book Pasadena: Historical and Personal--A Complete History of the 7 Organization of the Indiana Colony. This book is valuable because it covers much of the same material on early Pasadena, which allows a comparison to be made with Pineda and Perry's history. It contains an exceptionally good chapter on the city's newspapers during the late

1800s, including the Star.

Pasadena: Its Early Years by Henry Markham Page is an excellent 8 reference on the city. It also features a complete history on the 24

founders of Pasadena as well as significant events shaping the city over the years. Although published in 1946, the book has a good but somewhat dated bibliography for the early days of Pasadena, from which other titles could be obtained for this study. Another good book on early Pasadena is California Yankee: William R. Staats, Business Pioneer, by Carol Green Wilson. 8 This work provides a view of Pasadena from the commercial angle since it chronicles the life of William Staats and his business dealings, which accounted for much of the financial growth of Pasadena. Like the Page book, this work is dated (1946); however, it includes a fairly comprehensive bibliography along with the names of long-time Pasadenans who were in terviewed by Wilson. This book is valuable because it fills the large thirty-year gap in written Pasadena history that exists between World War I and World War II. I Can Remember Early Pasadena, by Jennie Hollingsworth Giddings, is a first-person account of life in the formative years of the San Gabriel Valley community. 10 Although it contains no bibliography, the book identifies the names of prominent families who were instrumental in Pasadena's growth. In addition, even though the material is dated (1949), many of the family names are still active in Pasadena's social and political circles today. This book parallels the Wilson volume and covers the post-World War I time frame. A more current book (1968) is the Donald W. Crocker work, Within the Vale of Annandale: A Picture History of South Western Pasadena . . . ll and V1c1n1ty. This book details Pasadena history through significant events involving geographic locations in the San Gabriel Valley that played major roles in the shaping of the present-day community. 25

It is useful to this study because it provides a word and photo essay on the growth of the area from the early days, which shows the trend followed by the city's politicians and prominent businessmen in guid- ing Pasadena throughout the years. The book also includes an acknowledgments section that cites those individuals who aided Crocker in his research of Pasadena history. The contributors were largely old-line

Pasadenans; a few were historians familiar with the area.

Featuring an extensive bibliography, 6 Horses and 10 Head: Two

Hundred Years on the Rancho San Pasqua! by Jane D. McCloskey concen trates on descriptions of the leading citizens of the San Gabriel 12 Valley from the late 1700s to 1971. This work is divided into chapters on Altadena, Pasadena, and South Pasadena, and covers each area in considerable detail. The prime value of this book is in the word picture it presents of the area, which supplies additional de tails on the Valley's development and the role of prominent persons who influenced its changes.

Harold D. Carew's three-volume History of Pasadena and the San

Gabriel Valley contains biographical sketches of area residents who 13 were instrumental in aiding local growth during the late 1800s.

In addition to the people who were directly involved in the Valley's emergence as a major California center, this book contains a small section on the founders of Pasadena's newspapers, including those publications that ultimately merged to create the current-day Pasadena

Star-News.

Jeanne C. Carr provides insight into the early formation of the

Indiana Colony in her· historical article, "Pasadena--The Crown of the

Valley. 1114 In the 1893 article, she identifies the early residents 26 Q • of the area, lists a number of "firsts" in Pasadena (including birth, death, marriage, and automobile), and creates a detailed word picture that establishes the personal side of the Southern California settle ment. This supplies the reader with a better understanding of the circumstances under which the city grew and prospered, which greatly adds to this study by providing a broader picture of the early days. A similar approach is taken by J. M. Guinn, a turn-of-the-century Los Angeles historian, whose two different books detail the historical 15 events of t h e Los An ge 1es area and Sout h ern Ca l 1"f orn1a.. Publ"1s he d in 1901 and 1902, these two volumes focus on land "booms" in Southern California during the 1890s and identify the causes for this mass migration to the area. Each volume contains a comprehensive chapter on Pasadena and _the persons responsible for its growth. In City-Makers, Remi Nadeau, a first-generation Los Angeles resi dent, presents substantial information on the San Pasqual Plantation, which was later to become the current city of Pasadena. 16 Nadeau writes of the early city residents who went on to be elected state legislators and instrumental in bringing the railroad to the village, thus ensuring its prominence in California affairs. Another Nadeau book, Los Angeles: From Mission to Modern City, places the founding of Pasadena into perspective with respect to neighboring Southern California communities. 17 He also provides amusing anecdotes involving "boosterism" in the area and links its rapid growth with the temperate weather conditions. One particularly important chapter describes the bombing of the Los Angeles Times in October 1910, which integrates journalism with labor movements in the early twentieth century. 27

Jottings in Southern California History by Marco R. Newmark is very Los Angeles oriented and covers in detail the arrival of the 18 Southern Pacific Railroad in the Southland. He includes a full description of Henry Huntington's influence on Pasadena and his vast

"street car empire" that represented the area's first rapid transit system. The sprawling metropolis that the Los Angeles area would ultimately become relied on the ability of its populace to move about freely and easily. This service was made available first by horse drawn trolleys and later by electric-powered cars. The influence of this system on the area's growth is essential to understand the causes behind its popularity as a new homeland for transplanted Easterners and others.

Harris Newmark's Sixty Years in Southern California, 1853-1913 has an all-inclusive section on the Pasadena Star-News and its long-time 19 family owner, Charles H. Prisk. He also describes the beginning of the Tournament of Roses parade and relates the history of the Mount

Lowe Railway, both important tourist attractions. As a Pasadena land mark in the early 1900s, the railroad developed by a noted Pasadenan,

Prof. T. S. C. Lowe, was responsible for drawing thousands of tourists to the area during its forty-six-year life. The full story of this attraction is detailed in Donald Duke's article, "Mount Lowe Railway," 20 which was published in 1954.

Both of these works are important for describing several of the reasons that the tou.rists enticed to Southern California discovered an area possessing most of the attributes they desired in a home and per suaded many to return following their vacations to establish permanent residences here. 28

Southern California from the 1920s to the early 1970s is the sub-

ject of the Carey McWilliams book, Southern California: An Island on 21 the Land. McWilliams, who came to Los Angeles in 1922, provides a fi:rst-person account of life in Southern California, including i:he

influence of area newspapers on community activities. He became a reporter for the Los Angeles Times some time after his arrival in Cal-

ifornia, which gave him a "behind-the-scene" view of the subtle moves responsible for the area's growth. This information supplies valuable

insight into why certain events occurred that were important to the area's expansion and popularity.

Land booms and busts are covered extensively by Joseph 0' Flaherty

in his work, Those Powerful Years, The South Coast and Los Angeles 22 1887-1917. O'Flaherty's book is a detailed account of the rapid population growth of the San Gabriel Valley and lays responsibility for the increase in residents to the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads, which sparked interest in California expansion. In addition, 0' Flaherty makes a case for the separate interurban railways that provided rapid, low-cost transportation throughout the widespread Southern California area, and were essential to the connection of outlying communities with the hub of commerce in Los Angeles. Only through this web of rail lines were the country cousins of areas like

Pasadena able to transport people and products to the shipping centers at Long Beach and San Pedro.

Bill Murphy identifies San Gabriel as the first real community in

Southern California. In his book, The Dolphin Guide to Los Angeles and Southern California, Murphy writes that San Gabriel was founded 23 two years before the settling of Los Angeles. He also provides 29

background details of value to this research on Throop University and

other early institutions of Pasadena. This establishes the importance

of the San Gabriel Valley community in promoting the popularity and

growth of Southern California.

Newspaper/Publishing History

An understanding of newspaper and publishing history is necessary

to comprehend the role that journalism played in the expansion of the

West during the land booms of the late nineteenth century.

Muir Dawson provides an interesting view of Southern California 24 newspapers during the third quarter of the 1800s. His article,

"Southern California Newspapers, 1851-1876," was published in the

March 1950 issue of The Historical Society of Southern California

Quarterly. In the two-part series, Dawson describes early reporters

as optimists and therefore essential to the land booms of Southern

California. He also discusses the role of newspapers in the early

days of Los Angeles, which establishes their relationship in the over

all scheme of city growth. A1 though Dawson makes no mention of any

Pasadena newspaper, the reader can easily assess the value and impor

tance of the community newspapers in encouraging immigration and colonization of the Southland.

Early California journalism is covered extensively in Frank Luther 25 Mott's American Journalism, A History: 1690-1960. While it spans

a large segment of time, Mott' s book describes early news-gathering methods in sufficient detail to provide insight into frontier journal

ism in the West. He also identifies the political and economic condi

tions in effect during the period that the Pasadena Star was being 30

introduced to the San Gabriel Va.lley. This infonnation is essential to understand the newspaper business in early California. James Melvin Lee's History of American Journalism provides addi tional details on early newspapers in the United States, but is some what limited because of its 1923 publication date. 26 Despite being dated, it does include useful information on journalistic practices in vogue during the periods of westward expansion and correlates well with the settling of Pasadena and founding of its early newspapers. Again, this points out the importance of the journalist's role in pro moting an area such as Pasadena. Edwin and Michael Emery supply a broad view of American journalism from the colonial press through the 1980s. 27 Their book, The Press and America: An Interpretive History of the Mass Media, is particu larly useful to this study as it describes the influence of American newspapers on the westward expansion of this country and the environ ment in which newspapers were founded. This shows the circumstances prevailing when the Vails moved from Iowa to California and began pub lishing the Pasadena Star in 1886. Ernest C. Hynds defines the role of the newspaper in the community and shows that technological developments in publishing made possible the rapid growth of newspapers in the late nineteenth century. 28 His book, American Newspapers in the 1970s, is important to this study because it defines technology as being essential to newspaper growth by driving down production costs and promoting profitability, which is the road taken by the Star-News in 1981 when it introduced electronic pagination. The ten-page article, "The History of Printing and Publishing in 31

California,"29 by Theodore F. Gould, supplements the Hynds book.

This article, which traces printing from its early origins in this

state to 1966, defines many of the technical developments that have

led to the current state-of-the-art cold-type production techniques commonly found in today's newspapers. These techniques are all fore

runners to the pagination system at the Star-News and represent an evolutionary process followed by publishers over the years.

Lowell Hattery and George Bush further update this subject in the 30 book, Technological Change in Printing and Publishing. " Their re

search enumerates changes in the publishing industry resulting from

technological innovations. Although the material is associated with publishing generally, the application to present-day newspapers re

lates closely to the approval granted the Star-News by Knight-Ridder corporate management, which allowed the Pasadena newspaper to acquire

its pagination system in 1981. R. J. Shoemaker uses quotes from the works of such famous authors as Mark Twain, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Bret Harte to describe the 31 philosophy of the typical nineteenth century newspaper editor.

His article in the October 7, 1967, issue of Editor & Publisher an swers the question "Have Newspapers Changed?" and is important to this research because it examines the human aspect of news gathering and reporting in America during an earlier time when the Pasadena Star began publication. It also sets the stage for the founding of the

Pasadena newspaper by defining the conditions in existence at that time and the human orientation of the editors of that period.

R. J. Karolevitz explores the business side of frontier journalism 32 in his book, Newspapering in the Old West. Ray Erwin reviewed the 32

book in a 1965 issue of Editor & Publisher and explains that Karolev- i tz attributed the high failure rate of frontier newspapers to their staffs, which were comprised of skilled writers and editors but no one with business sense. The value of the Karolevitz material lies in the fact that the hundred-year longevity of the Star-News appears to con tradict this view, while adding another facet to this study. Karolevitz also contributed articles to Editor & Publisher personally. In his "Good Old Days" he discusses several of the more humor- ous s1tuat1ons. . t h at ear 1y newspapermen encountered • 33 Wh"l1 e not totally scholarly in nature nor directly related to the Pasadena Star, these anecdotes present the lighter side of the frontier newsman's life, they add dimension to this character, and they certainly could be interpreted as representative of an early Star editor or writer.

V. I. Minahen discusses the differences between privately held newspapers and group-owned entities in the article, "Newspaper Groups; Threat or Benefit."34 The correlation with the Pasadena Star-News, which was largely family owned for seventy years prior to becoming a part of the Ridder newspaper chain, makes the article important. This link expands the breadth of this study by examining the conditions un der which the Star-News operated both before and after the corporate buyout. It also allows a comparison to be made of the Pasadena newspaper with other journalistic endeavors under similar circumstances. Interest in newspaper history is the topic of an article by Carla Marie Rupp. 35 In her article, "Historians Back Project to Preserve

Newspapers," Rupp describes the movement underway in 1977 to ensure the continued existence for research purposes of newspapers published between 1880 and 1920. Another article published four years prior 33

wrote that the American Antiquarian Society founded by Isaiah Thomas in 1812 was searching for a benefactor willing to donate a half mil 36 lion dollars to further such newspaper preservation.

The importance of these articles to this study is the fact that the actions described are intended to make early newspapers available as primary source material for studies such as this. They also show the increasing importance that scholars are placing on historically based material and explain the significance and value of this form of research.

In "Economists Forecast Bleak for Newspapers," the 1980s are pre 37 dicted to be devastating to newspapers. As production costs soar and advertising revenues increase marginally, the article suggests that newspapers direct their investments toward energy- and labor saving equipment. The Pasadena Star-News has followed such a policy with its pagination system and is reaping the benefits of this deci sion. This study examines the rationale leading to the Star-News action and details the changes experienced by the newspaper since the introduction of its automated system.

Because newspapers generally render editorial opinions on contro versial issues, the study of newspaper influence in such situations is of value to this research. J. J. Watt, Jr., and Sjef van den Berg explore this topic in their article, "How Time Dependency Influences

Media Effects in a Community Controversy," which appeared in Journal ism Quarterly in 1981. 38 The Star-News has had an impact on Pasa dena politics during its hundred-year life. This research identifies several of the various situations involving this influence and care fully examines the relationship between the newspaper and its readers. 34

Coexistence between large metropolitan and small community dailies was suggested by A. Neuharth as one way to accommodate the decline in readership that William A. Tillinghast indicates was occurring, espe 39 cially in California newspapers between 1960 and 1970. Since the situation correlates closely with the Star-News and Los Angeles Times circulation war in the San Gabriel Valley, these articles offer much of value to this study. They also establish the conditions under which the Star-News has survived for nearly a century of publication and provide this research with a broader area of study.

A similar view is held by Keith R. Stamm and Lisa Fortini-Carnpbell in their monograph, "The Relationship of Community Ties to Newspaper

Use. 1140 In this monograph the authors show the interaction of a newspaper with the area it serves. This concept is of value to this study since a parallel exists between the city of Pasadena and the Star-News during its hundred-year relationship and increases the scope of material covered in this research. Although associated with a date too current to be classified as historical, Ben Bagdikian' s article in California Magazine offers a critical appraisal of journalistic excellence in 119 California news papers on August 15, 1984. 41 The importance of Bagdikian' s article to this research is the critic's analysis of the referenced newspa pers, which includes the Star-News, and his assessment of early-day California editors. The noted media critic also distinguishes between the television news viewer and the newspaper reader, which supports the view that declining circulation has a financial impact on today's newspapers such as the Star-News and may be responsible for encouraging group ownership. 35

This view is an appropriate subject to be examined in this thesis since it will help to explain the existence of the Star-News and the reasons for numerous management decisions that have altered the newspaper's course of action over the years.

Pasadena Star-News and Knight-Ridder Corporation As previously noted, the Pasadena Star-News is a relatively small daily newspaper serving the thirteen communi ties of the San Gabriel Valley. It is one of thirty-three newspapers across the United States forming the Knight-Ridder Newspaper Group. Despite its association with this group, the Star-News 1i ves in the shadow of the metropolitan Los Angeles Times and national dailies such as USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and the Christian Science Monitor, and no one has undertaken to write its history. However, several of the books listed in the California/Pasadena History section of this study contain substantial information on the earlier Star-News. Others not previously mentioned also supply valuable data. By far the most valuable source on the Star-News, since it was written by one who managed the paper, is Lon F. Chapin's Thirty Years 42 in Pasadena, With an Historical Sketch of Previous Eras. Chapin describes in detail the events surrounding the early Pasadena newspapers, including their founding and subsequent mergers. After identifying several of the major issues facing the city in the 1900s, Chapin explains how the newspapers dealt with the issues, pro or con.

He also details the production techniques used by his newspaper and chronicles the publisher and staff member changes on the Star-News through 1928. 36

Pineda and Perry's Pasadena Area History presents a detailed ac count of the newspaper up to the early 1970s, including significant events involving the Star-News and its many editors and publishers 43 since it was founded in 1886. The history identifies the sequence of mergers which ultimately saw the Pasadena Chronicle, The Pasadena and Valley Union, Pasadena Star, and The Daily Evening News combine one-by-one to become the present-day Pasadena Star-News in 1916. Pin- eda and Perry also use excerpts from early issues of the newspaper to add color to the Pasadena setting and describe the role of the Star-

News in forming citizens' opinions on pressing issues of the day. The chapter on Pasadena's newspapers in Hiram Reid's History of

Pasadena establishes the circumstances under which the Pasadena Chron- icle, Pasadena and Valley Union, Pasadena Star, and The Daily Evening News were originally created. 44 He also paints a word picture of the founding editors and publishers of each newspaper, and places them in their respective social settings in the community.

Pasadena: Its Early Years features extensive coverage on the ere- . . 45 ation of the c1 ty' s many newspapers. The author, Henry Markham

Page, studies the heavy competition that existed between the Pasadena Star (forerunner to the Star-News) and The Pasadena and Valley Union newspapers, which eventually led to their merger for economic reasons.

The book also contains numerous quotes from the Star-Ne\vS over the years, which helps to establish the newspaper's relationship with respect to the community's aspirations, desires, and moods.

J. W. Wood, one founder of The Pasadena and Valley Union, has a chapter on early-day Pasadena newspapers, including the Star and its subsequent "partners," in his book Pasadena, California: Historical 37

46 and Persona1. Although somewhat limited in detail, the chapter briefly describes the backgrounds of the various editors and publish ers of each.

Carol Wilson's reference to the Star-News is principally limited to quotes taken from selected issues of the newspaper, which support her description of Pasadena businessman William R. Staats. 47 How ever, her book, California Yankee, does identify the involvement of the newspaper in certain financial aspects of Pasadena that were in strumental in the city's growth.

A similar use of excerpts from the Star-News appears in Within the 48 Vale of .Annandale. In his book Donald Crocker employs quotes from the Star-News to describe the community's view of local events occur ring over the years.

Only a passing note of the Star-News is made in Jane McCloskey's 49 book, 6 Horses and 10 Head. It appears briefly in the chapter on

Pasadena and then is limited to identifying the Star-News as the prin cipal daily in that city.

These histories provide a comprehensive picture of the newspaper and city over the years and are valuable to this research both individually and collectively. Individually, each describes the particular author's interpretation of events, often focusing on a specific occurrence that escapes mention by another historian. Collectively, they produce a full panorama that allows the entire scene to be viewed in perspective.

The Pasadena Star-News became newsworthy in periodicals and trade journals in 1981 when the paper announced its contract with Informa tion International, Inc., (Triple-I) to install a total pagination 38

system in its newsroom. Numerous articles heralded the event when the Star-News became the first daily in the world to make full use of a major automated publishing technique. "Triple I NPS Paginates at Star-News" supplies a brief account of the computerized newsroom system at the newspaper and describes how the system reduces costs in a labor-intensive environment. 50 While this article is far too abbreviated to provide much detail, it does show that the Star-News was recognized as a leader in one aspect of newspaper publishing and was entering its second century of operation with flair. This article is important to this study for it validates the basic reason for conducting the research: the Star-News is a technologically superior newspaper in spite of its primary role as a community daily, which makes an accurate, detailed history of its life valuable to the overall understanding of smaller newspapers. Despite the historic implications' of this automated technique, coverage of total pagination at the Star-News is restricted to periodicals and trade journals, since no books could be found relating to the subject. The most extensive information and thus a quite valuable source was the Seybold Report on Publishing Systems, which provided a thorough description of the Triple-! equipment at the Star-News. 51 The report, which was acquired through personal contact with Triple-!, presents both positive and negative aspects of pagination system components and identifies the role that each part has in overall system operation. The report also describes the sequence of events necessary to produce each Star-News edition, including the classified advertising and editorial pages. Eric Estrin's ''What? No Dear Abby?" 52 and an article from the 39 I '

June 1981 Editor & Publisher magazine, "Pagination System with Graph- 53 ics Selected by K-R Newspaper," describe the decision by Knight-

Ridder to allow one of its newspapers to invest nearly $2 million in a new concept and refer to the early trial runs that proved the work- ability of the system in ~fuy 1981. Both items are valuable, but for different reasons. The Estrin article is a well-rounded description of the man/machine interface that the pagination system introduced to the Star-News, while the trade journal article identifies the technical advances provided by the equipment. In both cases, they supply valuable insight into automation at the newspaper.

An expanded view of automation and personnel assignments at the

Star-News appears in Craig LaGrow's "The Printer's Nightmare," which is important for showing the significance of newspaper computeriza 54 tion. This article also discusses the differences in production techniques and personnel functions since the advent of automation at the Star-News, thus making it one of the more complete articles of its kind. The 1967 Editor & Publisher article, "Dynapure Systems Ordered for All Knight-Ridder Newspapers," shows that the parent corporation of the Pasadena Star-News has been interested for years in automation, 55 even when it was not fashionable. More current is the installation of a second Triple-I pagination system at another Knight-Ridder newspaper, the Long Beach Press-Telegram, as reported in the January 56 1985 issue of Typeworld. Both articles stress the value that

Knight-Ridder management places on technological advances in publish- iiig and fosters an understanding of the changing roles of the neus- paper and its corporate owner in more recent times. This provides a 40

more complete picture of both entities, especially of late, and allows a comparison of Star-News management views in years past with those of today.

Although advanced newspaper technology is the subject of Benja~in

M. Compaine in his book, The Newspaper Industry of the 1980s: An Assessment of Economics and Technology, the prime importance of the material for this research is its fairly current appendix on Knight Ridder. 57 Compaine's work provides many details on the corporate operation, which expands the information available on Knight-Ridder for this study.

Newspaper/Publishing Automation A thorough knowledge of the computer and automation in publishing is essential to a complete history of any newspaper. This is particu larly true of the Pasadena Star-News since the community daily has committed nearly $2 million to the sophisticated electronic equipment its management believes will guarantee a better product and improve its economic condition. Because of the computer, tedious and complex work can be performed rapidly and accurately and at much lower costs. Since the early 1950s computers have been refined and adapted to more and more industries, until today automation in publishing is commonplace. Beginning with ad invoices and subscription billings, the computer has infiltrated the newspaper plant, affecting most every part of the news-gathering, production, and distribution processes. Early coverage of newsroom automation is exemplified by the book Newswriting: From Lead to "30". 58 Even with a 1977 publication 41

date, this book by William Metz is valuable because it establishes the relationships of the reporter, editor, and composing room staff to the electronic editing system. Both Dineh Moghdam's Computers in Newspaper Publishing: User Ori ented Systems59 and Martin L. Gibson's Editing in the Electronic Era 60 provide assessments of the computerized newsroom that set the stage for the highly automated newspapers of today. Moghdam's entire book is devoted to computerized newsroom techniques, unlike other volumes which limit such coverage to one or two chapters. Gibson's un- biased report on electronic editorial practices identifies the various components necessary to integrate newsroom and computer effectively. "New York Goes Modern" 61 describes the acceptance of newsroom computerization by New York Typographical Union No. 6 when it approved an eleven-year contract that permitted the newspaper to use full auto mation in those functions under union control. (This acceptance is contrary to the reaction of the bargaining unit local at the Star-News when pagination was introduced in 1981 and it decreased the composing room staff to a mere handful of employees. 62 ) The value of this article lies in the questions it raises concerning the difference in responses between the New York and California newspaper unions. This adds both breadth and depth to this study of the Star-News. Academia entered the automated publishing scene in 1979 in Starr Randall's article, "Effect of Electronic Editing on Error Rate of Newspapers. "63 This i tern, which appeared in Journalism Quarterly, shows how typographic and grammatical errors decreased with the use of automated equipment. This complements information provided by Howard Collins, former editorial director at the Star-News, who expressed the 42

opinion that "typos" became less ·frequent after installation of i:he

pagination system, as staff familiarity with the system increased. 64

The article also supports the rationale used by Star-News management

when it opted to automate the newspaper's production areas. This is

useful in "building a case" for pagination at the Star-News and in-

creases the reader's understanding of the Pasadena daily. Specific technical discussions on electronic techniques are the

subject of the Warren T. Francke and Douglas A. Anderson report on

"Expectations and Experience in Conversion to VDTs," in the Winter 1980 issue of Journalism Quarterly~ 65 The authors detail their study of employees at the Orlando (Florida) Sentinel Star, who experienced

the trauma associated with newsroom automation. (Interviews with Star-News management indicate parallelism between the employee reac

tions at the Orlando paper and those encountered at the Star-News. 66)

P. Brainerd's "Newspapers: The Electronic Revolution"67 and

Linda Shipley and James Gentry's "How Electronic Editing Equipment 68 Affects Editing Performance" explain how state-of-the-art technology, which created more sophisticated systems capable of bettering

editorial performance, can be harnessed to productivity gains. The improvements suggested by these authors are valuable inasmuch as Star News employees have experienced similar benefits with their pagination 69 system. This information is integral to an understanding of the

Star-News of today and what its plans are for tomorrow. A number of books prove valuable to this study by supplying excep-

tionally good background information on phototypesetting, which is a

necessary adjunct to an automated publishing environment. Among these

are the Michael Barnett work, Computer Typesetting, Experiments and 43

70 Prospects and the Arthur Phillips book, Computer Peripherals and . 71 Trpesetting. Barnett defines the relationship of components in a working photocomposition system, while the Phillips book is a compre hensive study of computer-aided pu.blishing techniques. Both are im portant to this research because they parallel the basic configuration that Triple-! used in creating the pagination equipment for the Star-

News and are necessary for the reader to understand fully the impact of automation on the Pasadena daily.

A wealth of 1iterature on photocomposition is found in periodicals. For example, G. Veon's 1978 article, "Evaluating Photocomposing 72 Jobs After Installing ECPS System, " describes an appraisal proce dure similar to the one followed by the Star-News during their 1981 assessment period with pagination. T. Weissmann, in describing the problems associated with the integration of text, line art, and graphics into a document, reflects concerns similar to those of the news 73 room staff at the Star-News. "Photocomposition: From WP • . • to 74 Composed Pages," by D. A. Rivers, is valuable because it shows how automation can reduce production costs in publishing. Even though the thrust of the article is not directly related to newspapers, the correlation to the Star-News is apparent and will intimately affect the immediate as well as long-term future of the newspaper. Obviously, this information is essential to understand this history of the Star-

News, at least in its recent past.

Many articles in trade journals provide much insight into the product ion problems involved in phototyPesetting, the methods necessary to improve phototypesetting character definition, the in-house use of computerized typesetting devices, and the impact of phototypesetting 44

on offset li~hography. Each is of value to this study for adding in formation in a particular area, fleshing out the skeleton of this research and echoing the installation in Pasadena. P. J. Hartsuch investigates the introduction of laser typesetters in his article, "New Generation of Photocomps Set Type with Laser

Beams. 1175 This material is of value because it shows the emphasis that equipment manufacturers are placing on new technology in publish ing and the direction that the Star-News is likely to take in future years. How typesetting has evolved from an apprentice and journeyman environment to a computer-controlled industry is the subject of the June 1981 article by D. H. Goodstein: "Typesetting Moves from a Master Craft to a Computer Application in Today' s World." 76 The trend that Goodstein discusses can be compared to the Star-News composing room where staff members were reduced from nine to three as a result of the automated system. 77 The impact of automation on the Star-News is a critical issue that is helping to pave the path that the newspaper is now following and will eventually become the Pasadena daily's history next week, month, and year.

Historical Method Several master's theses provide the pattern after which this his tory is modeled. One such thesis, Susan Berryhill's "An Oral History of Wes Ga.llagher,"78 is of limited value since, as the title sug gests, it consists primarily of first -person information gained in conversations with the subject. Even though this research is not an oral history, the Berryhill study is of value since it thoroughly 45

describes interviewing techniques that are important in obtaining the

first-hand material in this study by personal contact with Star-News

staff members and other persons well versed in Pasadena history.

Another thesis by Cedrith Bethel, "Cornelia Wells Walter, First

American Woman to Edit a Daily Newspaper, 1179 is more in keeping with

this study. Although her subject matter concentrates on a single per-

son, Bethel's literature review is exceptional and is presented in a format worthy of being copied.

Sheila Hazlett's Master's thesis, "Valley News and Green Sheet, 80 1911-1974, " parallels this study in subject matter and method of presentation. While weak in methodology and literature review, its value lies in the division of chapters by publisher, which is similar

to the pattern followed by this thesis in discussing the history of

the Star-News.

In his 1971 doctoral dissertation, Raymond Augustini Schroth dis cusses 115 years of publication of The Brooklyn Eagle. 81 This New

York newspaper history follows closely the same pattern as this study of the Star-News. In addition, there is a striking resemblance between Brooklyn and the Eagle and Pasadena and the Star-News. As both communities grew, so did their respective newspapers. When Brooklyn's reputation as an urban stronghold diminished, the Eagle experienced a similar decline. As Pasadena expansion slowed, Star-News circulation 82 followed suit.

A century of western newspapering is the subject of Raymond Earle

Beckham's dissertation, "One Hundred Years of Journalism in Provo,

Utah: A History of the Daily Herald and its Predecessors from 1872-

1972. " 83 Published by Southern Illinois University in 1972, the 46 @ •

dissertation presents the founding of the Daily Herald as coinciding generally with the establishment of the community. In addition, that newspaper experienced multiple changes in ownership that plagued the early days of the Herald's existence. The parallelism with the Star's founding is remarkable (Pasadena was incorporated in 1886, the same year the newspaper began publication), as are the Star's many subsequent mergers with other local papers, until buyout by a newspaper chain in later years supplanted family ownership. Allan Nevins provides the basic foundation for creating an ade quate history and points out the qualities that should be present in 84 that type of researcher. The criteria needed for a good historical project are listed in Virginia Sugden's book, The Graduate Thesis: The Complete Guide to Planning and Preparation. 85 She identifies and describes those points she believes are essential when using this research method. Both of these works have value in that they supply a point of departure for this historical study. Their recommendations are carefully followed in the creation of this project to ensure that an accurate and scholarly study results. Paralleling Sugden are Jacques Barzun and Henry Graff. In The Modern Researcher, these authors define the attributes of the historian and the requirements that they believe are necessary to perform adequate research for such scholarly effort. 86 This adds to the environmental constraints required for historical research, and provides additional ground rules that benefit such a study as this. The views of these authors are integral to this research conducted on the Star- News in an attempt to produce a worthwhile scholarly history capable of accurately discussing the hundred-year story of the Pasadena daily. 47

Edward Strong writes that a good historical inquiry involves three factors: careful selection of subject matter, reliability of research sources, and organization of material within soundly based frames of 87 reference. He supports his views by showing how generalized con- elusions can be drawn from collected research data. Such an approach is taken by this researcher in generating this study. Exhaustive ef fort is involved in selecting the subject so that adequate material is available for such a study, validating the sources of data to ensure accuracy of information, and presenting the material in a logical manner so the reader can understand the significance of the subject as well as the study itself. A similar approach appears in William Campbell, Stephen Ballow, 88 and Carol Slade's _F~o_rm__ ~a_n~d __S_t~y~l~e~: ___Th~e~s_e~sL,~R~e·p~o~rt~s~,~-T~erm~--P~a~pe~r~s. These authors express the belief that thesis topics are formed as questions or statements, with support provided by two kinds of material: primary sources, which have little or no annotation, and secondary sources, which include analysis, interpretation, and commentary on the subject. Once again, these views are essential to the conduct of this study. Hypotheses are presented in the Introduction of this thesis and then supported or rejected in later chapters through the use of primary source materials. Richard Beringer is more the classic historian and approaches the method from that point of view. He holds that the historical proce dures used today differ substantially from the methods of twenty or . 89 t h1rty years ago. Since a review of theses and dissertations by the researcher revealed no newspaper histories more than fifteen years old, this view can be neither wholly accepted or rejected. However, 48

given the historical nature of this particular study, it is probably safe to assume that his belief is correct.

In Outline of Historical Method, Fred Fling states that three tra ditional sources of material exist for the historian. 90 . Of these three--oral, written, and pictorial--he believes that written history is generally the most widely used and that the oral method is the least reliable. This study uses the written format after Fling, but also employs portions of the oral technique in the data-gathering process.

George Allen 1 s book, The Graduate Students 1 Guide to Theses and

Dissertations, provides the ground rules needed by the student his torian to produce a scholarly work. 91 Allen outlines the steps ne cessary to conduct proper research, which ranges from selection of the actual topic itself to the oral defense. Using a question-and-answer format, he warns the researcher of potential pitfalls to avoid, and suggests a logical approach to the satisfactory completion of the project. The procedures suggested by Allen have been carefully fol lowed by this researcher in the preparation of this thesis to avoid potential complications that his method is designed to overcome.

STATE OF THE LITFRA11JRE

It was previously stated that considerable information on the early Pasadena Star-News is available in several historical refer ences. However, only sketchy data can be found on the present-day newspaper and then in periodicals and trade journals. The lack of books on the current subject stems from the community newspaper role that the Star-News has played during its one hundred-year life. 49

Because the 1i terature has a void in the large middle period of the Star-News story, ample opportunity is provided to write a history on the newspaper that fills this gap. This study will trace the news paper's existence from its early days, explore the mergers that incor porated five other newspapers into one, investigate the relationship of the newspaper with the community, and compare any similarities and differences between its past family-ownership under the Prisks and its present-day group ownership by Knight-Ridder. It will blend the in formation available from early histories of the city and the newspaper with the events that transpired during the past one hundred years and helped shape today's Pasadena Star-News. so

ENDNOTES !Thaddeus C. Trzyna and William Shank, ed., The California Handbook, A Comprehensive Guide to Sources of Current Information and Action, with Selected Background Material, 3rd ed. (Claremont, CA: Center for California Public Affairs, 1975). 2Donald Paneth, The Encyclopedia of American Journalism (New York: Facts on File Publications, 1983). 3Review of The Washi ton Post The First 100 Years, by Chal mers M. Roberts, Journalism History Summer 1978 : 5 • 4Jerilyn Mcintyre, "Communication on a Western Frontier--Some Questions About Context," Journalism History (Summer 1976): 54. SThe IMS '84 Ayer Directory of Publications (Fort Washington, PA: ]MS Press, 1984), p. 179.

~anuel Pineda and E. Caswell Perry, Pasadena Area History (Pasadena: Historical Publishing Company, 1972). 7J. W. Wood, Pasadena, California: Historical and Personal--A Com lete Histo of the Or anization of the Indiana Colon (Pasadena: J. W. Wood, 1971 • 8Henry Markham Page, Pasadena: Its Early Years (Los Angeles: Lorrin L. Morrison, 1964). 9earol Green Wilson, California Yankee: William R. Staats, Business Pioneer (Claremont, CA: The Saunders Press, 1946). lOJennie Hollingsworth Giddings, I Can Remember Early Pasadena (Los Angeles: Lorrin L. Morrison, Printing and Publishers, 1949). llDonald W. Crocker, Within the Vale of Annandale: A Picture History of South Western Pasadena and Vicinity (Pasadena: n.p., 1968). lZJane D. McCloskey, 6 Horses and 10 Head: Two Hundred Years on the Rancho San Pasqual, 1770-1970 (Pasadena: Wood &Jones, 1971). 13Harold D. Carew, Histo of Pasadena and the San Gabriel Val ley, California (Chicago: The S. J. larke Publishing Company, 1930 . l4Jeanne C. Carr, "Pasadena--Crown of the Valley," Annual Publi cation of the Historical Societ of Southern California (Los Angeles: Noble &McMillan, Printers, 1893 , pp. 80-87. lSJ. M. Guinn, Historical and Biographical Record of Southern California (Chicago: Chapman Publishing Company, 1902); J. M. Guinn, Historical and Bio ra hi cal Record of Los An eles and Vicini t (Chi cago: Chapman Publishing Company, 1901 • 51

16Remi Nadeau, City-Makers (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Com pany, Inc., 1948).

17Remi Nadeau, Los Angeles: From Mission to Modern City (New York: Longmans, Green and Co., 1960).

18Marco R. Newmark, Jottings in Southern California History (Los Angeles: Ward Ritchie Press, 1955).

19Harris Newmark, Sixt Years in Southern California 1853-1913, 4th ed., ed. Maurice H. Newmark and Marco R. Newmark Los Angeles: Zeitlin &Ver Brugge, 1970). 20nonald Duke, "Mount Lowe Railway," Pacific Railway Journal, October-November 1954, pp. 3-12.

2learey McWilliams, Southern California: An Island on the Land (Santa Barbara, CA: Peregrine Smith, Inc., 1973).

22Joseph S. O'Flaherty, Those Powerful Years, The South Coast and Los Angeles 1887-1917 (Hicksville, NY: Exposition Press, Inc., 1978).

23Bill Murphy, The Dol hin Guide to Los An eles and Southern California (Garden City, NY: Doubleday &Company, Inc., 19 2 . 24Muir Dawson, "Southern California Newspapers, 1851-1876," The Historical Society of Southern California Quarterly (March 1950): 5-44.

25Frank Luther Matt, American Journalism, A History: 1690-1960 (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1962).

26James Melvin Lee, History of American Journalism (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1923).

27Edwin Emery and Michael Emery, The Press and America: An In- te retive Histo of the Mass Media, 4th ed. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1978.

28Ernest C. Hynds, American Newspapers in the 1970s (New York: Hastings House, 1975).

29Theodore F. Gould, "The History of Printing and Publishing in California," California Librarian 27 (April 1966): 97-106.

30Lowell Hattery and George P. Bush, ed., Technological Change in Printinf and Publishing (Rochelle Park, NJ: Hayden Book Company, Inc., 1973 •

31R. J. Shoemaker, "Have Newspapers Changed?" Editor & Pub lisher, 7 October 1967, pp. 7, 53. 52 @ •

32Ray Erwin, "The Frontier Editor: Courageous, Crafty," review of Newspapering in the Old West, by R. F. Karolevi tz, in Editor & Publisher, 9 October 1965, p. 65.

33B. Karole vi tz, "Good Old Days (Journalism in the Old West)," Editor &Publisher, 8 January 1966, p. 28. 34v. I. Minahen, ''Newspaper Groups; Threat or Benefit," Editor & Publisher, 7 January 1978, p. 48.

35earla Marie Rupp, "Historians Back Project to Preserve News papers," Editor & Publisher, 20 August 1977, p. 40.

36"Publishers Seek $1/2 Million to Preserve Old Newspapers," Editor &Publisher, 7 April 1973, p. 11. 37"Economists Forecast Bleak for Newspapers," Editor & Pub lisher, 8 November 1980, p. 13.

38J. H. Watt, Jr., and Sjef van den Berg, "How Time Dependency Influences Media Effects in a Community Controversy," Journalism quarterly 58 (Spring 1981): 43-50.

39A. Neuharth, "Predicts Two-in-One Newspaper Package," Editor & Publisher, 12 December 1964, p. 24; William A. Tillinghast, "Declining Newspaper Readership: Impact of Region and Urbanization," Journalism Quarterly 58 (Spring 1981): 14-23.

4~ei th R. Stamm and Lisa Fortini -Campbell, The Relationship of Community Ties to Newspaper Use, Journalism Monographs no. 84 (n.p.: Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, August 1983).

41Ben Bagdikian, "California's Version of the World," California Magazine, November 1984, pp. 89-95, 154.

42Lon F. Chapin, Thirt Years in Pasadena With an Historical Sketch of Previous Eras n.p.: Southwest Publishing Company, Inc., 1929).

43Pineda and Perry.

44Hiram A. Reid, History of Pasadena (Pasadena: Pasadena History Company, 1895). 45page.

46wood.

47wnson.

48crocker. 53

4~cCloskey.

50"Triple I NPS Paginates at Star-News, II Typeworld, 26 February 1982, p. 9.

51John Seybold, "Information International's 2000 Page Layout System," The Seybold Report of Publishing Systems, 14 March 1983, pp. 1, 9-18.

52Eric Estrin, ''What? No Dear Abby?" Los Angeles, August 1983, p. 135.

53"Pagination System with Graphics Selected by K-R Newspaper," Editor &Publisher, 6 June 1981, pp. 17-18, 20. 54craig LaGrow, "The Printer's Nightmare," feed/back 3 (Spring 1983): 24.

55"Dynapure Systems Ordered for all Knight Newspapers' II Editor & Publisher, 11 November 1967, p. 12.

56"$2 million Triple-I newspaper pagination system," !ypeworld, 25 January 1985, p. 2.

57Benjamin M. Compaine, The News a er Indust ·Assessment of Economics and ~~~~~~----~~~~~~~--~~~Technology, Communications Li Plains, NY: Knowledge Industry Publications, Inc., 1980).

58William Metz, Newswri ting: From Lead to "30" (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1977).

59nineh Moghdam, Computers in Publishing: User-Oriented Systems, Books in Library and Information Science, vol. 22, with Foreword by Allen Kent (New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1978).

6~rtin L. Gibson, Editing in the Electronic Era (Ames: the Iowa State University Press, 1979).

6l"New York Goes Modern," Time, 12 August 1974, pp. 57-58.

62Interviews with Howard Collins, former editorial director, Pasadena Star-News, Pasadena, California, January-March 1984.

63starr D. Randall, "Effect of Electronic Editing on Error Rate of Newspapers," Journalism Quarterly 56 (Spring 1979): 161-65.

64Howard Collins interview.

65warren T. Francke and Douglas A. Anderson, "Expectations and Experience in Conversion to VDTs," Journalism Quarterly 57 (Winter 1980): 652-55.

66Howard Collins interview. 54

67p. Brainerd, "Newspapers: The Electronic Revolution," Digest of Papers, Spring OOMPOON 81 (n.p.: 1981), pp. 385-87.

68Linda J. Shipley and James K. Gentry, "How Electronic Ed.i ting Equipment Affects Ed.i ting Performance," Journalism Quarterly 58 (Autumn 1981): 371-74, 387.

69Howard Collins interview.

7<1.tichael P. Barnett, Computer Tf.esetting, Experiments and Prospects (Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1965 • 71Arthur Phillips, Com uter Peri herals and (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1968 •

72G. Veon, "Evaluating Photocomposing Jobs After Installing ECPS System," Editor & Publisher, 9 April 1977, p. SO.

73T. Weissmann, "Computer/Printer Technology Merge in Electronic Publishing System," Canadian Datasystems, February 1981, pp. 40-41.

74D. A. Rivers, "Photocomposition: From WP . . to Composed Pages," Word Process & In£. Syst. , April 1981, pp. 19-24. 75p. J. Hartsuch, "New Generation of Photocomps Set Type with Laser Beams," Graphic Arts Monthly, June 1981, p. 96.

76D. H. Goodstein, "Typesetting Moves from a Master Craft to a Computer Application in Today' s World," Graphic Arts Monthly, June 1981' pp. 36-44. 77Estrin.

78susan Burchmore Berryhill, "An Oral History of Wes Gallagher" (M.A. thesis, California State University, Northridge, May 1984).

79Cedri th Ann Bethel, "Cornelia Wells Walter, First American Woman to Edit a Daily Newspaper" (M.A. thesis, California State Uni versity, Northridge, August 1978). 80sheila Marie Hazlett, "Valley News and Green Sheet, 19ll-1974" (M.A. thesis, California State University, Northridge, May 1975).

81Raymond Augustini Schroth, "The Brooklyn Eagle: 1841-1955. A Community Newspaper" (Ph.D. dissertation, The George Washington Uni versity, 1971).

82Telephone interview with Larry Collins, former publisher, Pasadena Star-News, Pasadena, California, 23 April 1985.

83Raymond Earle Beckham, "One Hundred Years of Journalism in Provo, Utah: A History of the Daily Herald and its Predecessors from 1872-1972" (Ph.D. dissertation, Southern Illinois University at Car bondale, 1972). 55

84Allan Nevins, "Not Capulets, Not Montagus," Readings on His torical Method, ed. Eric Russell Lacy (New York: MSS Educational Pub lishing Company, Inc., 1969). 85virginia M. Sugden, The Graduate Thesis: The Com lete Guide to Planning and Preparation (New York: Pitman Publishing co., 1973. 86Jacques Barzun and Henry F. Graff, The Modern Researcher, 3rd ed. (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1977). 87Edward W. Strong, "How is Practice of History Tied to Theory," Readings on Historical Method, ed. Eric Russell Lacy (New York: MSS Educational Publishing Company, Inc., 1969). 88William Giles Campbell, Stephen Vaughan Ballow, and Carol Slade, Form and Style: Theses, Reports, Term Papers, 6th ed. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1979).

8~ichard E. Beringer, Historical Anal proaches to Clio's Craft (New ~Y~o~rk~:~J~o~hn~W~I~.l~e-y~-=----~==~--~--~

90Fred Morrow Fling, Outline of Historical Method (New York: Burt Franklin, 1971). 91George R. Allen, The Graduate Students' Guide to Theses and Dissertations (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1974). CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY

METHOD CIDSEN In the 1970s a program was initiated by scholars and a governmen tal body to preserve old newspapers as historically significant docu ments. 1 The primary supporters of the movement were the prestigious Organization of American Historians and the Library of Congress. Through the Uni'ted States Newspaper Project, which they founded, news paper publishers across the country were .convinced to preserve their old issues by microfilming to ensure that they were available for research. The issues produced between 1880 and 1920 were especially singled out because of their age and the change in paper manufacturing techniques during that period which introduced acid to the process and caused them literally to self-destruct. This project supplemented one that had been initiated by the Amer ican Antiquarian Society earlier in the decade to perform a similar function. The program featured a $300,000 budget in 1973, which was funded largely by donations from concerned members. The project was directed by an advisory board of newspapermen, historians, and schol ars. One member of the group was James L. Knight, then Chairman of Knight Newspapers. 2 Academia has discovered the immense value that· newspapers can pro vide to mankind by detailing significant occurrences that have shaped world history and altered the course of human events. Scholars also recognize that newspapers are a living part of these actions and often

56 57

have influenced the direction they have taken. This thesis is a writ ten history documenting the one century of publication of the Pasadena Star-News and its predecessor newspapers. The following chapters show the role that these newspapers played in shaping the destiny of the community they served, using the various owners, publishers, and edi tors, as well as important events, to separate and divide the material into discrete, manageable sections.

KEY SOURCES OF DATA A review of local histories published around the turn of the cen tury, a short time after the San Gabriel Valley community was estab lished, provided a logical starting point for this research. These accounts identified key events that occurred in the Pasadena and Southern California area during the early days and indicated the po litical and social environment in which the Pasadena Star and other area newspapers were founded. The more contemporary histories sup plied information on the significant happenings within the past one hundred years, against which to study the Star-News. A variety of early- to current-day mass media histories were re searched during phase two to understand the journalistic conditions in existence at the time the Pasadena paper was founded. These histories presented the primary attitudes and conditions prevailing during the past hundred years with respect to news-gathering and reporting tech niques, editorial policies involving the social and economic issues facing the community, publishing practices, page layout, newspaper size, frequency of publication, and advertising policy. Using these criteria, the media histories then served as yardsticks with which to 58

measure the Pasadena Star-News against its peer newspapers in Pasa dena, Southern California, and the United States. In the third phase of this study, past issues of the Star-News and its predecessor newspapers--the Pasadena Star, Pasadena Chronicle, and Pasadena Daily News--were reviewed carefully to show the courses fol lowed over the years by the numerous publishers and editors who con tributed to the longevity of the Star-News. In addition, material relating to sports was examined to avoid the possibility of overlook ing something pertinent such as the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. This was also intended to show the principal orientation of the Star-News as either a national or a local sports-reporting vehicle. Copies of these papers are available on microfilm at the Pasadena City Library, along with a goodly number of documents on the city of Pasadena that are of historical significance. Both of these sources provided valuable insight regarding city issues over the previous cen tury, and allowed a comparison to be drawn between the popular view of these issues and the position that the Star-News chose to take, if any. This approach shed light on areas not revealed in the compre hensive review of past editions, especially when the newspaper chose to ignore or avoid the subject. Contact with Head Librarian Carolyn Garner regarding these data produced a positive response to this research. She not only expressed an interest in the study, but also offered her support, which ensured access to these records and other essential material in custody of the library. 3 The fourth portion of this research plan involved extensive inter views with key figures currently at the newspaper, as well as retirees 59 .. and other past employees available for discussions, and individuals particularly knowledgeable about the Pasadena area. They represent a valuable source of information on the daily paper, its present and past editorial policies, noteworthy publishers or other staff members, and the newspaper's relationship with the city of Pasadena, as well as historically significant events involving Pasadena and the Star-News. During the course of this research several visits were made to the Star-News offices where discussions were held with Howard Collins, the newspaper's former editorial director; Charles Cherniss, current edi tor and long-time employee; and several members of the newsroom staff. Collins, who left the Star-News in May 1984, supplied considerable background information on the present usage of the Triple-! pagination system and how it aids the staff in producing the daily editions. He suggested a number of future options open to the newspaper to reduce even more the time involved in producing the daily issues of the Star News.4 In January 1984, Collins also assisted in the preparation and dis tribution of a questionnaire submitted to members of his staff asking for their personal and professional reactions to automation at the newspaper. The results of the questionnaire formed the basis of a pre-test conducted in mid-1984 to determine the feasibility of this research project. During this same period, he arranged a tour of the newsroom facility, including a demonstration of the pagination system by a page editor. Following a number of phone conversations in December 1984, a meeting was held with Charles Cherniss, the current Star-News editor. He has proved to be a valuable source of information since he has a 60

quarter-century of service with the Star-News and has been a Pasadena resident even longer. He indicated that the newspaper's one hundredth anniversary in April 1986 ensured Star-News support for this study. Cherniss described the activities of Megs Meriwether, a Pasadena resi dent who has gathered similar data since 1980 as a volunteer historian for the city, and arranged for a meeting. 5 Meriwether also proved very helpful, supplying names and phone numbers of other knowledgeable people. In addition, she identified several key events involving the city of Pasadena and the Star-News itself, which have been essential in terms of this research. 6

TIIESIS DESIGN This thesis concentrates on the life of the Pasadena Star-News over the last hundred years, with heavy emphasis on the first half century. Understanding the circumstances leading to its founding required research on the history of Southern California, Los Angeles, and the San Gabriel Valley during the 1800s. The longevity that the Star-News has enjoyed was then studied in terms of the relationship that the newspaper had established with the communi ties it served. This also required an evaluation of community issues to create a pic ture of the socio-economic and political environment in which the paper grew and prospered. A review of written histories (early, current, and in between), as well as the Los Angeles Times Index and the Christian Science Monitor Index, provided a large listing of the events and occurrences that ·were considered significant to the Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley area. Included were such i terns as population growth, the Tournament 61

of Roses pageant, controversial local and national elections, presi dential visits to Pasadena, the Mount Lowe Railway, the Pacific Elec tric and other trolley lines, area crime, the prohibition movement in Pasadena, disasters (e.g., Raymond Hotel fire, Colorado Street bridge suicides, and racially motivated disturbances), major construction projects (e.g., Civic Center, utilities, and Arroyo Seco Parkway), and school integration. This partial list comprises some of the major subject areas that were carefully studied when reviewing individual copies of the Star News. For the first fifteen years, all available editions 'of the newspaper were scanned completely for content, slant, and approach, with careful attention paid to page 1 headlines, editorials, recurring columns (such as letters to the editor, etc.), and the placement and amount of national and local news coverage to determine how (or even if) the Star-News supported popular opinion on crucial measures or significant events involving the city or nation, and whether the news paper attempted to influence that opinion. From 1901 on, however, the review of newspaper issues was reduced to a nine-day period per month--generally the lOth through the 18th- as this time frame was believed ample enough to cover the newspaper's position adequately for this research. This time period was altered occasionally when certain events such as elections occured outside of the usual research days and were considered sufficiently important to warrant additional review. Of particular interest to this study is the manner in which the Pasadena Star-News views itself: is it as a community daily that con centrates principally on local events, or is it as a low-circulation 62

metropolitan lookalike reporting on national stories as well? This is especially important since the Star-News operates in the same sphere as the Los Angeles Times and many of the Pasadena residents who work downtown prefer the Times for its bus~ness and financial coverage.

Such a preference erodes the Star-News readership base and diminishes 7 its advertising revenues as well as editorial influence.

Changes in format and page layout also were studied to ascertain whether the newspaper was keeping pace with contemporary journalistic practices or simply modifying its look to satisfy the desires of a new publisher. Media histories such as Dawson, Emery, Lee, and Mott were consul ted to compare the Star-News with other newspapers of the sHme time period. An adjunct to this was a review of changes introduced with the sale of the Star-News to a corporate chain in 1956 and the reputation it acquired in 1982 when the newspaper became the first American daily to introduce full electronic pagination into the newsroom and compos ing room. 8 Because no contemporary histories could be found on its pagination system, primary source materials were drawn from magazine articles by Star-News staff members detailing the technique and system 9 appraisals provided by consulting firms. These were important to this research since they painted a picture of the present-day Star

News and represented the current culmination of a century of growth.

As previously noted, specific topics particularly worthy of con centrated study because of their significance to Pasadena and the San

Gabriel Valley were determined by consulting Southern California his tories, other major newspaper indexes, and past issues of the Star

News, dating back to the newspaper's founding. These reviews were 63

supplemented by detailed interviews with both present and past members of the Star-News staff, while interviews with city officials and residents provided the opposition a chance to air their side of a contro versial event and added balance to this research. These interviews included but were not limited to the following Star-News staff members: Charles Cherni ss, current editor and long time Pasadena resident; Howard Collins, past editorial director; and Larry Collins, retired Star-News publisher. Attempts to reach Prisk Paddock, former Star-News mechanical superintendent and surviving member of the Prisk and Paddock families who owned and operated the Star- News from 1904 to 1956,. were unsuccessful. The same situation is true of William Applebee, the current Star-News publisher, and Bill Winter, the current editorial director. Both gentlemen were unavailable for interviews. Nevertheless, those people who did participate contributed a tremendous wealth of information and made this study a comprehensive review of the Pasadena newspaper. The principal contributions by these individuals involved their intimate knowledge of the Star-News. More senior staff members provided detailed accounts of the newspaper before its acquisition by Knight-Ridder, the city of Pasadena in an earlier day, and anecdotes that added color to this research. 10 Pasadena officials contacted were limited to Carolyn Garner, city librarian and authority on city history. She was queried on specific city issues that were controversial and involved policy changes, his torical events that affected Pasadena and its citizenry, and her per sonal reactions to the Star-News, regardless of whether the newspaper editorially supported, rejected, or ignored the events in question. 64

A particularly valuable source of information on both the city of Pasadena and the Star-News was Megs Meriwether, volunteer historian for city hall and the urban affairs society. As a long-time resident and researcher, Meriwether has become an expert on Pasadena newspaper history. In addition, she is extremely knowledgeable on Pasadena his tory, and provided corroboration for questionable dates and other im portant details in both areas. 11 Although intended to provide specific first-hand information on their particular areas of expertise, several of these individuals were interviewed a number of times during the course of this study to clar ify obscure issues, resolve apparent discrepancies in the data, or to answer additional questions that arose during subsequent interviews with others or during the newspaper review process.

ffiOCEDURES FOR OVERCOMING BIAS This study relied heavily on data drawn from published material as well as personal contact. Because the quantity of sources involved was large, the research data were complementary and provided a check and-balance arrangement that tended to validate the information used in this research. This eliminated much, but not necessarily all, of the potential error or bias that was likely to be present in previ ously published works. A similar problem existed with the interviews. Those persons directly involved with the Star-News were considered likely to express views supportive of the newspaper, unless the indi vidual had experienced difficulty with the daily or its management and chose to conduct a personal vendetta. A1 though a Pasadena employee, Carolyn Garner did not necessarily side with city policy, since hers 65

was a much more objective viewpoint unless the issue was one involving the library directly. The fact that several different people were interviewed was believed sufficient to overcome this difficulty and to produce much more accurate results. The last bias of concern to this study was that of the researcher/ writer of this thesis. Although very interested in this topic, the writer has no preconceived notions with regard to the newspapers being studied or the locale which they served. The data--whether published histories, interviews, or copies of the newspapers--have been obtained through a systematic search and reviewed objectively, the intent to arrive at the truth. This, according to Fred Fling, is the essence of the historical method. 12 Again, the check-and-balance system inherent in the collection of information from numerous sources was considered adequate to prevent much of the possible bias. Early in the study it was understood that the personal contact involved in the interview process could lead to data skewed by the relationship that developed, resulting in a pro or con slant to the material. However, every effort was made by the researcher to avoid such an eventuality and to include all findings whether they were critical or supportive of the subject matter and/or the hypotheses of this study.

JUSTIFICATION OF DESIGN Selection of the historical method for this study broadened the scope of the research and allowed for additional in-depth investiea tion of pertinent areas that surfaced during the data-gathering pro cess. This study is patterned after the guidelines proposed by Edward 66

Strong, who suggests that the historical method requires general research questions to be formatted and answered, reference material to be accepted based on the proven reliability of sources, and subject matter to be organized into specific usable frames of reference. 13 Secondary source materials, such as modern histories which inter- pret and analyze events that occurred many years prior, and indexes to suggest important events, were complemented by primary sources. For this study the primary sources included interviews, newspaper stories published at the time of the event, and certain selected publications. Their validity was ensured through the check-and-balance system previ ously described. This follows the method for historical research also recommended by Strong.14 In all cases, however, the principal consideration for this study was the performance of adequate research to gather accurate, logically ordered data, to report them honestly regardless of whether they supported or rejected this investigator's theories, and to remain continually on guard to overcome any potential bias that might accidentally or purposely be introduced to the findings. Jacques Barzun and Henry Graff believe that this procedure is absolutely essential to produce a scholarly history. 15 Proximity of Pasadena to this researcher's home was a de£ inite advantage. It allowed repeated personal contact with the Star-News staff and other sources of information on the city, both past and present, plus access to microfilm copies and the special historic documents in the Pasadena Library. Most of the people identified for interviews in the Design section of this chapter willingly offered t h e1r. support to t h"1s proJect.. 16 67

SPECIAL QUALIFICATION OF RESEARCHER

This researcher is a native Angeleno with relatives who were long

time residents of nearby San Gabriel Valley communi ties during the

early 1900s.

As previously noted, personal contact with several of the princi

pals selected for interview interested them in this project and estab lished a good working relationship, paving the way for the necessary

discussions. This writer has worked with electronic word processing and photo

composition systems for the past eight years and is thoroughly famil

iar with their uses in a publication environment. This intimate

knowledge provided avenues into the Pasadena Star-News that may not have been available to others. Most of the staff people interviewed

are proud of the pagination system and were quite willing to discuss

its impact on the newspaper. Having knowledge of automated publishing

techniques established the credibility of the questioner with respect

to the Star-News technology. 17

METHODOLOGICAL WEAKNESSES NOT PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED

Because the Pasadena Star-News and its forerunners have changed ownership several times since their founding, the possibility exists

that some important data were lost. This is especially true because the newspapers under study are all relatively small and, unlike their

larger metropolitan sisters, did not have the funding nor the staffs

to maintain complete historical files. Reliance on page 1 headlines, editorials, recurring columns, and page makeup techniques to provide

the principal material searched in reviewing newspaper copies may 68

cause some potentially significant areas deserving further study to be overlooked.

The use of the Los Angeles Times and the Christian Science Monitor indexes to identify specific topics of research introduces possible partiality in two quarters. First, the editors, acting as agenda setters, could have ignored issues worthy of researching in this study and instead assigned reporters to cover other stories of lesser value. Second, the indexers might have overlooked significant articles while reviewing copies of the newspapers during the preparation of their in dexes. However, both of these newspapers have international reputa tions for excellence, thus avoiding much of the likelihood for such errors.

Although there is a possibility that material significant to this study could be missed in searching the Business Review Index and the

Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, any such oversight should have minimal impact. The newspaper indexes, interviews, and other sources were considered complementary to one another, filling in most voids and producing adequate material for this research.

For the most part documents concerning the city of Pasadena and the community newspapers are not indexed, principally because a one hundred-year collection contains a large volume of material and the library has neither the staff nor the funds to perform this immense task. Therefore, this researcher relied heavily on the knowledge and expertise of experts such as Megs Meriwether and Carolyn Garner for recommended areas of study. This built into the research an error factor as some·important events could be overlooked. It was felt that the breadth of other interview sources would overcome this possibility. 69

ENDNOTFS lcarla Marie Rupp, "Historians Back Project to Preserve News papers," Editor & Publisher, 20 August 1977, p. 40. 2"Publishers Seek $1/2 million to Preserve Old Newspapers," Editor &Publisher, 7 April 1973, p. 11. 3Telephone interview with Carolyn Garner, librarian, Pasadena City Library, 9 March 1985. 4Interviews with Howard Collins, former editorial director, Pas- adena Star-News, Pasadena, California, January-March 1984. --- Sinterview with Charles Cherniss, editor, Pasadena Star-News, Pasadena, California, 7 January 1985. 6relephone interviews with Megs Meriwether, volunteer histor ian, Pasadena, California, 12 and 14 March, and 3 April 1985. 7Telephone interview with Larry Collins, former publisher, Pasa dena Star-News, Pasadena, California, 23 April 1985. 8L. Wiltse, "Pagination in Pasadena: The Waiting Period is Over," Editor &Publisher, 19 February 1983, p. 47. 9John Seybold, "Information International's 2000 Page Layout System," The Seybold Report of Publishing Systems, 14 March 1983, pp. 1' 9-18. lOHoward Collins interviews; Charles Cherniss interview. llMeriwether interviews. 12Fred Morrow Fling, Outline of Historical Method (New York: Burt Franklin, 1971), p. 34. 13ruward W. Strong, "How is Practice of History Tied to Theory?" in Readings on Historical Method, ed. Eric Russell Lacy (New York: MSS Educational Publishing Company, Inc., 1969), p. 3. 14strong, p. 3. 1 5Jacques Barzun and Henry F. Graff, The Modern Researcher, 3rd ed. (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1977), p. 45. 16Charles Cherniss interview; Megs Meriwether telephone interviews; Carolyn Garner telephone interview. 17Howard Collins interviews. CHAPTER 4

THE VAILS FOUND THE PASADENA STAR

In early 1886, a father and son team named H. J. and W. L. Vail

moved to Southern California from the midwest, settling in the booming

San Gabriel Valley community of Pasadena. On April 21 of that year,

amidst a lush tropical setting of clear blue skies, thriving orange

groves, and flaming poppy fields, the Vails published the first issue

of the new Pasadena Star, thereby joining an elite company providing weekly news for the rural community of approximately twenty-six hun

dred population.1

Today more than one century later, the Pasadena Star-News, an off-

spring of that original Star, enjoys a daily circulation of 45,000 copies distributed throughout the thirteen communities comprising the

San Gabriel Valley. 2

'TilE STAR RISES

Contrary to the tradi tiona! reasons for starting a newspaper- because of the community 1 s need for one--the Vails admitted it was

largely because of the journalistic background they had obtained in

the midwest. In prior years, the father, H. J. Vail, had been the publisher and editor of another Star (in New Sharon, Iowa), and had 3 chosen to move to Pasadena for his health. Quite naturally, the elder Vail 1 s prior experience in the newspaper business led him to follow the same line of work in his adopted home, and he joined forces with his son, William L., to begin publication of the Pasadena Star on

70 71

that spring day in 1886. Another family member, Joseph, complemented the staff, overseeing the necessary mechanical operations in the press room. In their first weekly issue, the Vails published 1000 copies which were sold at the W. T. Grimes newsstand on Colorado Street. 4 Despite this high volume, they recognized that the newspaper alone at one cent per copy was not sufficient to ensure their fortunes, and they offered the Star's printing department for hire to supplement their incomes. Their page 1 advertisement read: "Our Job Department is Abundantly Able to Meet All Demands--Power Presses."5 Interestingly, production difficulties caused that first issue of the Star to be printed by a J. D. Gilchrist in downtown Los Angeles, some nine miles away from the city whose name it carried on the mast 6 head. The copy was written and its advertisements collected for the four-page issue in Pasadena, then the material was shipped by a horse-drawn wagon across the rutted roads connecting the two cities to Los Angeles, where it was set in lead. The print copies were returned using the same means over the same route to the Colorado Street news stand, where they were offered for sale. This paralleled the prac tices followed by early-day publishers to see their products on the streets. Despite this early difficulty, the Star capabilities so impressed Pasadena leaders that within two months after its founding the news paper was chosen to be the official city printer. 7 In this capac ity, the Star had responsibility for publishing local ordinances, resolutions, and any other official city legislation enacted by the Pasadena city council. At the same time, Theodore Coleman was chosen 72

to be the newspaper's city editor, while H. J. Vail retained his posi tion as publisher and editor-in-chief and William Vail functioned as the Pasadena Star's manager. During the first years of weekly then daily publication, the Star

relied on the old fashioned hand-set type for its columns. It fol lowed this practice for nearly two decades after its founding, finally 8 introducing the Mergenthaler Linotype machine in the early 1900s.

STAR FORMAT Typical of post-Civil War newspapers, the Star had adopted the more succinct style of writing. The bulletin form of reporting that Emery suggests was popular during this period led to the use of quasi headlines that introduced stories. 9 The headlines of the 1800s were considerably different than those currently used, and multiple, unre lated heads were frequently combined over articles that had been inte grated, despite the fact that they had no correlation. For example, the issue on September 10, 1889, featured three completely unrelated headlines over one story: "Sunset Cox is Dead," referring to a con- gressman who died in Washington; "Fatal Explosion in Oakland," involv ing a sash and door factory in Northern California; and "Capt. Logan of San Francisco Killed," introducing a topic bearing no relationship to either of the other two subjects in the article. 10 This practice was widely followed for several years by the Star. It was commonplace according to Martin L. Gibson who claimed that it offered readers the opportunity of selecting articles of interest to them in a particular column during a period in American journalism when page layout was not a concern. 11 73 I '

The content of the first edition ranged from political opinions, to Southern California weather, to ethnic issues, to society, to advertising. The small size of most stories seems to support the contention of R. Weddle that early-day journalists printed "all the news 12 it takes to go around the ads." This practice appeared to be the philosophy of the Star in its early years when the editions were limited to a fixed four pages that did not vary from day to day.

EDITORIAL PHILOSOPHY

Even at its inception the Star was "rabidly Republican" in poli tics and took every opportunity to discredit the Democratic Party. It did this despite its published pledge: "the Star shines for all. 1113

In an early column called a "Cluster of Odds and Ends by the Star- lighter," the ne\-'ISpaper tried to convince its readers that the Demo- crats were the less-desirable political party. About one party member it had the following to say: "Edmunds seems to have gotten enough of the democratic wool pulled off his eyes to see the latter end of his mug-wumpery." 14 Yet, at the same time, the Star supported the candidacy of George Hearst, a Democrat running for the Senate, in con- sonance with the suggestion of California Governor Stoneman.

Not only did the Star usually take a pro-Republican stand, but its publishers adopted a prohibitionist posture and supported the Pasadena lawmakers who strongly favored anti-saloon legislation. Although the liquor issue was largely a local one for Pasadena, the Star recognized the problem as national in scope and presented the topic in these wider terms on its pages. In their premiere issue, the Star took material from a so-called exchange newspaper that equated the liquor 74 p •

problem with freedom of choice when it wrote: ''While a Pennsylvania man was sneezing himself to death a chap down in Illinois was swallow- ing his death warrant in a quart of whiskey, and still there are those who want more room in which to spout personal liberty."15

Despite their avowed prohibitionist stand, the issue caused the

Vails to take up a heated battle with the Women's Christian Temperance

Union and another Pasadena anti-liquor advocate, Dr. Hiram Reid. The

Star publishers adopted a more moderate approach on the no-saloon laws of their town and offered support for the city officials who shared a similar view. Reid, on the other hand, insisted that Pasadena take a much stronger stand and, according to the Star, was inclined to "dirty work and promiscuous lying" to substantiate his posi tion. 16 While the Star publishers promoted a saloonless Pasadena and attempted to

"keep it that way," the newspaper also believed that hotels and tour ist businesses should be permitted to serve a little wine to their guests (as "prescribed" by their physicians) or the visitors would 17 likely go elsewhere, taking their money with them. The wine issue was the principal factor driving a large wedge between these two diverse factions, and led to the Star's condemnation of the Pasadena

Standard, which, under Reid's editorship, carried articles written with "his scurrilous pen. ,lS

THE NEWSPAPER AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GROWTH

While the Star had been founded by the Vails for economic reasons, the newspaper also formed the vehicle by which the growing conimuni ty of Pasadena could increase its population. Like other western newspapers founded in the frontier days, the Star was introduced to its 75

19 readership during a period of prosperity. As previously noted, the San Gabriel Valley was largely agricultural and the primary income of its residents was derived from the citrus crops and vineyards prev- a 1 ent 1n. t h e area. 20 The major reason for this success was credited to the mild weather which was also used as a drawing card to induce easterners and mid- westerners alike to visit Southern California. Some visitors were so taken with the Pasadena climate that they returned again and again as tourists. Still others were convinced to uproot established homes and move their entire families to the new land. The Star preached the gospel of boosterism, and encouraged this migration with articles praising the virtues of Southern California. Its "climate repairs shattered constitution on short notice and at most reasonable rates," read one article on Pasadena in the first issue of the Star. And well-known resident John Greenleaf Whittier claimed that Pasadena was the place where "the orange and lemon are white in their bloom all the year. "21 Obviously, Star writers believed no one could resist the charms of an area described in such glowing terms. California, while a principal supplier, was not the sole producer of citrus products. A strong competitor was Florida and the Star did its best to promote Pasadena, often at the expense of its eastern sister. For the benefit of the many midwestern visitors to Southern California, Star reporters wrote of California produce at the Citrus Fair in Chicago. Needling the Florida growers became an occupation of the newspaper staff as it accused the eastern competition of "looking at us through her greenest glasses." 22 However, the Star did not stop at promoting its adopted home by using such locally inspired 76

tactics. It also relied heavily on the system of exchanges by which newspapers in the 1800s shared news. These exchanges provided the major means that local editors used to acquire newswort~y material occurring outside of their immediate vicinity. The Congress had aided this practice in 1895, by allowing newspapers and magazines to pay second class postal rates, greatly reducing the expense of obtaining news items from afar. 23 Although the high cost of the telegraph had altered the style of writing to reduce the expense of transmitting stories by wire, the Star made use of "special telegraphic dispatches furnished by the United Press Asso- ciation" to provide much of the out-of-state news appearing in its columns. 24 The Star publishers knew the value of the print medium to spread the word, and used it advantageously. On October 22, 1889, the Star featured an article titled "In the Garden Land," an obvious attempt to sell both Pasadena and Southern California to the world as the chosen spots of America, probably with the intent that the material be picked up by one or more of its out-of-state exchange partners. 25 Even torrential rains could not dampen the enthusiasm of the Star in promoting Pasadena. What were described as "Showers of Wealth" on page 2 of the January 4, 1890, issue, and were regarded as beneficial to local growers, had become a major flood responsible for "many thousands of dollars" of damage in Los Angeles county, but buried on page 4 of the same issue. Yet the Star believed the rain damage was mini mal '~hen compared with the rich increase that will follow in the pro ducts of the months [until] the next rainy season. "26 To support its contention that Pasadena weather was beyond reproach, the Star 77

compared the worst that Southern California weather had to offer with the severe climate of the eastern states. While the Star discussed picturesque Old Baldy above Pasadena as "swept by clouds of flying snow, 1127 the newspaper also reported that cyclones in Bloomington, Indiana, and in Niagara Falls and Utica, New York, were wreaking havoc 28 in the East, destroying property and killing residents. Even the low January temperatures that produced hail and freezing rain in this area were reported by private meteorologists in matter-of-fact terms, and then always stressing the benefits to agriculture that resulted. The usually perfect weather conditions to which Pasadena and Southern 29 California were accustomed became "a merchantable commodity."

TilE STAR AND UNION CONSOLIDATE

By the late 1880s, Pasadena's land boom had begun to dwindle, despite the laying of track by the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific railroads that linked the town with the rest of the nation. The railroads had increased the value of Pasadena land so much that one acre in the center of town was sold at a higher price than the original thirteen thousand acres of the rancho had commanded some fifteen years prior. Nevertheless, in 1888, the wooden stakes marking subdivided lots were plowed under and residents returned to more normal . 30 11ves. The reduced activity in the town was felt in a decreased need for news and on September 2, 1889, the Pasadena Star, which was by now a daily newspaper, consolidated operations with The Pasadena and Valley Union. The Star's relationship with the Valley Union had been less than friendly over the years, and competition between the two newspapers was fierce. In May 1889, however, a missing part from 78

the Valley Union's press prevented the newspaper from printing that day until the Star relented and allowed a portion of the competitor's 31 paper to be printed on its operating equipment.

In announcing their merger, the new Pasadena Evening Star and

Daily Union offered the following explanation: "There was never a time, except for a few months during the feverish boom period, when there was sufficient patronage for more than one daily paper in Pasa- dena." Further, wrote the Star, "Everybody regrets the necessity that 32 led to the demise of the Union, though approving [of] the result."

What it neglected to mention, however, was the tremendous cost that the battle for supremacy exacted from both newspapers. During the years of struggle, an extraordinary $250,000 was expended to ensure . . 33 survival in a one-newspaper environment. Within a short time the Star reported on the views of several ex change newspapers which commented on the merger. All the published comments were favorable regarding the merger, and most indicated the move would yield a much more professional newspaper. 34

Along with the merger came a change in office location for the

Star. New quarters on Colorado Street were the order of the day, but little else changed. The Vails and Coleman remained in charge of operations and retained the same basic philosophy regarding the news paper's position on certain issues. On the question of ethnicity, the

Star held a view quite common throughout America.

Tiffi ETHNIC ISSUE

All the while the railroads were expanding rapidly across America, thousands of Chinese coolies were imported as indentured laborers to 79

dig the roadbeds, set the ties, and lay the rails that would join the country with steel ribbons from coast to coast. As the projects were completed, however, the Chinese became excess and were released to find other employment. Because of their generally industrious natures and willingness to work long hours for low wages, the Orientals took their place in the United States labor market but often by displacing the American worker. Consequently, the Chinese developed a poor image and were often described in derisive terms. The Star adopted an anti Chinese view that was honestly acquired since it accurately reflected the opinion of most Pasadena citizens of the period. 35 In 1885, before the Star began publication, Pasadena had experienced a demonstra tion against the Chinese population in the community, which resulted in house burnings and an exclusionary policy relegating Oriental homes to certain sections of the city. The Star continued to support this negative view of Orientals and considered "their grade of civilization a blighting mockery compared with our higher enlightenment."36 While the publishers were anti-Chinese, they did not agree with the "negro outrage" that continued to plague the South long after the

Civil War. On the contrary, the Star expressed contempt over the group of whites in Atlanta who took blacks from their homes and beat them severely. Said the Star: "It is our duty to let in the light on this wretched spectacle and to demand that every resource be exhausted to [ensure] punishment. 1137 The Star also took the opportunity to chide America for its treatment of minorities by asking if it were not time that the "government should be for all the people regardless of color?"38 80 p •

'TilE STAR ON 'IRANSPORTATION Like most newspapers, the Star took issue with many local i terns that involved city politics. Under the Vails, the Star had become an advocate of a particular position on most of the controversial issues facing Pasadena. With the growth of the area largely dependent upon transportation, both into the area as well as within the city limits, the Star promoted economical rail service between Pasadena and Santa Monica on its editorial pages; questioned who was responsible for de laying the development of the Pasadena rail transit system; praised the completion of Crossroads, the Pasadena to Los Angeles rail system; and supported the extension of the Union Pacific Railroad lines from Utah to Los Angeles. 39

THE NEWSPAPER AS AN AGENDA SEITER Star publishers understood the power they had to influence their readership, especially when it involved controversial issues. This control was later the subject of a study by Watt and van den Berg on media effects in a community controversy. The results of their re search indicated that "media did lead the audience behavior and did set the agenda to some degree."40 In the growing city that Pasadena was becoming in the years prior to the turn of the century, differences in opinion were routine and the Star attempted to direct the course of local politics by swaying public support toward the newspaper's view. In the early days of both the newspaper and Pasadena, the Star strongly supported a move to in corporate the city. In its first issue the Star reported that the Board of Supervisors had been presented with a petition containing two 81

hundred . signatures of citizens supporting the measure, 41 and a scant four months later it became a reality. From the sprawling Rancho San

Pasqua!, deeded in 1859 to Benjamin D. Wilson, one of the San Gabriel

Valley's founding fathers, emerged the Indiana Colony in 1874, followed by the Lake Vineyard Tract in 1876, and capped by the declara 42 tion of Pasadena as an official city on June 14, 1886.

Most everyone recognized that this newcomer to the Pasadena scene was not afraid to take a stand and to speak out in defense of that position. This would indicate that the Star wielded considerable influence over the citizens of the town and would ultimately play a major role in the years to come in shaping the city's future. 43

The controversial subjects that the Star embraced ranged from exhorting citizens to clean up the weeds on their property, thereby helping to keep Pasadena a beautiful and heal thy place to 1i ve, to convincing "every Pasadenan to do his duty" at the polls by casting his vote for bonds _to finance "a first-class free public library," to demanding that the city remain "dry" in support of the Prohibitionist 44 movement.

Since the days of its founding, Pasadena had been Republican territory. The city's two major newspapers, the Pasadena News and the

Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, both strongly supported this political philosophy and the political candidates that subscribed . to 45 their party's tenets. As a result the Star often ran editorials and opinion columns praising the Republicans and providing sound evi dence of their virtues. In early 1890 the newspaper complimented the party for the remarkable job it had done by reducing the public debt

$12 million during the month of January alone. "Democracy caused the 82

debt to be created, but under Republican administration it is steadily . . 1146 d1 sappeanng. In the same breath, however, the paper attempted to be fair and impartial politically by suggesting that Pasadenans

"not be deceived into supporting inferior or unworthy candidates, no 47 matter what political party they may be members of. u

Further, the Star declared its support for a purely Republican ticket in the coming Pasadena municipal race, only if it resulted in 48 the "election of a council of superior business brains. " Whatever position the early Star took on issues in Pasadena politics, the news paper assumed it with fervor and conviction, and demonstrated that the publishers were knowledgeable in most every area.

Regardless of how well the Star and the Vails appeared to fit into the Pasadena picture, an undercurrent was beginning to flow in 1390 that eroded the power of the newspaper's founding family and ultimate ly changed its fortunes. J. W. Wood suggested it was largely a polit 49 ical move that unseated the Vails. The fact that the change in ownership occurred just one week before election day lends support to this theory. The Star itself, however, asserted that it was a quite simply a "business venture" in keeping with the "tide of prosperity 50 [that had] begun to flow [in Pasadena]. This view is somewhat supported by the turnaround in the economic fortunes of the city after its real estate boom had flagged in 1889. But unlike the scores of early-day newspapers that went out of business in short order, as described by Karolevitz, the Star prospered and grew. However well the newspaper served Pasadena, the Star did not pique the curiosity of famous American authors of that period who used the more noteworthy 51 newspapers as the subjects of some of their works. 83

Whatever the circumstance, the Star was published by H. J. Vail on Saturday, April 5, 1890, while on Monday, April 7, 1890, the newspaper was issued by George F. Kernaghan, manager, Star Publishing Company. Overnight the elder Vail stepped back from a close four-year associa tion with the powerful vehicle, and yielded the control of a family owned business, which had exerted considerable influence over the city, to a group of stockholders whose names read like a Who's Who in Pasadena politics, business, and society. The first era of the Pasadena Star had come to a close. 84

ENDNOTES

lLon F. Chapin, Thirt With an Historical Sketch of Previous Eras n.p. : Sout west Pu lis 1ng ompany, Inc., 1929), p. 31; Jane D. McCloskey, 6 Horses and 10 Head: Two Hundred Years on the Rancho San Pasqua!, 1770-1970 (Pasadena: Wood & Jones, 1971), p. 67.

2The IMS '84 A}er Directory of Publications (Fort Washington, PA: ]MS Press, 1984 , p. 179.

3Pasadena Star, 21 April 1886, p. 2; Hiram A. Reid, History of Pasadena (Pasadena: Pasadena History Company, Publishers, 1895), p. 216.

4Pasadena Star, 21 April 1886, p. 3.

5Pasadena Star, 21 April 1886, p. 1.

6Pasadena Star, 21 April 1886, p. 2; B. Karolevi tz, "Good Old Days (Journalism in the Old West)," Editor & Publisher, 8 January 1966, p. 28; Muir Dawson, "California Newspapers, 1851-1876," The Historical Society of Southern California Quarterly, March 1950, p. 19.

7Reid, p. 287.

8Chapin, p. 31; Frank Luther Mott, American Journalism, A His tory: 1690-1960 (New York: The Ma~1illan COmpany, 1962), pp. 495-516.

9Edwin Fmery and Michael Fmery, The Press and America: An In terpretive Histof: of the Mass Media (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1978 , p. 178.

lOPasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 10 September 1889, p. 1.

llMartin L. Gibson, Editing in the Electronic Era (Ames: The Iowa State University Press, 1979), p. 209.

12R. S. Weddle, "On Publishing a Small-Town Newspaper," Editor & Publisher, 30 August 1975, p. 27.

13J. W. Wood, Pasadena, California: Historical and Personal--A Co lete Histo of the Or anization of the Indiana Colon (Pasadena, CA: J. W. Wood, 1917 , p. 238; Pasadena Star, 21 April 1886, p. 3; Manuel Pineda and E. Caswell Perry, Pasadena Area History (Pasadena: Historical Publishing Company, 1972), p. 209.

14Pasadena Star, 21 April 1886, pp. 1, 4.

15Pasadena Star, 21 April 1886, p. 1.

16Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 21 February 1890, p. 2. 85

17Pasadena Evening Star.and Daily Union, 25 February 1890, p. 3. 18Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 17 February 1890, p. 2. l%aymond Earle Beckham, "One ffundred Years of Journalism in Provo, Utah: A History of the Daily Herald and its Predecessors from 1872-1972 (Ph.D. dissertation, Southern Illinois University at Car bondale, 1972), p. 2. 20Pineda and Perry, p. 6. 21Pasadena Star, 21 April 1886, p. 1. 22Pasadena Star, 21 April 1886, p. 2. 23 Emery,. p. 200.

24Pasadena Evening Star ~nd Daily Union, 10 March 1892, p. 4. 25Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 22 October 1889, p. 2; Mott, p. 282. 26Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 4 January 1890, p. 3. 27Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 7 January 1890, p. 2. 28Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 14 January 1890, p. 1. 29earey McWilliams, Southern California: An Island on the Land (Santa Barbara, CA: Peregrine Smith, Inc., 1973), p. 100.

31Henry Markham Page, Pasadena: Its Early Years (Los Angeles: Lorrin L. Morrison, 1964), p. 136. 32Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 2 September 1889, p. 1.

33page, p. 136~ 34Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 6 September 1889, p. 1. 35Pineda and Perry, p. 6. 36Pasadena Star, 21 April 1886, p. 2. 37Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 25 September 1889, p. 2. 38Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 23 January 1890, p. 2. 86

39Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 10 September 1889, p. 2; 5 February 1890, p. 2; 12 March 1890, p. 1; 19 February 1890, p. 1. 40J. H. Watt, Jr., and Sjef van den Berg, "How Time Dependency Influences Media Effects in a Community Controversy," Journalism Quar terly 58 (Spring 1981): SO. 41Pasadena Star, 21 April 1886, p. 3. 42wood, p. 195; Guinn, p. 187. 43Chapin, p. 63. 44Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 15 October 1889, p. 2; 13 January 1890, p. 2; 14 January 1890, p. 1; 18 February 1890, p. 1. 45wood, p. 238. 46Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 3 February 1890, p. 1. 47Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 5 February 1890, p. 2. 48Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 12 February 1890, p. 2. 49wood, p. 240. SOPasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 7 April 1890, p. 2.

SIR. F. Karolevi tz, ''Newspapering in the Old West," Editor & Publisher, 9 October 1965, p. 56; R. J. Shoemaker, "Have Newspapers Changed?" Editor &Publisher, 7 October 1967, pp. 7, 53. CHAPTER 5 TI-lE STAR GOES PUBLIC

Although calling the Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union a pub lic company can be considered as somewhat of a misnomer, it certainly is a fact that the Star Publishing Company on April 7, 1890, was under the control of a group of unrelated owners who, unlike the Vails, did not share the same family ties.

STAR PUBLISHING COMPANY The shareholders of the Star Publishing Company included several prominent Pasadenans whose associations ran beyond the Star: George F. Kernaghan, the newspaper's manager, influential political leader and banker, and later the Pasadena Postmaster; P. M. Green, respected resident and president of the Pasadena Bank; T. P. Lukens, the first real estate dealer in Pasadena, president of the Mutual Building and Loan Association, and later Pasadena Mayor; and Prof. T. S. C. Lowe, noted inventor, founder of the Mount Lowe Railway Company, and devel oper of a patented gas production process. 1 Although the father, H. J. Vail, had stepped aside, the son, Wil liam, with whom he had founded the Pasadena Star, remained associated with the newspaper by participating as a shareholder of the company. How active a role he played in the newspaper after the April 1890 takeover is not clear. What is apparent, however, is that he was but one of sixteen shareholders in the Star Publishing Company. And the five-man board of directors of the Star, which had responsibility for

87 88 @ •

establishing the newspaper's policy, did not include him among their

numbers.

Nevertheless, the Star had created a spot for itself within the

city's ~nvironment. In its first four years of publication the news

paper had developed a rapport with its readers and earned the respect

of the community as an honest recorder of local, national, and inter-

national events.

The Star as a Community Newspaper

The position the Star assumed closely emulated the role of "The

Country Newspaper," as described in an essay by S. S. Boynton, pub

lisher of the Oroville ( CA) Register. In his essay, Boynton wrote

that a successful newspaper required the strong support of the com-

munity it served, since that, in turn, produced a much better publi-

cation. He further suggested that such a newspaper would be involved

directly with the individual reader, recording accurately on "the home

life of the subscriber, with his land and buildings, his crops and

stock, his fruit and garden." On the community level, Boynton be-

lieved that the newspaper had a responsibility to the area it served.

"[The newspaper] labors for the public good, for better sew erage, purer water, cleaner streets and roads, more brilliant lights, more lasting pavements, and for general public conveni ence. It is the exponent of public sentiment and it needs and deserves the encouragement of the community.'' 2

In short, the successfully run community newspaper would follow

the same road trod by the Star, becoming "not so much what the editor makes it as what the business men of the community make it."

Keith R. Stamm sauggests that the community newspaper develops 89

attachments with its neighborhood, which gives it close ties, identi fication, and institutional orientation that metropolitan counterparts lack. This offers the hometwon newspaper the ability to exert influ ence over public opinion in the community it serves more readily that the metropolitan daily. This pattern has been repeated time and time again as the Star-News became the conscience of Pasadena. 3

Circulation Controversy During this period, the Star took great pleasure in comparing it self with other newspapers, especially when the opportunity arose to show itself to advantage. In a December 1894 editorial, the newspaper used somewhat convoluted logic to describe how it was better than the

Santa Ana daily. According to the Star, Santa Ana, although it had a smaller population than Pasadena, was the seat of county government and should have boasted a newspaper with a larger circulation than the Crown City. However, because the opposite was true, according to Star reasoning, the Santa Ana newspaper "probably does not do one-fourth the work of that of Pasadena because its people do not back it up with the necessary patronage." 4 A common practice of newspapers of this period was to inflate cir culation figures and thus appear to serve more readers than actually was the case. The Star, however, prided itself on a statement attri buted to the prestigious publication, Rowell's American Newspaper Directory, which credited the Pasadena paper with being one of twenty seven California dailies having accurate circulation figures. The Directory further identified the Star as one of seventy-four news papers in the state to have guaranteed circulation ratings. This 90

undoubtedly instilled considerable co~idence in the advertisers who believed they were getting the conunercial coverage they had paid to receive. (By the Star's own count, its circulation had increased from 5 798 readers in September 1894 to 1024 in September 1895.)

By early 1895, the Star's management had invested in new Thorne typesetting equipment. According to the paper this provided the Star with "handsome new body type." Within two months the newspaper also announced an agreement with Western Union that would supply the Star with telegraphic dispatches from the United Press Association. This gave the newspaper the blend of international, national, and local 6 coverage that it was attempting to achieve.

This association lasted until May 1897, when the United Press ceased operation, and the Star, which could not afford the higher cost of Associated Press wire service, was forced to reach an agreement with the Los Angeles Express. Under the terms of this agreement, both newspapers were offered to the Pasadena subscribers for sixty cents per month, ten cents more than the Star alone. This combination gave readers AP international and national wire news from the Express and local concentration by the Star. 7

THE STAR'S POLITICAL VOICE A short seven days following the change in newspaper ownership,

Pasadena elections were held. During the pre-election period, the

Star reported on a number of political rallies and meetings.

Pasadena Politics

By now local politics had adopted a home-grown flavor, and the 91

national Democratic and Republican parties were somewhat overshadowed by two grassroots organizations, the Citizen's Committee and the Peo ple's Committee, which had sharply divided the population of Pasadena. The Star strongly favored the Citizen's Committee and made little ef fort to hide its bias. At one meeting just prior to the election, the newspaper thor oughly covered the proceedings, including the topics being discussed by the Citizen's Committee guest speakers, one of whom was H. J. Vail, the deposed publisher of the Star. While this rally was held only one day following his ouster, Vail was reported in rather kindly terms by the "new" Star. In his speech he refuted all charges of political dishonesty leveled against the Committee, and supported the Star's view against the People's Committee as not being personally motivated but rather "in the best interests of Pasadena. " 8 To balance out its reporting, the Star ran an article the day after the rally held by the People's Committee in which the newspaper admitted that the group's followers were "practical, not fanatical. "9

Star Publishers Politically Conservative Although the Stat publishers chose political sides and openly sup ported the candidates they believed best qualified for office, they did so carefully. Like the other early-day newspaper editors, the Star staff was very serious about such issues. However, the Pasadena paper never found itself embroiled in a situation similar to the one involving the San Francisco Chronicle in 1880. While championing its political preference, the Star did not resort to physical violence to achieve its goals as did Charles de Young, the Chronicle publisher, 92

who was so opposed to a particular Bay city mayoral candidate that he

stalked the man, and ultimately shot and wounded him. 10

Because it was an afternoon newspaper, the Star was limited to

coverage of news occurring in the forenoon hours. As a result, on election day April 14, 1890, the newspaper hedged in its lead story,

"The Election," by claiming that it could not predict the outcome of

the political races with a "mathematical certainty. "ll However, the following day it made up for its shortcomings of the previous day and published full election returns, which ran under the headline, '~ixed

Victory." The newspaper also showed good political savvy by calling 12 all winners "men of splendid metal and established reputations."

Markham for Governor

Local politics were of prime concern to the Star, but by no means its only concern. The newspaper's publishers knew that state officials had considerable impact on the success of the community and concentrated their support on those candidates they believed would yield the most benefit to Pasadena. In April 1890, the incumbent

Waterman administration in Sacramento was winding down, and smart political money indicated that he would not seek re-election. In his stead, the Star proposed a Pasadena resident of long standing, Col.

Henry H. Markham. In promoting their "favorite son" candidate, the

Star wrote that chances were excellent that "Col. Markham's nomination [was] thoroughly assured, and in that we must be permitted to . . ,,13 reJoice.

As the California gubernatorial election drew closer, the newspaper increased its coverage of the candidates for state offices. The 93

Star manager, George Kernaghan, reported on the proceedings of the Re publican convention in Fresno, at which Colonel Markham was nominated for the top post. ''MARKHAM" the page 1 banner read over Kernaghan's article; 14 later issues featured a pen and ink drawing of "the next governor of California" as well as editorial praise for Markham's 15 numerous po 11t1ca. . 1 accomp 1"1s hm ents. Three months later the Star saw its recommendations followed by the electorate and was rewarded with a Republican win in Sacramento.

In a November 5 editorial, the newspaper proudly reported that "the election of the Republican State ticket, with Pasadena's gallant son,

Col. H. H. Markham, at its head • • • is a magnificent triumph. 1116

All this hoopla occurred despite the fact that the unsophisticated manual methods of ballot counting in those days excluded several pre- cincts and prevented a complete tally of votes so soon after the elec tion. However, it was typical of the Star's approach to state and local political reporting in the late 1890s and early 1900s.

In the national arena, the Star favored the Republican administra tion and the policies of that party which were responsible for reduc ing the national debt. With the pride typical of a staunch advocate of a particular cause, the Star credited the Republicans in Washington with a continued reduction in the national debt, which, according to the newspaper, was $2 billion at the close of the Civil War. In the thirty-five-year period following the "Democratic rebellion," the

Republicans had instituted fiscal policies decreasing the debt by one- half, and were "cutting it down at the rate of fifteen or twenty mil lions of dollars every thirty days. 1117 An example of the positive measures the Republicans used to effect their plan was the McKinley 94 Q '

tariff that supported American labor and production by restricting English imports; it was editorially praised by the Pasadena paper.

The Presidential Visit In May 1891, the Star's editorial policy-making authority shifted from George Kernaghan to Charles A. Gardner. 18 At this time, which was midway through Benjamin Harrison's term of office, the Republican president decided to tour the country in his official capacity, and Southern California was a must on his proposed agenda. In early 1891, Pasadena citizens received word that Harrison would visit the community during April and the entire town began planning for the event. This was only the second time in Pasadena history that a Presidential visit was scheduled. The first was in 1880, when then-President Rutherford B. Hayes toured Southern California before Pasadena had become an Incorporate. d city. . 19 The Star editorial on April 17, 1891, took the form of a minor apology for Pasadena, since the community was small and not able to produce as large a turnout for the President as either Los Angeles or San Francisco. Despite this, the Star continued, "we are way up to wards the head • • • in the matter of quality. 1120 In the following days, the Star ran an editorial encouraging Pas adena's citizens to decorate the town liberally with "bunting and flags" in honor of the occasion, a front page story declaring "Pasa- dena Prepares to Receive Her Distinguished Guest," and another lengthy editorial bidding ''Welcome to the President," which also included praise for the Chief Executive's political deeds and an expression of 21 the people's loyalty and admiration for him. 95 Q •

Two other situations joined to make the Harrison visit particularly noteworthy. First was the fact that Harrison was the national leader of the Republican party, and the town being predominantly Re- publican in political view was anxious to show support for its party head. Secondly, the President had been born in Indiana, and Pasadena, conceived originally as the Indiana Colony of California, listed a number of transplanted Hoosiers among its prominent residents. The latter was acknowledged by Harrison during his banquet speech at the

Hotel Green: "No other town in this state has been more familiarly known to me by reputation than Pasadena, • due to the circumstance 22 that Indiana people had founded it."

Because the Star considered President Harrison's visit a major event, it devoted nearly all of its non-advertising space to a full report of the night-long celebration. In an unusual layout, the Star began its coverage of the visit on page two with the headline, "Pasa dena Welcomes Him in a Royal Way," which ran over a story describing the 7:45 p.m. arrival of the Presidential train at the Santa Fe de pot. Full details of the subsequent ceremonies, the late-evening banquet, and speeches were continued on page one, with the conclusion of the story on page 4.

On the following day, the Star reviewed the prior night's events and complimented most everyone responsible for the Presidential reception--with one exception. In its editorial, "That Banquet," the newspaper condemned the eating arrangements and declared that the dinner 23 "as it was carried out was a fizzle. " Preparations were ill conceived, said the newspaper, the table was set after dark, and the staff of waiters did not know its duties. The Star fervently hoped 96

that the problems encountered the night before would serve to educate planners in future events of such a magnitude.

Despite that one gray area, the event was truly a memorable one to the citizens of Pasadena, and the Star being the voice of the people took great pride in reporting it.

ACROSS TilE COLOR LINES

Although the Star publishers were somewhat diplomatic in their political reporting, this courtesy did not extend to the Orientals.

Under the Vails the newspaper had taken a hardline approach toward halting the unchecked immigration of Chinese into the United States.

In an attempt to reduce the number of Chinese in the United States, the Star suggested that the rich gold fields that were discovered in

China during the early 1890s would be an inducement to reclaim the

Chinese laborers who had journeyed to this country to earn their fortunes building the nation's railroads. "Now is the time for the celestial heathens in America to make a rush for their original haun t s. "24

Chinese Exclusion

With the Chinese Exclusion Act an integral part of American life, the unwanted Orientals were being barred from this country legally.

This practice was highly regarded by Americans in general who saw it as the means to protect themselves from "this particular Asiatic 25 plague."

Typical of Editor Kernaghan's reaction to the problem was the Star article on the Chinese exclusion policy on June 15, 1890. Being the 97

editor, Kernaghan undoubtedly influenced the manner in which Chinese/ American relationships were covered in the Star. In true ethnocentric fashion, the Star claimed that "America is benefited by keeping [the] Chinese out of this country, while on the other hand China is bene fited by the presence of Americans in China. China should heed and gather wisdom" from this relationship. 26 In later days, the newspaper tried to extend America's exclusion ary policy to another country. The Star stressed that Mexico by al lowing Chinese laborers into their nation to work the railroads and fisheries were courting disaster. As one Star reporter wrote: "In the not too distant future the yellow scorpions will turn to sting the hand that is feeding them. 1127 By Star standards, the Chinese issue was becoming an acute problem requiring strict measures to control. In rnid-1892, the newspaper pub lished reports of the Geary Chinese Exclusion bill which was presented before Congress to accommodate the difficulty. One small article in

May carried the headline, "The Chinese Must Go," referring to an adop tion by the House of Representatives of the conference report on the Geary bill. That action, which carried by a vote of 185 to 28, pro vided for registration of all resident Chinese laborers and the auto matic expulsion of those not possessing proof of such registration. 28 The Star indicated that such severe action was necessary and pub lished an account of Chinese/American relations in New York to justify its viewpoint. "There are serious thoughts of discontinuing the Chi nese Sunday School" in New York, a June editorial said, because many of the women teachers there marry their Chinese pupils in an attempt to elevate them. However, continued the editorial, "in our opinion 98

the women will more ·likely sink to the level of the Chinese" than vice 29 versa.

In a role-reversal the Star had been swept up by the country's anti -Chinese feelings and was being influenced by the people, rather than vice versa. The constitutionality of the Geary Chinese Excluston law had been upheld by the United States Supreme Court, and the Star hastened to discuss what it considered was the main reason for the passage of this controversial piece of legislation. According to the newspaper, the law was not intended to deport the Chinese, but rather 30 "to prevent the country from being overrun by them."

An event closer to home was the discovery of two bodies in a Los

Angeles reservoir that had been drained for routine cleaning. Al- though such water supplies were generally open air, they normally did not contain dead bodies, yet the Star treated the issue in rather matter-of-fact terms. Since a few Pasadena residents were connected to the Los Angeles water system, the newspaper noted, somewhat tongue in-cheek, that the decomposing bodies were responsible for "the slight impurities [to be] found in Pasadena water." However, according to the paper, the concern was not caused by the baby's body, but rather 31 the Chinese "whose first bath was also his last."

The Star's Philosophical Turnabout

In 1891, the Star published an article completely reversing its usually prejudicial view of the Oriental. A feature appearing in the

July 11 issue praised the virtues of the only Chinese to have become a naturalized citizen of the United States (at that time). On his death, the Star eulogized Thomas Sylvanus as twice enlisted in the 99

U.S. Army, with an American wife and three children. Wrote the Star: "There was no braver or better soldier than this Chinese citizen 32 [who] loved the United States as well as any man native born."

This was a radical departure for the newspaper to take after having

exhibited such strong anti -Oriental sentiments since it began publi-

cation.

Despite this one relaxed moment, the Star continued its negative

comments on the Chinese in general. By 1892, however, the newspaper

began a gradual softening in attitude toward one group of Orientals.

In a March feature, the Star complimented the Japanese people as being 33 the "most polite and refined in the world. " In still another

article, the Chinese, when compared with the Japanese, were found to

be severely lacking. The Japanese immigrants were accepted in America

because they "come to our shores for education, and unlike the Chi-

nese, adopt our manners and customs." 34

Around the turn of the century, Americans were becoming familiar with the Chinese medical practitioner. The Oriental doctor used methods considerably different from the customary brand of medicine

practiced in the United States, applying herbs and other natural forms

of medication to effect the treatment of ailments. Their distinctive

type of medicine became the subject of a feature article in a late 35 December 1894 issue of the Star. Ultimately, the paper praised

rather than panned the Chinese practitioner, and· even identified the

benefits of the particular method of healing that he had introduced to

this country. 100

1HE TRANSPORTATION ISSUE REVIEWED Shortly after the Star Publishing Company took control of the newspaper, the Star saw the city of Pasadena facing a new problem that would affect its future. Intracity transportation was a principal consideration in the growth of the city, and was a natural extension of the cross-country rail service that had been responsible for bring ing the bulk of the current residents to the Southland.

Expansion Meant Rapid Transportation During the boom period of 1886-87, the Santa Fe and Southern Paci- fie railroads had sparked great interest in California and helped spur Pasadena real estate sales by transporting passengers west at cut-rate fares. 36 The prime movers behind the Southern Pacific Railroad ex- pans ion included four men: Mark Hopkins, Charles Crocker, Leland Stanford, and Collis P. Huntington. These four had amassed their for tunes by using the railroad to help build Southern California into an agricultural capital, then increased the freight charges to the maximum that the traffic would bear to transport the produce to Eastern consumers. 37 This fact was not forgotten by the newspaper when Huntington chose to run for the United States Senate. In an April 1890 editorial, the

Pasadena Star questioned Huntington 1 s candidacy, referring to him as an "oily gentleman" and suggesting that his actions be carefully scru tinized because of his shady business tactics. 38

Trolleys Appear on Pasadena Streets

While the paper viewed the railroad 1 s leadership with suspicion, 101 il '

it also recognized that a variation on this system offered an effi cient and quick method of community transportation that was essential to support the growth of Pasadena and ultimately to link it to neigh boring Southern California towns. Horse-drawn trolleys were intro duced to Pasadena to move the people efficiently around town, using rail systems that had been franchised by the city council to operate on major streets. The commercial value of these franchises soon became apparent and created a rush by different entrepreneurs to share in the wealth.

Franchises became hotly debated issues in the city council, and political favoritism was charged in several instances. Yet, despite it all, the trolley lines operated by numerous companies continued to grow and criss-cross Pasadena with a rapid transit system that worked 39 well. These horse-drawn trolleys were adequate for some time. Then electricity came into vogue and resulted in a massive switch to electric power as the new source of inexpensive energy became more readily available. Star editorials welcomed the move as timely and forward thinking, ultimately a boon to local business, and "the Mani 40 fest destiny of Pasadena."

The Mount Lowe Railway

During the same period, Prof. T. S. C. Lowe, a stockholder in the

Star Publishing Company, envisioned a rail line running to the summit of nearby Mount Wilson. A noted inventor, Professor Lowe was involved in a number of other sucessful ventures. With this record, everyone, the newspaper included, expected nothing but positive results. 102

A March 1891 issue of the Star reported on Professor Lowe's plans to build such a rail system. His proposed twelve-mile mountain rail road consisted of three separate segments and was expected to cost

$500,000. It also required that a $75,000 power plant be erected at Rubio Canyon to generate the electricity necessary to drive the cable drawn cars of the second segment, which came to be called the Great Incline. 41 In addition, hotels were planned at various levels in the multi-segment system; they would be served by the rail lines. The lower terminus of the Mount Lowe Railway was in Altadena, at the base of the mountains north of the city, where it connected with the franchised trolley line serving that area.

Star Supports Project. All of Pasadena followed the progress of this ambitious task with tremendous interest. The Star was no exception; however, its interest was not simply because one of the newspaper's stockholders was involved in the project. Four months after its initial announcement, the proposed Mount Lowe Railway completed its articles of incorporation and formed a board of directors as the Pasadena and Mount Wilson Railway Company. Shortly thereafter, the project received the editorial support of the newspaper because of its "value and importance to Pasadena, looking at the matter from a purely business standpoint. 1142 The Star urged all Pasadenans to support the project by subscrib ing to the $600,000 capital needed for its construction and initial operating expenses. In addition to the rail system, the bond sub scription was intended to finance a hotel at Rubio Canyon, the first stopping point of the three segments; two other lodges at the Incline 103

and Echo Mountain terminals; and a fourth resort on the Mount Lowe summit. Much of the funding for the mountain railway project was under- written by a large part of the Profess~r's own fortune, which was his 43 method of ensuring that the road would be completed.

Route Select~d. D. J. MacPherson, the engineer who designed the Mount Lowe system and convinced Professor Lowe of its feasibility, scouted every foot of the rugged terrain, and eventually selected a route that appeared possible. The proposed route required that one tunnel be dug through the mountain side and that six bridges be constructed to span 44 gorges along the right of way.

In March 1892, a group of railroad men accompanied Lowe to the sununi t of the Sierra Madre peak, following the route of travel pro posed by MacPherson. They determined that "the proposition for build ing a railway over the line [was] entirely feasible and certain to be a profitable venture." In addition, they expressed the belief that year-round operation was "one of the strongest arguments in favor of building the line." This opinion was further strengthened by the approval of Z. Simmons, who had built the successful railway on Pike's 45 Peak in Colorado. Another visit to the site was made on September 24, 1892, again following the proposed route. Only this time the Professor had several of Pasadena's notable citizens along to gain support for his project. One especially influential citizen was Charles A. Gardner, . 46 editor of the Pasadena Star. The good professor's plan apparently worked, because back-to-back October editorials appeared in the Star, 104

both strongly supporting the project and questioning the negative re-

sponse of a Los Angeles newspaper: '~t's the matter with the Times? That paper seems to be troubled because Prof. Lowe is scaling the heights of Mt. Wilson with a rainbow. 1147 Spurred on by strong local backing, work commenced immediately on a service road up the mountain that allowed horse- and burro-drawn wagons to carry equipment and supplies to the slowly advancing construction sites. All progress on the Mount Lowe project was fully documented in the Star. Actual operation of the line began on May 13, 1893, when the first car ran from Altadena to the foot of Rubio Canyon. In a huge celebra tion scheduled to coincide with the national holiday, the second section of the Mount Lowe Railway carried its first passengers up the Great Incline on July 4, 1893. The Incline road was an engineering marvel, for it rose at an unprecedented sixty-two percent grade in the steepest portion of the world's first electrically powered incline railway system. One of the cable-driven cars moved from the two-thousand-foot elevation at Rubio Pavilion to the Echo Mountain summit, resting thirty-five hundred feet above sea level in slightly more than three thousand feet of forward travel. At the same time, the other car also attached to the endless cable traveled the same distance, but in the opposite direction. 48 On March 12, 1894, the Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union rec ognized a new competitor in the area when the Daily Mt. Lowe Echo be gan publication. The four-page newspaper, which contained material principally local in nature, was written and produced at Rubio Pavil 49 ion on presses that were water-powered. 105

Although everyone was thrilled with the prospect of the new moun-

tain railroad, nobody could anticipate the tremendous tourist-drawing

power that the Mount Lowe Railway would enjoy for more than forty

years or the misfortunes that would befall the project during its

lifetime, which included foreclosure and bankruptcy in July 1896, a

fire that completely destroyed the Echo Mountain House at the summit

in February 1900, and the strong winds that ripped the roof from the

Chalet atop the Great Incline a few days later. 50

Dobbins' Qycleway

By the mid-1890s bicycling had become the accepted alternative to

trolleys and horse-powered transportation. Horace Dobbins, a promi-

nent resident and Pasadena city official, conceived of an elevated,

lighted cycleway that would provide a six-mile direct bicycle route

between Pasadena and Los Angeles. The gradual slope of the raised

bicycle path would drop slightly on the southern run, allowing a

Pasadena-to-Los Angeles cyclist to coast most of the way. However,

the shallow grade would permit a northbound rider to pedal his way 51 home without undue effort.

On May 5, 1899, the Star reported that groundbreaking ceremonies

occurred in South Pasadena for the cycleway. At this time the route had added three miles to its length, and now extended for nine miles from start to finish. Officers of the new California Cycleway Company

enterprise included Dobbins as president; Col. H. H. Markham, former governor of California, as vice president; and W. R. Stevenson as sec- 52 retary. The cycleway was taking shape and the Star was a staunch

advocate of the proposed project, which was to be constructed of one 106

and one-half inch Oregon pine planks and would feature electric light ing to accommodate night cyclists. The full-page article in the Star promoted the cycleway with an artist's concept showing the major land marks as they would ultimately appear in the completed system. An advertisement also appeared in the Star offering stock in the company to any interested investor. Pasadena had a new cause and the Star was its mentor. Unfortunately for all those involved, the California Cycleway Com pany met with disaster. It quite literally never got off the ground, except in South Pasadena where a small stretch of the bicycle path was completed near the Raymond Hotel. By June 1901, the Star reported that the right of way owned by the cycleway company was being con sidered for a possible elevated rail system to Los Angeles. 53 And a short six months later, plans were being made to dismantle those parts of the structure that had been erected because they interfered with the site of a proposed park. 54 An embarrassed Dobbins even agreed to pay the cost of demolition. Despite its apparent demise, the right of way purchased by the California Cycleway Company for its ambitious project remained intact, and would make a remarkable reappearance several years later.

TilE CROWN CITY When the city of Pasadena was incorporated in June 1886, its popu lation was estimated at 2600. However, it was born into a period called the "Fabulous Era," which saw fifty-three real estate agencies in Pasadena, all vying for the newcomers' dollars as they rushed to buy land. During its first year as an incorporated city, according to 107

the Star, Pasadena registered an astonishing $7 million in real estate

sales and doubled that amount the following year. 55

Not everyone favored this growth, however. Some of the old-time

residents of the area were displeased with the newfound expansion,

which had occurred "in spite of the wishes of many of [Pasadena's]

best people, who had loved their wide stretch of orange grove and re-

sented 1ts. d"1ssect1on . 1nto . 1ots. 1156

Yet others, mainly the boosters of the area, were approving of

this progress. By 1890, the Star proudly reported that the population 57 of Pasadena had risen to the 4800 mark. In support of this in-

crease in people, the city council turned its attention toward the

routine business that would contribute to the continued growth of the

fledgling city. Shortly after the changeover to the Star Publishing

Company, the council topics included library book purchases, street

light relocation, and a proposed ordinance forcing a water company to

provide the city with free water. In addition, the Star congratulated

the city on the observatory that Harvard University planned to erect

atop Mount Wilson. On this "grand achievement," the Star wrote, ''We,

of Pasadena, have a supreme right to congratulate ourselves in that it 58 ·will crown our own most kingly mountain pinnacle."

Construction Projects

By the first quarter of 1892, the city showed that the "tide of

prosperity and well being [was] rising." Additional buildings were

being erected in the commercial areas of town and "still we build,"

the paper proclaimed. 59 The new residents, who continued to arrive

from the East, strained the public utilities serving the city. 108 @ '

Pasadena's sewer system had begun construction in late 1887 and was fairly well completed within the city limits a little more than a year later. When a three-hundred-acre sewer farm was purchased by

Pasadena and an attempt was made to connect a line from the Crown City

to the farm through neighboring Alhambra, the citizens of that city protested. Many Alhambrans believed that the connection under their

streets would bring unsanitary conditions to their area, so they opposed the planned action and forced Pasadena to seek a legal remedy. This litigation continued throughout 1892, but by year's end, the final decision was rendered in Pasadena's favor and the sewer connec 60 tion had been completed.

Despite this success, the Star realized that additional growth would be needed in this and other similar services or Pasadena could not keep pace with its burgeoning population. For example, a January

1896, Star editorial compared Pasadena then and now. The paper noted that the "growth of the city has been marked and rapid" and included additional rail lines, a new rai 1 depot, development of the city's 61 water system, and construction of two new school buildings.

Tournament of Roses

Much of Pasadena's success can be attributed to a major winter event that only was possible in Southern California. It was the brainchild of the oldest social club in Southern California, the

Valley Hunt Club of Pasadena, and it was staged on New Year's Day 62 1890. From the very beginning the Star realized the value of the

Tournament of Roses and shared in its promotion. The day before this 63 first Tournament, the Star promised "A Splendid Day's Sport," for 109

events that included a men's foot race, a burro race, and the Knight's

ring tourney.

"A Magnificent Success" was the decided opinion of the Star on

January 2, 1890, referring to the previous day's happenings. 64 The

newspaper in true booster spirit proclaimed that three thousand people

had enjoyed the Tournament, where they were given oranges "freely dis

tributed to all who wanted them," as they watched the carriages gaily

decorated with roses and lilies parade past. Unknowingly, the Valley

Hunt Club had begun a tradition on that first day of 1890.

Five years later, the gloss of the Tournament had worn thin and

the Valley Hunt Club suggested that it would no longer stage the New

Year's Day spectacular. On January 1, 1895, the Club once again re

lented, partially because of the Star's urging, and produced a parade

called by the newspaper "a glittering midwinter pageant, the finest 65 that has ever taken place. " Once again the Club asked to be re

lieved of responsibility for the pageant; this time the Star agreed.

In an October editorial, the newspaper suggested that the Club join with the Pasadena Board of Trade to form a committee which would en 66 courage the city to keep the event alive. In subsequent editori

als, the Star pleaded with Pasadena citizens to "Organize for [the]

Tournament--Don't Let It Die," and during the first week of November 67 the new Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association was born.

Although the early Tournaments featured a parade comprised of sev

eral Club members' carriages decorated with floral displays, a few

seasons later the event had grown to include numerous "floats" in a mile-and-a-half-long route, with Roman-style chariot races as the 68 highlight of the day. By 1902, however, the chariot races were in llO

danger of being discontinued, because numerous Pasadena residents thought them not in keeping with the dignity of the city. For several years, the issue would continue to be raised. However, the races had become so firmly entrenched in the Tournament Association's program that they were assured a place in the New Year's Day festivities well into the twentieth century, and indeed served as the subject of Star articles on Tournament activities for many seasons. At this time the chariot races were joined by another sport that had been described in earlier Star editorials as "rough and brutal." On New Year's Day 1902, the Michigan Wolverines met the Stanford Indi ans in a football game. This forerunner to the Rose Bowl game was considered expensive even by Pasadena standards, as the admission for this game was set at a rather steep twenty dollars per box, with gP.n eral seating in the bleachers a more modest fifty cents. 69

PASADENA SOCIETY By the 1890s, Pasadena had become quite society-conscious, due in large part to the great number of weal thy Easterners who chose to "winter" here first and later to relocate permanently. In the first instance, the vacationers were greeted by splendid hotels like the Green, the Raymond, the Maryland, and La Pintoresca, plus scores of lesser-known boarding houses that catered to the huge influx of visitors who could afford to escape the raw winters of New York, Minne sota, and Wisconsin by traveling west. Even the reduced fares of the transcontinental railroads were steep enough to keep most people below the well-to-do upper-middle class from returning to Pasadena year after year. The arrivals of 111

guests with names like Joseph Medill (Chicago Tribune editor), Presi dent and Mrs. James A. Garfield, and the lfuntington family usually coincided with the November-December openings of the major hotels, and they swelled Pasadena's crowd of the socially elite. Also contribut ing to this group were the owners of the hotels themselves, who were frequently wealthy Easterners drawn to Southern California because of its weather and its growing reputation as the promised land. The Star understood the power of these prominent people and re ported on their every move. Columns such as Isabel Bates Winslow's "Society Gossip" appeared regularly in the Star and charted the every 70 move of Pasadena's elite. As a result, these Eastern folks, who were well-known back home, became highly respected in their new winter residences and eventually were absorbed into Pasadena's society. Walter Raymond, the owner of the famed Raymond Hotel, was a Boston resident except for the winter months, which he spent in Pasadena when his hotel was operating. During the 1892 controversy involving Pasa dena street improvements, Raymond, whose hotel was really in South Pasadena, pledged one hundred dollars of his personal fortune to the fund for paving Colorado street. 71 Despite his Eastern ties, Walter Raymond was captured by the charm of Pasadena, strongly boosting the Tournament of Roses and settlement of the area. Cultural pursuits became the "in" thing for Pasadena society and several of America's premiere performers appeared at the stately Pas adena Grand Opera House in the 1890s before Los Angeles lured away the audiences to the "big city." 72 Ironically, the shift of theater goers to Los Angeles introduced another social instrument for Pasade nans in the form of the "Poppy Car," a special plushly appointed rail 112

·car operated by the Pasadena and Los Angeles Electric Railway line, and available for charter by large groups. It was described in the Star as "elegantly upholstered throughout [with] china closet and buffet, refrigerator and running water." 73 The Poppy Car was used repeatedly by Pasadena's social set for its forays to the theater district in Los Angeles and return, until the horseless carriage became prominent a few years later and forced the special trolley car to give way to progress. 74

A NEW CENTURY The Pasadena Star entered the first year of the twentieth century under the leadership of Charles A. Gardner. Before year's end, how ever, Gardner had relinquished his nine-year-old post to J. P. Baum- gartner, who took over as editor and installed Lyman King as his associate. 75 The Baumgartner-King duo continued the work of their predecessors with essentially the same social, editorial, and political philosophy as before. As always the new publishers used the newspaper to promote the city, inform and influence its residents, and improve local business.

Social Happenings Local reporting on social events increased under Baumgartner, and by 1902 the Star had a correspondent in nearby Sierra Madre who provided copy for the regular feature, ·~eek's Happenings in Sierra Madre. "76 Religious news also appeared on Saturday ("At Churches Tomorrow") to encourage attendance at one of Pasadena's many churches, as did a Monday recap in the newspaper of the sermons presented the 113

day before ("Said in Pasadena Pulpits Yesterday"). 77 (It is obvious even today that Pasadenans are extremely religious, as evidenced by the large number of churches throughout the city and the size of their respective congregations. This was true during the early days of the city when the laying of a church cornerstone or planned construction commanded front page attention. 78) Another weekly feature appearing at this time was a column written by and about the students of Pasadena High School. Not to be outdone, Throop Polytechnic Institute, Pasadena's only "true" college, also was given weekly space to promote its various activities. These articles were supplemented by daily columns on personal items and social occur rences that vied for space with Isabel Bates Winslow's column, which was now called "Social Chat," and a pot pourri of all local things and people of interest called "'Bibble-Babble' by the Growler."79

Variable Editorial Topics Star editorials covered a wide variety of subjects, most often topics that were timely for the particular period during which they were published. In three different October 1900 editorials, for ex ample, the Star recommended that church property not be taxed, it suggested that "Pasadena is a rich man's town," and the newspaper claimed that McKinley's foreign policy had given the United States an interna tional standing it never before achieved. 80 By February 1902, Star editorials were boosting the YMCA in Pasa dena, and urging all citizens to support the Association's building project that was being proposed for the Crown City. 81 The newspaper also applauded the Christian organization, which had just completed a 114

successful convention in Pasadena, by explaining its great influence on the behavior of the city's "well-bred young men." The newspaper frequently promoted religion in its editorials. For example, it chided Pasadenans who willingly financed church construc tion but then avoided Sunday services after the new edifice had been built. According to the Star, church attendance was far more impor tant for the soul than a donation to the building fund. 82

Politics Although Star editorials were diverse in content, one subject be came a recurring theme--political issues, both local and national in scope. During a move toward city ownership of utilities, the Star covered all phases of the ongoing activities in both its news and commentary/ opinion pages. In an August editorial, the Star strongly supported the highly controversial municipal utilities plan and suggested that large numbers of citizens throughout all quarters of the city also were "growing in favor" of the measure. 83 Then, the following month, the Star pronounced that the time had arrived for Pasadena to seek out and secure an ample water supply for the foreseeable future, and if that required the private water companies to sell their plants to the city, "then let them talk quick," since "Pasadena must solve her water prob lem, solve it right, solve it soon."84 With the majority of Pasadena, including the Star, fully support ive of city ownership of the water system, any attempts to thwart the planned takeover were unwelcome. In the state legislature, Assembly amendment 28 prohibited such ownership by California cities. A Star 115 Q ' editorial on October 10 condemned the amendment because it prevented Pasadena from accomplishing a task its citizens believed was abso- 85 lutely essential for their city's continued survival. (It is apparent that the Star believed its influence spread far beyond Pasa dena, and indeed it could sway lawmakers in the California capital nearly four hundred miles to the north toward its viewpoint.) Although the editorial staff had changed, the Star remained firmly Republican and ran Baumgartner's first-hand reports on the daily hap penings of the state G. 0. P. convention being held in Santa Cruz in a series of ongoing opinion columns called "Through the Editor's Opti- mist Glasses." 86 In addition, the Star admonished its readers to vote Republican, indicating that the Democrats were gaining political ground and that "in California every vote will be needed" to reelect the incumbent, William A. McKinley, to the Presidency in 1902. 87 In local politics the newspaper encouraged Pasadenans to consider the new Pasadena charter that would be submitted to the voters shortly and would alter substantially the present form of city government. 88

Pasadena Charter. Originally proposed in 1894, the charter had undergone a series of changes and modifications that were intended to lend appeal to the new version. This was an absolute necessity since the proposition had encountered a severe blow at the polls in February 1895, when, according to Star reports, 311 of 345 voters had defeated . 89 t h e measure. On October 2, 1900, the newspaper reported that the City Council had postponed the charter election. This delay gave the newspaper addi tiona! time in which to continue its ongoing explanation of the 116

new charter and what it would mean to Pasadena citizens. The series was accompanied by a story on the views of several prominent Pasadena residents who favored the charter plus numerous Letters to the Editor, both pro and con. In addition, a Star editorial described the special provisions of the proposed charter that would allow its revision in the future at the discretion of Pasadena citizens only, instead of the usua 1 state-wl"d e consensus. 90 On November 22, 1900, the Star proudly announced that the new city charter had been adopted, largely the result of strong newspaper in fluence. It takes little imagination to recognize that Baumgartner was crediting the Star for effecting this political coup. 91

Presidential Elections. Meanwhile, the national elections were underway and the McKinley-Bryan contest rose to the forefront. By now Pasa dena's population had climbed to 9117 persons, making it the eleventh largest city in the state and a political force with a large measure 92 of influence. Throughout this campaign the Star had supported McKinley's reelection to office, a radical departure from its previous position in which William Jennings Bryan had been the preferred candi date.93 As election day neared, the Star reminded its citizens that it was the duty of all Pasadena Republicans to support their party's candidates and that Republicans who voted for Democrats were not the kind of people making the G.O.P. "good and great."94 A banner headline on November 6, 1900, hailed the "Sweeping Re publican Victory," while the next day's Star featured engravings of McKinley and the Vice President-elect, Theodore Roosevelt, with elec tion returns from around the United States. 95 In March 1901 the 117

newspaper provided local readers a complete word picture of the inaug ural ceremonies in Washington, D.C., again with engravings of the two American leaders. 96

Assassination. The joy over the Republican win was short-lived, how ever, for a mere six months later the Star sadly reported that the President had been "killed" by an assassin's bullet in Buffalo, New York. 97 Although this early report was inaccurate (in reality McKinley had been severely wounded), the worst did come to pass and

the newspaper on September 13 devoted the upper half of its front p~ge to the news that William McKinley had died. 98 While McKinley lay close to death, the Star had begun a series of news stories and opinion pieces condemning the presence of anarchy in society and featured several articles written by guest contributors on the President; his Vice President, Theodore Roosevelt; and local reac tions to the tragic news. This coverage of the McKinley assassination remained news for the Star through September 25, when the last contin uing report of his untimely death appeared on the paper's editorial 99 page. It was not the last word on the issue, however, for a Pas adena pastor held a memorial service in McKinley's honor one year later. These services, according to the Star, included a scathing attack from the pulpit on America for not eliminating anarchism as had been promised immediately after McKinley's death. 100

National Issues. Under Roosevelt, the United States stepped up its program to build the Panama Canal. In February 1902, the Star continued to examine the canal situation, in one instance using a reprint 118

from Engineering Magazine. The magazine story listed several reasons to favor Panama over Nicaragua as the site of the canal. 101 The Star's reaction to their proposition was supportive, which showed in subsequent reports on canal progress, including an article indicating that the Colombian government favored a canal treaty with the United States.102

By October 1903, the Manchurian Convention between the Russians and the Chinese had lapsed and Japan moved into Manchuria. From the outset, hostilities between Russia and Japan appeared likely, and the Star, recognizing the possibility, began a running commentary on the 103 event s t ransp1nng· · be t ween these two nat1"ons. 0n J anuary 11 ,

1904, Russia tested Japanese supremacy in Manchuria by opening Man churian ports to all nations, and by early February the Star was pub lishing accounts of the military action of the two nations now locked in the Russo-Japanese War. 104 The Star assumed the role of a metropolitan newspaper when it ran an analysis of the war under the headline, "The War in the Orient-- What Is It All About?" In its full-page feature, the paper discussed the causes leading to the international conflict and characterized the military leaders of both the Russians and the Japanese. The Star also included a map of the war zone and engravings of the Czar of Russia and the Emperor of Japan. 105 Pasadena was becoming cosmopolitan in its views, and its official daily newspaper was playing a major role in the introduction of this new way of thinking. However, it was also time for a change in Star management and for the Baumgartner era to end. 119

ENDNOTES

lPasadena~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--~I~on~, Even1· n Star and Dal· 1 Un · 24 Apr1 · 1 1890 , p. 2 ; Hiram A. Reid, His to!!: of Pasadena Pasadena: Pasadena History Com- pany, Publishers, 1895Y, p. 287. 2Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 27 September 1890, p. 1. 3Keith R. Stamm, Newspaper Use and Community Ties (Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Corporation, 1985), p. 86. 4Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 3 December 1894, p. 4. 5Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 26 October 1895, p. 4; 12 March 1896, p. 4; Edwin Emery and Michael Emery, The Press and America: An Inte retive Histo of the Mass Media (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1978 , p. 201. 6Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 21 February 1895, p. 4; 20 May 1895, p. 1. 7Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 3 May 1897, p. 4. 8Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 8 April 1890, p. 1. 9Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 9 April 1890, p. 1. 10J3en Bagdikian, "California's Version of the World," California Magazine, November 1984, p. 90.

llPasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 14 April 1890, p. 1. 12Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 15 April 1890, pp. 1, 2. 13Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 22 April 1890, p. 2.

14Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 12 August 1890, p. 1. 15Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 14 August 1890, pp. 1-2. 16Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 5 November 1890, p. 2. 17Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 10 July 1890, p. 2. 18Reid, p. 287; Pasadena Star, 11 January 1908, p. 9. 19J. W. Wood, Pasadena, California: Historical and Personal--A Com lete Histo of the Or anization of the Indiana Colon (Pasadena: J. W. Wood, 1917 , p. 240 20Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 17 April 1891, p. 2. 120

21Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 20 April 1891, p. 2; 23 April 1891, pp. 1-2. 22Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 24 April 1891, p. 2. 23Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 25 April 1891, p. 2. 24Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 17 February 1890, p. 2. 25Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 29 July 1890, p. 2. 26Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 15 June 1890, p. 2. 27Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 8 July 1890, p. 2. 28Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 4 May 1892, p. 1; 6 May 1892, p. 4. 29Pasadena bailr Evening Star, 9 June 1892, p. 4. 30Pasadena Dailr Evening Star, 11 September 1893, p. 4. 31Pasadena Dailr Evening Star, 20 July 1895, p. 8. 32Pasadena Dailr Evening Star, 11 July 1891, p. 2. 33Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 1 March 1892, p. s. 34Pasadena Dailr Evening Star, 15 July 1892, p. 2. 35Pasadena Dailr Evening Star, 27 December 1894, p. 7. 36Remi Nadeau, Los An eles: From Mission to Modern Cit (New York: Longmans, Green and Co., 1960 , p. 81; Marco R. Newmark, Jot tings in Southern California History (Los Angeles: Ward Ritchie Press, 1955)' p. 147. 37Joseph S. O'Flaherty, Those Powerful Years, The South Coast and Los Angeles 1887-1917 (Hicksville, NY: Exposition Press, Inc., 1978)' p. 54. 38Pasadena Evening Star and Dailr Union, 17 April 1890, p. 2. 39Pasadena Evening Star and Dailr Union, 22 October 1890, p. 2. 40Pasadena Star, 12 March 1890, p. 2. 41Pasadena Dailr Evening Star, 23 March 1891, p. 1. 42Pasadena Dailr Evening Star, 2 June 1891, p. 1; 8 July 1891, p. 2. 121 p •

43Donald Duke, "Mount Lowe Railway," Pacific Railway Journal, October-November 1954, p. 3. 44Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 23 March 1891, p. 1. 45Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 5 March 1892, p. 1; 24 March 1892, p. 1. 46J

5Dfuke, p. 10. 51Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 24 December 1897, p. I. 52Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 1 May 1899, p. 5. 53Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 10 July 1901, p. 1. 54Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 3 December 1901, p. I. 55 Jane D. McCloskey, 6 Horses and 10 Head: Two Hundred Years on the Rancho San Pasqua!, 1770-1970 (Pasadena: Wood & Jones, 1971), pp. 67-8. 56earol Green Wilson, California Yankee: William R. Staats, Business Leader (Claremont, CA: The Saunders Press, 1946), p. 6. 57Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 25 October 1900, p. 1. (However, note that the Pasadena Star, 25 February 1890, p. 2, claims Pasadena's population was 20,000 and Los Angeles was 90,000 persons in 1890.) 58Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 19 April 1890, pp. I, 2.

59Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 23 March 1892, p. I. 601-Jenry Markham Page, Pasadena: Its Early Years (Los Angeles: Lorrin L. Morrison, 1964), pp. 166-7. 61Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 2 January 1896, p. 4. 62 Wilson, p. 36. 63Pasadena Star, 30 December 1889, p. 1. 64Pasadena Star, 2 January 1890, p. 1. 122

65Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 2 January 1895, p. 6. 66Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 28 October 1895, p. 4. 67Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 7 November 1895, p. 4; 13 Novem ber 1895, p. 1. 68Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 23 December 1897, p. 1. 69pasadena Daily Evening Star, 4 December 1893, p. 4; 7 December 1901, p. 1; 12 December 1901, p. 1. 70Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 16 October 1897, p. 4. 71Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 9 February 1892, p. 1; Harold D. Carew, Histo of Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valle California, vol. 1, Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Pu lishing Company, 1930 , p. 10 • 72McCloskey, p. 75. 73Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 4 December 1899, p. 1; Page, p. 215. 74.McCloskey, p. 81. 75Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 1 September 1900, p. 4. 76Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 16 January 1902, p. 3. 77Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 11 January 1902, p. 3; 13 January 1902, p. 4. 78Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 14 September 1903, p. 1. 79Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 10 February 1902, p. 4; 15 February 1902, p. 2. 80Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 13 October 1900, p. 3; 15 October 1900, p. 4; 17 October 1900, p. 4. 81Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 10 February 1902, p. 4. 82Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 11 September 1903, p. ·4. 83Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 13 August 1902, p. 4. 84Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 13 September 1902, p. 4. 85Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 10 October 1902, p. 4. 86Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 10 September 1900, p. 4; 11 September 1900, p. 4; 12 September 1900, p. 4. 123

87Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 14 September 1900, p. 4. 88Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 27 September 1900, p. 4. 89page, p. 204; Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 25 February 1895, p. 4. 90Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 14 November 1900, p. 1 ; 1 7 No- vember 1900, pp. 2-4, 6; 19 November 1900, p. 1. 91Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 22 November 1900, p. 4. 92Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 25 October 1900, p. 1. 93Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 1 September 1900, p. 1. 94Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 22 October 1900, p. 4; 3 Novem- ber 1900, p. 4. 95Pasadena Dailr Evening Star, 6 November 1900, p. 1; 7 Novem- ber 1900, p. 1.

96Pasadena Dailr Evening Star, 4 March 1901, p. 1.

97Pasadena Dailr Evening Star, 6 September 1901, p. 1. 98Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 13 September 1901, P• 1. 99Pasadena Dailr Evening Star, 25 September 1901, P· 4. lOOPasadena Dailr Evening Star, 15 September 1902, P· 1. 101Pasadena Dailr Evening Star, 10 February 1902, p. 6. 102Pasadena Dailr Evening Star, 13 November 1902, p. 1. 103Pasadena Dailr Evening Star, 12 October 1903, p. 1. 104Pasadena Dailr Evening Star, 11 January 1904, p. 1; 10 Febru ary 1904, p. 1; 11 February 1904, p. 1; 13 February 1904, p. 1. 105Pasadena Dailr Evening Star, 13 February 1904, p. 8. CHAP1'm 6 A HALF-CENTURY DYNASTY BEGINS

In September 1904, a signed article appeared in the Star announc ing that the newspaper was "not on the market. 111 The story was intended to scotch a previous day's report by the Los Angeles Herald, which said "that the Pasadena Evening Star is about to change hands" and that the current editor, J. P. Baumgartner, was confronted with a choice of two buyers: a "non-resident publisher from the east," or a

"syndicate of local business men who were quietly arranging to make a substantial offer for the Star." Baumgartner's response to the Herald release was one of incredul- ity. "When Mr. Allen of the Express spoke to me on the subject yesterday, I took the whole matter as a joke," he wrote in his paper. "I have no thought or intention of disposing of the Star." Before a scant two months had passed, however, another Baumgartner column admitted to the sale of the newspaper. In his "Parting of the

Ways" article, the publisher said goodbye to Star readers "at least as an editor, if not as a neighbor and a friend, for this is the last 2 issue of the Star under my management and ownership. " In the Novem ber 30 article, Baumgartner also expressed his gratitude for the "un expected expressions of appreciation, confidence and esteem that have come to me since the announcement was made that I had sold the paper."

On December 1, 1904, two brothers, Charles and William Prisk, took control of the Pasadena daily, along with another partner, Albert J. 3 Hosking. In a true gentlemanly fashion the new owners ensured that

124 125

Baumgartner's departure was surrounded with ceremony. His last evening at the Star, the outgoing editor was feted at a great party in . -- the newspaper's offices in which the staff members and the new owners paid tribute to Baumgartner, presenting him with a gold watch fob hon oring the occasion as well as a token of their great appreciation. 4 Without further fanfare, Baumgartner stepped aside. On that first day of December 1904, the Prisks took charge, beginning a half-century family dynasty that was destined to see the Pasadena Star survive another newspaper merger, a worldwide depression, two world wars, a mil- i tary police action involving .American forces, a radical change in Pasadena's government, and the beginnings of school integration in the community.

SOME STAR POLICIES REMAINED THE SAME Despite the change in management at the Star in December 1904, and the obvious differences that the new owners introduced to some practices at the publication, many of the paper's editorial views remained fairly consistent with those of the previous publishers.

The Ethnic Policy of the Star The racial situation was one such issue that continued to appear in the Star's pages. While commenting on a proposed trip by Theodore Roosevelt through the Southern United States in 1904, the Star wrote that the Presidential journey would probably produce two results: Increased unity between the states and a greater acceptance of the Negro. 5 A1 though the Star supported racial equality as a social necessity, the editorial branded racial intermarriage as "repugnant." 126

In March 1905, the Star ran a feature on the Negro and the contri butions that the black race had made to American culture. In the opinion of the Pasadena publisher, black people had shown white Ameri 6 ca that "they are worthy citizens. " Along the same vein was a Star editorial that appeared in December 1913, praising the selection of a black student as the speaker of his graduating class at an ivy-league university. "A negro has been made class orator at Harvard. There is no color line against merit and brains," wrote the newspaper. 7 The newspaper also tended to vacillate on the Oriental issue. A page 1 story on August 18, 1905, indicated that, of the West Coast states, only California supported the Chinese Exclusion laws. 8 According to the newspaper, the Golden State intended to hold the Chinese immigrant closely under its control to ensure that white Americans did not lose out to the yellow race. Shortly thereafter, however, the Star published an article by a noted Californian, Joaquin Miller, who defended Chinese immigration in rebuttal to a strong anti-Chinese piece by long-time Pasadena leader, Dr. C. F. Holder. In fairness to both men and to the period in which they lived, Miller may not have been as altruistic as he was practical when he wrote: "Exclusion was about the worst thing that ever hap pened to this fertile state so much in need of reliable labor."9 Still later the Star reported on a plot uncovered in San Francisco in which the Chinese planned the "wholesale entry" of coolie laborers to overturn the Chinese Exclusion Act. 10 Despite the fact that the Star shifted its opinion on Oriental immigration from one moment to the next, it did attempt to present both sides of the highly controversial issue. 127

The Chinese were not the only Oriental race singled out for exclu- ionary practices. The Japanese immigrant also captured his share of discrimination. Interestingly, the United States was not in total agreement on how Japanese restrictions should be applied, and the popular view did not always coincide with the official Washington assessment. Whereas President Theodore Roosevelt had at one time proclaimed that "the Japanese [are] the equal of Americans in all things," he recognized a change in the political climate when Capitol Hill was flooded with telegrams and letters from concerned citizens demandine a ban on imported Japanese coolie labor. Although Roosevelt at first condemned the city of San Francisco for refusing to admit Japanese children to its schools, he later honored this decided shift in public opinion and announced his commitment to a policy of full exclusion, supporting separate school facilities for Japanese students. The Star dutifully reported these far-reaching policy changes and supported the Exclusion Acts in its editorial pages. 11 By January 1908, the newspaper openly praised Japanese exclusion and suggested that the Japanese government do its part by halting the emigration of an undesirable "class of its subjects" that were un welcome in both the United States and Canada. 12 In contrast, a subsequent editorial opinion of the Star appeared to support the pending marriage of an ordained Japanese minister to an American missionary worker from Los Angeles. In commenting on the union, the missionary worker's superior declared, "the Japanese minister is thoroughly Amer icanized and is a refined and educated gentleman ••• [and] I see no . . h . ,13 reason f or opposition to sue a marriage. The Star did not limit its Oriental exclusion policies to the 128 Q •

Chinese and the Japanese, however. In a September 1910 editorial, the newspaper demanded that the Hindu be barred from the United States.

According to the publishers, "in every essential phase of his charac

ter the Hindu is an Asiatic. He is Oriental in religion, in manners,

in unassimibili ty. He is utterly incapable of blending with Arneri 14 cans," the newspaper continued. Despite its relatively strong exclusionary stand in the first dec

ade of the twentieth century, the Star's publishers would in later years adopt a considerably more liberal policy on the Oriental issue. However, as will be seen, the scales tended to tip first one way and

then the other as the controversial subject took on a more economic complexion than political. These types of contradictory views were common occurrences in the Pasadena Star for several years.

THE STAR AS A CRUSADER

As one of the two principal daily newspapers in Pasadena, the Star often considered itself the voice of the people. Consequently, the newspaper would become involved periodically in controversial issues that forced it to take sides.

The Star Versus a Federal Agency

Toward the· end of 1904, the American meat packing industry came under heavy fire for producing what was reported to be "adulterated or dangerous food stuffs" that were considered unsafe to eat. The United

States Department of Agriculture took up the cause in the name of the

American people, launching a campaign to protect the consumer. The

Star, however, viewed the Agriculture department's move as somewhat 129

over-zealous and recommended that the public look carefully at the government's policy as it was one that could drive up the cost of living. According to the Pasadena newspaper, the domestic packing houses, in addition to their local markets, also supplied food for many European armies and even were said to be financial backers for three well-known French packing houses, which were involved in feeding European soldiers. 15 In an editorial opinion, the newspaper warned that "pushing this [cause] too far will restrict the importation of foods into the United States," and therefore could adversely affect

Am er1can. 1"nfl at1on. . 16

After following the packing house issue closely for a number of months, the Star proudly reported that American packers were very cost-conscious and had developed a technique whereby all parts of the slaughtered animal could be used. As a result of the close scrutiny of the industry by the United States government, the packers were ultimately found innocent of major wrong-doing and the business became a thriving economic success.

The Tournament of Roses as an Issue Meanwhile, the final touches were being placed on the 1905 Tourna- ment of Roses. By now the Tournament had become a Pasadena tradition, and as always, the Star staunchly supported the New Year's Day clas sic. Unhappily, the newspaper reported that in 1905 a relatively new and seemingly popular event, college football, had been cancelled for "this year. 1117 In addition, another Tournament event, the highly publicized and well-received chariot races, also suffered a setback when the president of the Pasadena Humane Society, the Reverend E. L. 130

Conger, decided that the one-mile course was too long for the horses running the race. The Star did not favor Conger's view, since the chariot races were such a long-time favorite of both the community and 18 the newspaper, and his objections were unwelcome. As a result,

the chariots did run in 1905, and for many years thereafter, having become a Pasadena institution. Whether the Star viewpoint influenced the continuation of the races is not certain, but what is clear is that the Star supported the races and as the leading newspaper in

Pasadena it obviously exerted some influence.

Also during this period the Tournament of Roses introduced a completely new concept. In 1906 the Tournament Association selected a 19 Qu een of the pageant , th e f 1rs. t 1n . 1 . t s t wenty-year h.I story. The modern-day Tournament of Roses had come of age.

The Airship Takes Off

In early 1905, the Star reported on a unique race that pitted a new form of transportation, the airship, against the better-known automobile. Starting at Chutes Park outside of Los Angeles, the race terminated in South Pasadena at the Raymond Hotel grounds. The air ship arrived first, netting its pilot, Ray Knabenshue, a $500 prize.

As the airship appeared over South Pasadena, it attracted a sizable crowd, including a Star reporter who faithfully ·chronicled the his- . 20 tone event.

Much credit goes to the Pasadena Star for making Knabenshue a favorite of Southern California and Pasadena especially, when the newspaper later heralded the airman's attempts to establish a com mercial airship route first between the San Gabriel Valley and Mount 131

Wilson, and then from Pasadena to the beach cities. 2.1 Despite Knabenshue' s enthusiasm and the Pasadena Star's support, however, these projects never fully materialized. In a later article, the pilot was reportedly ready to inaugurate his passenger air service from the Raymond Hotel site in South Pasadena to the beach area on May 17, 1913, which coincided with the first annual Pasadena May festival. A1 though the Star declared the celebration a resounding success, it made no mention of the airship or of Knabenshue. The ambitious scheme 22 seemed to have faded away. Compared with what actually happened, Knabenshue may have preferred oblivion. On April 10, 1914, one year after his inaugural service, the Star reported that Knabenshue' s air route was in serious financial straits. His one season of airship service. h a d b ecome an economic. d.Isaster. 23

The Star Considers ~ftlnicipal Utilities In a somewhat different vein, the Star took up the issue of munic ipal ownership of utilities. Both city-owned waterworks and lighting systems were long-time local controversies. Yet the Pasadena Star presented both sides of the two issues, with a slant toward the newspaper's preference. On the water system, the Star commented: "If properly managed, [it] ought to pay its own way and prove no burden to taxpayers." The newspaper supported these proposals at this time to convince the Pasadena City Council that the pending bond issue should be placed on the next municipal ballot. The Star was at least par tially successful in this quest when it reported that the Pasadena Board of Trade was solidly behind the proposal. At the same time, the Star's March 10 editorial stated that if any 132 Q •

American city was "capable of owning and managing its own utili ties it may be considered that conditions in Pasadena are most favorable [and t h e ci. t y ] s hou ld now grasp t h e opportunity.. 1124 (An Interesting. . sidenote to this is the fact that it took so long to effect that the cost to Pasadena when the deal was finally consummated nearly doubled. Despite the constant support of the Star, local voters faced several bond issues at the polls between 1905 and 1911 when the transfer of titles ultimately occurred. The total bill to the taxpayers in 19ll

was $1,151,152.89. However, if the transfer had been approved when first proposed in 1905 the deal would have involved only $707,500. 25) In the meantime, a power-generating project in Central California was being formulated, using the runoff from snows melting in the High Sierras to drive hydroelectric systems. This ambitious project prom ised such an immense generating capacity that the promoters recognized the only market large enough to consume its output was the Los Angeles and Pasadena metropolis. Unfortunately, a high-voltage transmission system did not exist at that time which could carry the electricity the necessary distance. Spurred on by Henry Huntington's extensive real estate developments in the Southland and the promise of neerled financial backing, the technical drawbacks of high-voltage transmission lines were overcome and the Southern California Edison Company was able to deliver electricity to Los Angeles. The abundance of ade quate electric power ensured the continued growth and prosperity of the area, and increased its attractiveness to visitors, many of whom 26 were to become residents. (As will be seen in a later chapter of this thesis, this plan was destined to become a reality.) 133

THE STAR TAKFS ON A NEW LOOK Not only did the publisher's name change in the staff box of the Pasadena Star on December 1, 1904, but so did the entire layout and typographic style of the newspaper. A1 though the new appearance was immediate under Charles and William Prisk and Albert Hosking, even more changes in the Star were forthcoming as the new owners' awareness of and familiarity with the community mood heightened.

A Late Start The first issue of the Pasadena Star under the Prisk/Hosking team had a very inauspicious beginning. As a result of equipment changes, the newspaper introduced a new typeface that day, which required all advertising to be reset and caused the first edition to be late in reaching the streets. The new publisher reacted quickly to the delay and apologized to Star readers the following day. On his second day of publication, Charles Prisk promised all subscribers that they could expect the on-time delivery of their newspaper from that day forward: "One of the cardinal rules of the office will be to publish the paper promptly and early." 27 With very few exceptions, the Frisks followed this principal during the next fifty years. As mentioned previously, the Star had adopted extensive changes in format under Prisk ownership. Where the newspaper, even as a weekly in 1886, had featured advertising on all of its pages, the new Pasa dena Star limited commercial material to its interior pages only. The front page was reserved for news only--news items such as the results of an election in San Gabriel that saw the voters defeat a pro-saloon movement, the report of a grisly double murder in Los Angeles, and an 134

article on a photographic scam in Pasadena that resulted in both mer chants and their customers being cheated. 28 In an editorial opinion in early 1905, the publisher acknowledged the importance of advertising as a revenue source to the newspaper, but vowed not to allow ads to influence "what goes into the editorial and news columns."29 During the same period, Charles Prisk presented Pasadena residents with a look at his journalism philosophy. Less than two weeks after taking charge of the Pasadena daily, Prisk told Star readers that the public itself was largely to blame for the inaccuracies appearing in newspapers. Rather than the professional reporter purposely including false or misleading information in his stories, Prisk said, inaccurate reports stemmed from the partially true data that the public "fed" to the newsman, which the journalist then reported as honestly and pre cisely as possible. To emphasize his point, Prisk said that lazy and incompetent reporters who might attempt improper and unprofessional practices would quickly be discovered and replaced by the publisher to ensure that the reputation of the newspaper was not damaged. 30

Expansion in the Pressroom By the summer of 1905, the Star was once again upgrading its operation by installing a new Cox press. The new perfecting press was purchased from an eastern manufacturer, the Duplex Printing Press Com pany, and shipped west by Santa Fe Railway, arriving in Pasadena on July 14, 1905. 31 The press was accompanied on its trip west by the manufacturer's representative who installed the machine in its new home. The Cox press was considered the only one of its kind in Cali fornia at this time, and only one of two on the West Coast. The other 135

companion press was installed at a newspaper located in Washington state. This new equipment, the Star proudly announced, would allow it to produce 5500 twelve-page newspapers per hour directly from lead type rather than the stereotype reproduction process commonly used by other newspaper publishers. According to the editor, the new system would enable the Pasadena Star to serve its subscribers more rapidly than ever before. The Prisks were extremely pleased with their new acquisition. Not only did they believe that the Cox press substantially improved the final product, but it permitted the newspaper to insert "live, fresh 32 news [and] materially strengthen [its reporting] of local news." In addition to the latest in presses, the Prisks also felt that theirs was the most up-to-date newspaper environment in the West, if not the country. The Star's pressroom even featured a toilet for employees. Yet the acquisition of such specialized equipment could be both a benefit and a drawback to the average newspaper. While the expense of this new, advanced machinery might have proved to be a financial hard ship to all but the most successful of journals, an Ernest Hynds study disclosed that such "technological developments made the rapid expan sion of [economically stable] newspapers possible."33

Techniques Employed to Increase Circulation It was under this sort of circumstance that the Pasadena Star began to emerge as a technological leader. But these improvements were not without their costs. To finance the expense of this new equipment, the Star turned to various programs designed to boost its 136

circulation. It increased the size of the color comic section in its Saturday issues, which appealed to the family aspect of journalism, and it made greater use of color in its weekday editions also to im prove reader appeal. "Color work by the Star Press" heralded this new policy, which saw headlines over the more important stories printed in 34 red ink "if the occasion demands a brighter color than black." The newspaper also began sponsoring contests designed to increase its number of readers. One scheme involved the selection of the most popular young ladies in the greater Pasadena area. Votes for each contestant were obtained by soliciting new subscriptions to the Star from local residents. In a March 1906 subscription drive, the paper 35 offered vacations to Yosemite to five such young ladies. This contest closed in May when the Star announced that a total of two mil lion ballots had been cast by participating subscribers. It was with a considerable amount of pride! that the newspaper reported the number one candidate had captured an amazing 300,000 votes, which translated 36 into dozens of new Star readers. The contest was more successful than the Star publishers ever imagined. One of the five winners was a former resident of New Bruns wick, New Jersey, who had relocated to Pasadena some time before. The news of her win filtered back to the New Brunswick News, which picked up the story and the concept, and resulted in the New Jersey newspaper sponsoring a similar contest of its own. The Star's management was obviously pleased by this replication of its circulation scheme when the newspaper ran an account of the Eastern newspaper's contest in June 1906. 37 137

The Newspaper's Growth Continues

By the early 1900s the Star had developed its own telegraphic news

service as well as using a Washington, D.C. news association to pro-

vide extensive coverage of "political and governmental affairs in the nation's capital" plus international events. In addition, the paper had doubled the number of reporters on its staff. Although the newspaper employed a special correspondent in the San Francisco area to gather news from the northern part of California, the Star remained fiercely supportive of Pasadena. "The Star believes in co-operative civic loyalty, in burying all factional animosity and in every Pasa 38 denan being a minute man for a greater Pasadena."

When the Prisk era began, Pasadena was involved in a period of extremely active growth. For example, during 1903, Pasadena had regi- 39 stered a $1 million increase in real estate values, which continued through 1904 as well. In Prisk's f,irst issue, the Star reported that this growth was an ongoing situation but, unlike previous years, expansion was controlled by conservative and forward-thinking business minds. The newspaper also suggested that Pasadena's record-breaking construction, as logged the previous November, exemplified this re- straint and produced a structured growth pattern rather than another 40 land "boom" that had been so prevalent in the city's early days.

Indeed, according to the Star, Pasadena land brokers unanimously de clared that all sections of the city were experiencing an era of unparalleled prosperity; by early 1906, Pasadena's population had 41 risen to 20,000 persons. The newspaper acknowledged the impact of this growth on the Star itself when it proclaimed that "a greater Pas- 42 adena has made possible a greater Star." 138

Once again the newspaper decided to improve its plant equipment, this time by installing the third deck of a Straightline Goss press in December 1906. This latest acquisition increased the Star's pressroom capacity to an amazing 30, 000 eight -page newspapers per hour. The publisher boasted that the new installation provided the Pasadena Star with "the only three-deck perfecting press capable of printing in four colors in the broad Pacific Coast. 1143 Yet this improvement was only one of many that increased the Star's capabilities and accommodated a greater acceptance of the newspaper in a fast-growing community. By early 1910, the newspaper recognized that the current building it occupied at Raymond and Union streets was too small to satisfy the circulation it now enjoyed. In May, the Star Publishing Company an nounced that it had acquired the property on the southeast corner of Raymond and Holly streets, near the Post Office and across the street from Library Park in downtown Pasadena. In a May 13 article, the Star proudly described its proposed quarters:

"The building will be built of fine pressed bricks [and has] ample lighting through many windows, a most desirable feature in a newspaper building. "The press room will be one of the finest in the country. Through its windows the public can see the great 24-page Goss straightline perfecting press at work. There is no finer press in the world than The Star's and in the new building the public will for the first time have a chance to view its workings. "The available working space in the new building will be practically three times as much as in The Star's present quarters, and the fact that but five years ago the present building was deemed more than adequate for The Star, is an apt commentary upon the wonderful growth of both the paper and Pasadena."44

While the proposed completion date for the paper's new home was October 1, construction delays and other problems were encountered that postponed the actual move by seven weeks. Interestingly, when 139

the date finally arrived, the Star reported on its move in a small page 1 article. On November 25, 1910, the newspaper announced that the "gigantic task is nearly completed," and occupancy of the new building had been under way for some time. The following day, the

Star declared that "it was a mammoth task to move the plant, but it was accomplished without a hitch and without missing a regular day of 45 publication. " The newspaper was now conducting all of its business operations from the Raymond Avenue at Holly Street location, but with the same phone number to reduce inconvenience to its many subscribers.

Shortly after the move into its new quarters, the Pasadena Star became the topic of an article in Print Shop Talk, a trade journal written by newspapermen for newspapermen. In the publication much praise was given to the Star's operating plant and the fact that it featured the most modern, up-to-date equipment available to the newspaper In. d ustry at t h at time. . 46

Over the next several years, the city of Pasadena continued to grow, and along with it so did the Star. By 1913 the newspaper had a cadre of fifty newspaper carriers to satisfy its home delivery routes 47 in addition to the sales it commanded on the newsstands.

In May 1913 the Star ran a special edition to accommodate the huge volume of advertising that had been sold to Pasadena merchants. This was followed by a forty-page issue featuring complete coverage of the two-day Pasadena Auto Show, which took over the entire Amphitheater of the Maryland Hotel. Pasadena Star coverage for this event included photographs of many of the city's socially elite who were responsible for sponsoring the show. 48 140

To keep pace with its increased circulation and advertising, the

Star was again forced to expand its pressroom. On June 10, 1913, a new Goss sextuplet press was delivered to the newspaper, and by July 1 it was operational. To accommodate the Star's many subscribers who wished the newspaper delivered to them while on vacation, the Star 49 arranged to mail its issues to numerous other locations.

Pasadena Loses Another Daily

Although Pasadena claimed in excess of 43,000 permanent residents by late 1915, it became increasingly apparent that the city could not support two daily newspapers. The Star had been featured in Newspa perdom, a leading trade journal of that period, as "one of [its] win ning dailies, the only Pasadena newspaper so honored." Therefore, it came as no surprise when the Star's publishers announced that their newspaper would join forces with the Pasadena Daily News on March 1.

"The merger is brought about by the incorporation of the Pasadena Star-News Publishing Co., with C. H. Prisk, J. H. Pryor, Lon F. Cha- pin, W. F. Prisk, and A. J. Hosking as stockholders and directors," the Star wrote. The resulting company would remain privately held, 50 however, and no public issue of stock was to be made.

The Star went on to explain what forces had brought about the change and exactly what these changes would mean to the city.

"The merger is the outgrowth of a suggestion made repeatedly to the publishers of each paper, that one strong newspaper would meet fully the demands of the Pasadena field; that concentration of energies would produce an even better paper than either The Star or The News; that to maintain two newspapers would be [an] excessive burden on advertisers. '~e more the matter was studied the more it was felt that a merger as proposed would be a good thing for the city as well as 141

for all ·concerned. It means it will be possible for advertisers to obtain space in the one paper at a lower rate for the same ser vice than they are paying now for space in the two; that they will be certain to reach [virtually] every home in the city, at a re duced subscription rate; that the publishers will be able to elim inate the expense of operating duplicate plants. "The Pasadena Star-News hopes to earn for itself a unique position in California journalism--a newspaper which will find a place in every home in Pasadena."Sl

Under terms of the agreement, all subscribers' contracts with both newspapers would be honored. To show that most citizens favored the merger, the Star ran the comments of several prominent Pasadenans concerning the consolidation. Included in the article were such notables as C. W. Kainer, Pasadena city manager; 0. E. Boadway, noted Pasadena merchant; and T. D. Allin, Pasadena city engineer. All agreed that the move would be of benefit to the community. The modern-day Pasadena Star-News was born.

HOW THE STAR HANDLED CRISES During the early years of the Prisk dynasty, the world experienced a series of extraordinary occurrences that captured considerable space in the Pasadena Star. These events were not local in nature, but they did serve to galvanize Pasadenans and make the insular community into a cosmopolitan city. The far-reaching effects changed the lives of even the most unsophisticated residents and ensured their roles as world citizens.

The San Francisco Earthquake Less than two years after the Prisks took charge of the Star-News, a huge earthquake with numerous aftershocks struck San Francisco. The 142

tremors on April 18, 1906, started several fires that swept across the entire Bay city and razed most of the buildings left standing after the earth movement. The Star's publishers recognized the tremendous impact of this event and began reporting immediately after receiving the first wire service dispatches from the stricken area. 52 The Star provided extensive coverage of the natural disaster, and proudly announced in print that it had the only telegraphic news ser

vice in Pasadena, which allowed it to issue the latest-breaking reports over the next few days. The Star also included local reactions to the devastation, reporting that fire equipment from the city of Los Angeles was standing by ready to assist its sister community to the north and that the Pasadena Board of Trade was offering financial aid to the disaster-ridden area as well. Within a short time, the Star, which had begun to run photos of the Bay area ruins, was also publish ing first-hand eye-witness accounts of the calamity by Pasadenans re turning from the area. Despite the total destruction it was reporting, however, the Star retained its traditional booster view of California as it expressed the opinion that "it is not fair to draw the inference that the earth quake is particularly a California institution." The Star continued, "this is not the time for wavering and weakness--brave hearts are 53 already planning to rehabilitate that which has been destroyed." In later months as San Francisco began rebuilding, the Star sup ported a move to allow federal aid to help complete the job even more quickly. The newspaper's rationale was that "cities like San Fran cisco do not belong to the State alone, but to the whole country." On June 12, the Star reported that San Francisco was offering its own 143

municipal bonds as collateral for $13 million in federal funds to be 54 used to rebuild the city. On the first anniversary of the earthquake, the Star remembered the disaster in an editorial. The new rebuilt San Francisco, according to the Pasadena newspaper, was better, grander, more magnificent than it had been before. Instead of simply brick and mortar, the Bay City represented the spirit of America, which is the "lasting element" on which all American cities are built. 55

The Los Angeles Times Bombing On October 1, 1910, the day that the Star was scheduled to move into its new horne at Raymond and Holly streets, a major news story broke that involved the entire Los Angeles/Southern California area for several weeks and literally saw the newspaper tear out its first, second, third, and fourth pages for an extra edition. While the Pasa dena Star normally reported on such mundane matters as building per- rnits, Pasadena bargain days, city conventions, land sales, and primary elections, the October 1 issue startled readers with the banner head: "Two Score Dead or Hurt As A Result of Times Explosion." Four full pages were devoted to reports of the blast that completely destroyed the Los Angeles Times plant the previous evening. Eyewitness accounts of the tragedy were included, along with police reports of the event and photographs of the gutted building while it still burned. 56 Immediately following the explosion, the Star cautiously indicated that it would "withhold prejudgment on the Los Angeles Times disaster" until it could be "proven beyond a reasonable doubt. that a crime has been cornrni tted." Such evidence appeared the next day. On October 2, 144

the Star reported that a "reward for capture [of] the Times dynamiters [had] reached $73,500. 57

For the next four days the story remained page 1 copy as the Star reported that increasing evidence showed the destruction was not the result of an accidential explosion caused by leaking natural gas, but rather by a dynamite charge possibly set by radicals. The Star also wrote that operatives from the William J. Burns detective agency, who were investigating the case, had uncovered incontestible proof that thieves had stolen the explosives from a San Francisco powder company some time before. Within a short period, the explosives were shipped to Los Angeles by boat where they were used on the Times. 58

As the days passed, the frequency of reports on the Times incident became fewer in number, and the Star concentrated on the human interest aspects of the bombing. Arlie Churchill Harvey-Elder, assistant city editor at the Times, was on duty the night of the bombing and died in the explosion and subsequent fire. As a prior resident of Pasadena, Harvey-Elder was of interest to local readers, especially since the minister officiating at his burial was the Reverend Robert Burdette, a long-time Pasadena religious leader. 59 The International Typographers Union locals in Galveston, Texas, expressing outrage over the attack, pledged a $10,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of all persons responsible for the bombing. At the same time, details were released on a benefit theatrical performance being co"-sponsored by the Star and the Pasadena Evening News 60 with proceeds used to aid the survivors of the bombing. Southern

California had a common cause and its citizens were rising to the occasion behind the leadership of the Pasadena press. 145 Q '

Once the Star recognized that the Times incident was no accident, the newspaper voiced strong opinions on what action should be taken to punish those responsible. The Pasadena daily joined forces philosoph

ically with the Los Angeles Police Department when it called for much stricter controls on dynamite and other explosives, the Star also de manded that justice be served. In a strongly worded editorial, the

Star wrote: "Let no guilty man escape [nor] innocent man be accused of committing the Los Angeles Times outrage."61

Although several months passed while the investigation was under way, the eventual outcome was the arrest, trial, and conviction of two men, J. B. McNamara and Ortie McManigal, for the bombing. For some years the Times had been involved in an ongoing dispute with labor unions, and blame for the bombing of the newspaper plant was implied to have been union connected, if not directed. Naturally the union leaders denied any involvement in the act, but ultimately they were chagrined when McNamara and McManigal, avowed unionists claiming to be acting under union orders, pleaded guilty to the crime. At this point union leadership radically altered its approach to the trial. "Can't hang 'em too high to suit me," a San Francisco labor chief was quoted 62 as saying. This statement strongly echoed the sentiments of the newspaper community in general, and the Star in particular.

The Russo-Japanese War Leads to World Conflict

During 1905 the Star continued its role as an international voice, reporting on the ongoing activities involving Japanese and Russian military action, using the dispatches of its telegraphic services for source material. Routinely appearing on the Star's front pages were 146 " . datelines of Tokyo, Mukden, Moscow, and St. Petersburg, which covered 63 the exploits of the two nations halfway around the world. Each Star article dealt with the Russo-Japanese war in various aspects-- from actual battles to political. events possibly impacting on the pro secution of the war. In one February editorial, the newspaper described the Japanese as "rash" for having attacked the larger, more powerful Russia. Yet, the Star continued, because the Oriental aggressor was obviously dominat ing its opposition, the other nations of the world held the Japanese in extremely high regard for their military prowess. 64 (It would appear that the Star saw the Japanese nationals in their own coun~ry in a totally different light from the Japanese immigrants who were attempting to enter the United States.) By August 1905, the Russians had all but surrendered to Japan, and the Star turned from accounts of killing to diplomatic negotiations involving the cessation of hostilities. Page 1 news reported on the negotiations entered into by both counties at Portsmouth, New Hamp- shire, and the leading role of Theodore Roosevelt as the international peacemaker. 65 Although peace was officially declared September 5, 1905, the Star continued to cover minor military skirmishes, including the sinking of the Japanese warship Mikasa. According to Star re ports, the fire and explosion aboard the ship claimed the lives of 599 66 officers and men, and was blamed on sabotage by a fanatic. Peace lasted but a few short years when political unrest again be came evident in Europe. During the latter part of 1908, Star coverage included Germany's attempts to take control of Morocco as well as the concerted efforts of England, France, Spain, and Russia to prevent the 147

takeover. 67 The first real indication of a full-scale European war came from London sources, when the Star declared that a Balkan war was imminent. The newspaper indicated that smaller nations were rushing to attack before they were overrun by their stronger neighbors. 68 In a May 1912 editorial, the Star discussed the potential global conflict growing out of the dissension between England and Germany. Toward the end of the year, another Star editorial dealt with an ex 69 tension of war conditions that "may envelope Europe in flames. " Shortly thereafter, the newspaper reported that Germany was considering conscription of females, while other Balkan nations had similar plans. An increased frequency of such reports signaled the growing conflict in Europe that threatened to spill over to the rest of the world. "Italy Declares War on Germany; Battle Loss Huge" screamed the Star's page 1 headline on August 7, 1914, and the newspaper began an ongoing series called "Day's Development in Great War." Although the Star realized that total all-out war was inevitable, its publishers warned all Americans to remain fair and neutral in their dealings with every European nation, regardless of the war and the side the individual nation represented. 70 As the war broadened in scope, the United States found it increasingly difficult to remain neutral, especially with Germany's increased submarine activity, which included American shipping in its list of targets. On March 10, 1915, the Star reported that a German U-boat had sunk the American sailing ship William P. Frye. Within two months this was followed by reports detailing the May 7, 1915, torpedo attack on the passenger liner, Lusitania, which resulted in a tremendous loss of American lives. At this time the Star asked the pointed question, 148

"Has the world gone stark mad?" 69 Three days later, however, the newspaper faced an irate readership with an impassioned plea to "await all facts. Wait! Be calm!" think before involving the United States 72 in an all-out war over the Lusitania. Additional stories appeared in Star columns over the next months. While many of them contained details of German aggression that often involved American deaths, the Star continued as the voice of reason, always extolling the virtues of peace and attempting to convince its readers that war was no solution to the problem. For example, in its

July 15, 1915, editorial, the Star editors cautioned American diplo mats to read a note that the German government forwarded to the United States on the Lusitania tragedy since, as the Star wrote, it makes possible the "maintenance of peace." Yet, a scant month later, the Star was reporting that the White Star ship Arabic had been torpedoed by a German submarine. In an unconsciously ironic move, the Star reported "Fifteen Americans on Liner Sunk Without Warning," a story that saw the United States move closer to the World War. At the same time the Star, desperately clinging to peace, reported that President Wood row Wilson still believed the role of America was that of an interna tiona. 1 me d.1a t or. 73 Unfortunately, both Wilson and the Star were to be proved wrong, as the United States edged closer to total involvement in the ongoing European conflict. Although both tried to avoid war for America, the wish was not to be, and by 1917 United States soldiers were dying on the battlefields of France and Belgium. America had entered "the war to end all wars." 149

ENDNOTES lPasadena Daily Evening Star, 13 September 1904, p. 4. 2Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 30 November 1904, p. 4. 3J. W. Wood, Pasadena, California: Historical and Personal--A Co lete His to of the Or anization of the Indiana Colon (Pasadena: J. W. Wood, 1917 , p. 240; Harris Newmark, Sixty Years in Southern California, 1853-1913, 4th ed. Maurice H. Newmark and Marco R. New mark, ed., (Los Angeles: Zeitlin &VerBrugge, 1970), p. 654; Lon F. Chapin, Thirt Years in Pasadena With an Historical Sketch of Pre vious Eras n.p.: Southwest Publishing Co., Inc., 1929, p. 63. 4Pasadena Star, 1 December 1904, p. 4. 5Pasadena Star, 2 December 1904, p. 4. 6Pasadena Star, 10 March 1905, p. 6. 7Pasadena Star, 12 December 1913, p. 4.

8Pasadena Star, 18 August 1905, p. 1. 9Pasadena Star, 16 September 1905, p. 16. lOPasadena Star, 17 January 1908, p. 1.

llPasadena Star, 12 April 1906, p. 4; 11 February 1907, p. 1; 15 February 1907, p. 4; and 18 February 1907, p. 1. 12Pasadena Star, 16 January 1908, p. 6. 13Pasadena Star, 14 April 1909, p. 1. 14Pasadena Star, 17 September 1910, p. 4. 15Pasadena Star, 10 July 1907, p. 6. 16Pasadena Star, 14 December 1904, p. 4. 17Pasadena Star, 14 December 1904, p. 6. 18Pasadena Star, 13 December 1904, p. 1.

19wood, p. 441. 20Pasadena Star, 13 February 1905, p. 1. 21Pasadena Star, 15 March 1913, p. 1; 16 April 1913, p. 1; 17 April 1915, p. 15; and 10 May 1913, p. 1. 22Pasadena Star, .17 May 1913, p. 1. 150

23Pasadena Star, 10 April 1914, p. 1. 24Pasadena Star, 16 February 1905, p. 4; 17 February 1905, p. 1; 10 March 1905, pp. 1, 4.

2~Uffiuel Pineda and E. Caswell Perry, Pasadena Area History (Pasadena: Historical Publishing Company, 1972), p. 39. 26earol Green Wilson, California Yankee - William R. Staats- Business Pioneer (Claremont, CA: The Saunders Press, 1946), pp. 99-101; Southern. California Edison, 1986 Annual Report, Southern California Edison (Rosemead, CA: n.p., 1986), pp. 28-31. 27Pasadena Star, 2 December 1904, p. 4.

28Pasadena Star, 12 December 1904, p. 1. 29Pasadena Star, 11 March 1905, p. 4. 30Pasadena Star, 12 December 1904, p. 6. 31Pasadena Star, 14 July 1905, p. 1. 32Pasadena Star, 11 August 1905, p. 10. 33Ernest Hynds, American Newspapers in the 1970s (New York: Hastings House, 1975), pp. 66, 69. 34Pasadena Star, 12 August 1905, p. 1; Hynds, p. 236. 35Pasadena Star, 16 March 1906, p. 16. 36Pasadena Star, 11 May 1906, p. 20; 14 May 1906, p. 7. 37Pasadena Star, 13 June 1906, p. 7. 38Pasadena Star, 1 December 1906, p. 4. 39Pasadena Star, 12 December 1904, p. 7. 40Pasadena Star, 1 December 1904, p. 7. 41Pasadena Star, 14 December 1904, p. 7; Wilson, p. 96. 42Pasadena Star, 1 December 1906, p. 4.

43Pasadena Star, 15 December 1906, p. 1. 44Pasadena Star, 13 May 1910, p. 1. 45Pasadena Star, 25 November 1910, p. 1; 26 November 1910, p. 1. 46Pasadena Star, 14 December 1910, p. 9. 151

63Pasadena Star, 16 February 1905, p. 1; 10 March 1905, p. 1; 15 March 1905, p. 1; 18 March 1905, p. 1. 64Pasadena Star, 13 March 1905, p. 4. 65Pasadena Star, 10 August 1905, p. 1; 12 August 1905, p. 1. 66Pasadena Star, 12 September 1905, p. 1; 13 September 1905, p. 1. 67Pasadena Star, 15 September 1908, p. 1.

68Pasadena Star, 17 October 1908, p. 1. 69Pasadena Star, 11 May 1912, p. 4; 14 October 1912, p. 4. 70Pasadena Star, 7 August 1914, p. 1; 10 August 1914, pp. 1, 4; 16 February 1915, p. 4. 152

71Pasadena Star, 10 March 1915, p. 1; 7 May 1915, p. 4. 72Pasadena Star, 10 May 1915, p. 4. 73Pasadena Star, 15 July 1915, p. 4; 19 August 1915, p. 1; 10 December 1915, p. 1. CHAPTER 7 THE WORLD WAR I YEARS

In the early days of World War I, the Star ran a series of arti cles detailing the military actions of the European participants. The names of small nations like Servia became familiar reading fare to the typical Pasadena resident who followed the progress of the war, generally with detached interest. Some advertisers in the Star even used the hostilities to promote their commercial messages: ''War Declared!" read one local ad, in an attempt to capture the reader's attention. Such action showed how remote the war was to most Americans who, being removed by three thousand miles and the Atlantic Ocean, could not com prehend the life and death scenario being played out in Europe. 1 With additional nations swelling the roster of combatants, the American Red Cross began soliciting money and other forms of aid for the residents of the war-torn countries. At the same time the Star reported that the Belgian mansion of the wealthy Richards family of Pasadena had been turned into a government hospital for the care of soldiers wounded in battle. In return for this voluntary action, the Richards were guaranteed protection under the American flag as an ex 2 tension of the United States legation. Without an official declar- at ion of war, Pasadena had become personally involved in the action and the Star was ensuring that all the city residents were kept fully informed.

153 154

LOCAL ISSUES REMAIN NEWSWOR1HY By mid-1914, Pasadena's population had risen to just under 41,000 residents, according to the Star, which reported on official estimates released by the United States Census Bureau. This established the city as the seventh largest in California, which was a constant source of pride to the locals. 3 Because of its substantial size, Pasadena had become a newsmaker in its own right and, while both the Star and city residents recognized the European war was under way, events in the Southland began vying for newspaper coverage.

The Maryland Hotel Fire The Maryland Hotel, a long-time and well-known landmark of Pasa dena, had caught fire on a Saturday night after the last issue of the Star for the week reached the streets. As a result, the newspaper report of the $600,000 disaster, which completely destroyed the build ing and many of the personal belongings of the guests, did not appear until Monday afternoon. Star coverage, however, was quite extensive; it listed the names of several of the more notable hotel guests and included eye-witness accounts of the events along with photographs of . . 4 t h e smou lder1ng ru1ns. The complete destruction of the building in so short a period of time led some people to question the actions of the Pasadena Fire Department and ask whether it had responded in a manner befitting a public service unit supporting a city the stature of Pasadena. In an article two months to the day after the disastrous fire, the Star reported that an official inquiry board had exonerated the city's fire 5 fighters and praised them for acting professionally in every regard. 155

Unfortunately, the fire swept through the Maryland's buildings as rapidly as the flames that had demolished the Hotel Raymond some nineteen years before, which allowed the guests little chance to escape with much more than their lives and afforded the fire department mini mal opportunity to halt the fire's advance. This accounts for the gross difference between the $600,000 loss claimed in the fire, and the building permit for $160,880 filed by the Maryland's owners who decided three months following the disaster to rebuild an even better f ac1"1" 1ty. 6

The Pasadena Charities Edition During the same period, the Star expanded its traditional role of community good neighbor when it made preparations for publication of the "Pasadena Charities Edition" on December 2, 1914. Always a strong supporter of philanthropic events, the Star used its influence and economic clout to aid those causes which enhanced its position as a socially responsible instrument in the community. Toward this end the paper's "Pasadena Charities Edition" saw all profits from the Star's advertising and other revenues for that day donated to the many chari table institutions of the city. 7

The Star Shifts Priorities

As the war in Europe progressed, domestic news items, which kept Pasadenans abreast of local happenings, were slowly relegated to the less-prominent positions of the newspaper. In December 1914, the Star reported on the first overt act of war against Britain when a German ship shelled several English cities. This article was accompanied by 156

a photo of a German warship in the North Sea. Nevertheless, the Star neither forgot nor ignored society news, for alongside another article describing the preparedness of the United States for war was an item detailing the handicap ratings of local polo players and a society column called "Hotel Lobby Chat," which reported on the happenings in 8 Pasadena's numerous hostelries. The war may have been a reality to thousands of Europeans, but it represented very little more than the plot and story line of an Ambrose Bierce or Stephen Crane war novel set in Europe rather than the United States.

War Relief Drives Gain Prominence

In all fairness, the American people were not totally oblivious to the war or the death and destruction arising from the battles being fought daily. In January 1915, the Star reported that Pasadenans, concerned with the civilian casual ties of the war, had begun a drive to collect funds to provide milk for starving Belgian babies. Al though by 1980 standards the amount collected seems small, the Star proudly announced that $500 had been donated already, and the relief effort had only just gotten under way. This local drive supplemented a nation-wide movement planned to canvass the entire United States.

Under the direction of a war relief commission headquartered in Wash ington, D.C., the national drive would collect food boxes destined to supply the large civilian population in Belgium which was left horne 9 less and starving by the fighting.

At the same time, an "adopt a Belgian baby" campaign began in the

United States, with all Americans urged to support the children of this war-ravaged nation through monthly donations. According to the 157

Star article, a two dollar pledge would sustain a child for an entire 10 month.

Interestingly, while the war-torn civilians were being aided by the usual group of Americans who were known traditionally for their philanthropic deeds, the Star recognized the contributions from an other totally unexpected quarter: prisoners at the notorious Sing

Sing penitentiary in New York state, who were knitting clothing and other articles of wearing apparel in support of the war relief effort in Poland. Americans everywhere understood the European crisis and were rising to the fore, swayed considerably by the influence of com munity newspapers like the Pasadena Star. 11

Prohibition

By late 1915, the United States was sharply divided on the "wet" or "dry" issue under proposed national legislation attempting to abolish hard liquor in America. As a long-time local issue and one on which the earlier Star had taken a definite stand, the anti-liquor or

Prohibition measure became as hotly contested as the slavery issue had been during the 1860s. The Women's Christian Temperance Union had taken up the cause and, under the leadership of Carrie Nation, were physically destroying a number of saloons in an attempt to abolish the

"evils of John Barleycorn." Although the Star had traditionally sup ported a "dry" community, and Pasadena was dry, the daily paper that evolved from the merger of the Star and the News in March 1915 prac ticed moderation in its role of prohibitionist. With the issue now national in scope, the Star once again took up the cause, this time under the Pasadena Star-News masthead, where it recounted how it had 158 p •

been, at one time, the only daily newspaper in California to favor anti-liquor legislation. Once more, the Pasadena paper went on record as supporting a "dry regime [as] best for California. 1112

Unexpected additional support for the anti-liquor stand came from

Henry Ford. Like many other persons who supported such controversial causes, Ford's interest was motivated largely by economic considera- tions. As a major manufacturer of gasoline-powered automobiles at this time, Ford saw the shortage of gasoline as a potential disaster to his business. So he promoted the idea of Prohibition, with con version of the idled beer breweries into distilleries producing de 13 natured alcohol, which then could be used to fuel his autos. The

Star-News viewed this as an excellent move, and lauded the Ford plan editorially. Surprisingly, the newspaper made no mention of the mone tary benefits that Henry Ford would derive from this action. Instead, it naively argued that the Henry Ford proposal was both "sound and practical," especially since the state of Michigan was going "dry" and its breweries could no longer legally produce beer.

By April 1917, the Star-News was promoting the passage of national

Prohibition as a measure demanded by war-imposed restrictions. In urging the swift adoption of the anti-liquor measure, the newspaper argued that conservation was essential in view of the wartime condi tions then· prevailing, which made "grain too scarce to waste on brew eries. 1114 Regardless of the causes, Prohibition was gaining support throughout the country and would ultimately become the law of the land with much of the credit due to the Star-News and other similar Arneri- can journals. 159 Q •

THE RUSSIAN·REVOLUTION In March 1917, amidst massive amounts of other war news, the Star- News published wire service reports indicating that the Russians had overthrown the Czar's regime and established a people's government. Reported by the newspaper as practically bloodless, the revolution had created a new Russian republic that the Pasadena publishers described as "truly marvelous."15 Various civilian and military factions in Russia maneuvered for control as the political leadership of the Soviet nation remained un certain. Eventually, one name, Alexander Kerensky, head of the Men- shevik party, rose to prominence and the "new Russia" showed strong military resistance against a superior German force that was overrunning Europe and parts of Asia. The Star-News recognized Kerensky' s leadership and supported the Russian official as a provider of politi cal stability within his country. 16 Unfortunately, the new republic under Kerensky was short-lived, and by the middle of November the Star-News reported that the Mensheviks were fighting the Bolsheviks in the streets of Petrograd, with Kerensky's ultimate overthrow announced in the newspaper on November 17, 1917. 17 By year's end, the military resources of the Russian nation were severely depleted by the revolution and ensuing civil war, and the Soviet government sought ways to avoid additional conflict in Europe. On December 13, the Star-News announced that negotiations were under way between Russia and Roumania to sue for a separate peace. Within three days, a similar agreement was reached between Russia and Ger- many, which according to the Star-News placed a much heavier military burden on other members of the Entente who were by now fully engaged 160

in the World War. While adding considerable difficulty to the ·prosecution of the war, the Star-News noted that this new turn of events made the situation in Europe "by no means hopeless."18

AMERICA DECLARES WAR In spite of Woodrow Wilson's repeated attempts to keep the United States out of the European war, German aggression, including the continued unprovoked attacks on unarmed passenger liners endangering American lives, drew the country closer to military action. By early 1917, Wilson served notice on the German government that the United States was honoring a policy of armed neutrality, in which armed Amer- ican merchant vessels could shoot first without being attacked, if the ships' captains determined that they were being tracked or followed by a submarine. 19 This strong action, which fell just short of a full declaration of war, was met with some misgivings by certain Congres- sional leaders, but not so the Pasadena Star-News. The Pasadena publishers had long backed America's complete neutrality with regard to the war. Now, however, the Star-News voiced the opposite opinion, that Wilson's plan should receive the full support of every American to let the German leadership "know" that all citizens of the United 20 S tates were JOin.. ed In. a uni"f"ed I cause.

THE STAR -NEWS GOES TO WAR On April 2, 1917, the Star-News reported that President Wilson \vas convening an unusual night session of Congress to deliver his war mes-

sage and promised to issue a special edition "later this evening" if Wilson's history-making speech were made by 8 p.m. Washington, D. C. 161

time (5 p.m. in Pasadena). True to its word, the newspaper did pub lish an extra four-page edition, which carried the full text of the Wilson address under a banner head, "State of War Exists Which Must Be Carried On to Successful Conclusion, Is Substance of Authorization to President."21 In essentially the same breath, however, the Star-News reported that Congress was delaying the declaration of war because of problems in mobilizing American military forces. Delay or not, the Star-News took up the cause editorially and declared that all measures to avert war with Germany had been exhausted, and the United States was enter ing the conflict "armed with [the] might of right" and united as one . . 22 1n 1ts cause.

The Early Days The prosecution of a war is expensive to any nation in terms of both money and manpower. The fact that Congress was forced to post- pone the declaration of war because of the country's inability to muster an adequate fighting force clearly points out that the United States was not ready to engage in a major action. However, once the decision was made, the entire nation joined together in a well-orches- trated effort and ignored political lines to defeat a common enemy. To create a reasonable fighting machine, Congress passed a conscription act, which drafted men between the ages of 21 to 31 years into the military. Pasadena's share of the load involved between 125 and 23 205 men, according to a May 10 Star-News article. Although involuntary military service had been a highly controver sial subject for decades, the United .States once again reverted to the 162

practice to create an army capable of meeting and overcoming a highly trained and well-armed German war machine. The Star-News, too, understood the practicalities of war and reluctantly promoted conscription as the most logical, efficient, and democratic means of choosing the best-qualified men for military duty. Rather than feeling the draft was humiliating or shameful, the Star-News suggested that draftees view their government's call as patriotic and essential to the survival of America. Later the newspaper described selective service as "fair, equitable and thoroughly American in principle • • • the acme . 24 of wisdom." Then came the enormous task of paying for the weapons, munitions, and salaries from a woefully inadequate peacetime budget. It was pro posed that United States military costs would be financed through a bond issue called a "Liberty loan." This economic measure would see the federal government issue bonds in denominations as small as $50 and $100, so that a larger number of citizens could afford to purchase them. The proceeds of the sales would be used to support the United States military forces in Europe. The Star-News promoted this measure wholeheartedly and expressed the hope that a targeted $2 billion in nationwide sales would be met to show the world that America had united in war and was using a "pop ular loan" to finance its belit}fs. Locally the newspaper urged Pasa- denans to buy bonds. "Let's roll up a splendid showing in this for Pasadena," the Star-News prompted. 25

As the government released the figures on Liberty loan sales, almost on a daily basis, the Star-News and other newspapers reported the achievement. By mid-June the Star-News announced that the first drive 163

had grossed more than $1.6 billion, Pasadena alone accounting for a remarkable $2,286,300 in subscriptions. ~fuch of the success for loan sales, said the Star-News, could be attributed to America's newspapers for stirring the nation to support the war cause. "The tremendous importance of making this loan a success was driven home to millions of newspaper readers. The American newspaper has demonstrated its 26 remarkable influence with the people."

Censorship

As the United States teetered on the brink of war, the question of press censorship became a principal concern to all professional jour nalists, especially since technological advances had dramatically improved news-gathering and publishing processes since the days of the

Ci vii War, when delays of weeks made censorship unnecessary. These advancements substantially reduced the time between an actual occur- renee and its disclosure to the general public. While American citizens had the right to know how their money was being spent and the lives of their young men were being jeopardized, the fact remained that such disclosures could compromise troop movements and other military information of a tactical nature. The Star-News acknowledged that limited censorship might be neces 27 sary; however, it "should not be unreasonable, rigidly foolish. "

Nearly a full year later, with the United States committed to the

World War, the Star-News revised its position and editorially sup ported a totally censorship-free stand. The Frisks felt that any newspaper loyal to America would voluntarily monitor the war news it published, carefully excluding troop movements and other military 164

28 information of a strategic nature to avoid aiding the enemy.

Yet a week later, the newspaper was castigating fellow journalists for "leaking" the contents of President Wilson's confidential note soliciting peace with Germany which had been provided off -the-record to the press corps. The Star-News condemned the situation as represen 29 tative of "unjournalistic conduct. " (It is quite possible that the Pasadena publishers were being somewhat naive in expecting that the code of ethics to which they subscribed be practiced by other newspapers with lower standards of conduct.)

By May 1917, the United States had settled on a censorship policy that it would honor for the duration of the war. After considerable negotiation, the government had adopted a form of self -censorship through voluntary compliance. It was strongly believed that the integrity of the American press would be more than sufficient to ensure that it would not publish military secrets that could endanger the war effort. The Star-News subscribed to this theory and applauded Wash- ington for recognizing the profesionalism of American newspapers. To show its good faith efforts, the Star-News began publishing war news datelined, ''With the American Army on the Aisne-Vesle Front," or ''With 30 the British Army on the Ami ens Front," or "An Atlantic Port. n

(Not to degrade the professed patriotism of the Star-News, the fact that most war news published by the local newspapers was provided by wire services may have meant that these innocuous datelines were the only identification of locale supplied with the stories. This is not to say the Star-News would have published such compromising informa tion had it been made available to the newspaper.) 165 Q •

Pasadena Volunteers

Despite America's late involvement in the war, many Pasadena residents had taken up the war cause voluntarily in earlier days. The

Belgian Relief Fund was noted previously and represented a personal involvement for Pasadenans in the war. As neutrals before the declar- at ion of war, Americans were able to assist only in peripheral non- combative roles. One such role involved medical care for the war casualties. Even in the early days, Pasadenans saw the need for this type of aid and volunteered money, material, and manpower to create an ambulance service that could pick up wounded soldiers on the front lines and transport them to field hospitals for proper treatment. In

June 1917, following several months of recruiting and outfitting, many of which were before the official declaration of war, the Pasadena Red

Cross Ambulance Unit was ready to leave the West Coast for Allentown,

Pennsylvania, where its 132 officers and men would undergo extensive training before being committed to battlefield service. It was with a great deal of pride that the Star-News reported the unit's departure on June 13, 1917. Run along with the article was a photograph of the 31 personnel and fully equipped ambulance they were taking with them.

As the war progressed for America, the Star-News also reported that members of the women's section of the Pasadena chapter of the

Navy League, a volunteer civilian group assisting the military, was knitting articles of clothing for American servicemen. In November, the newspaper announced that the rebuilt Hotel Maryland had scheduled a Red Cross Day, in which proceeds from the day's receipts of the hos telry would be donated to the American Red Cross to assist in its relief work. Special menus had been planned for the hotel's dining 166

room, including such "exotic specialties" as chop suey. To ensure the success of the venture, the Star-News published a special supplement the day before the event, showing the preparations undertaken by Red Cross volunteers to set up the facility and encouraging patronage by readers. With the backing of the Star-News and the patriotism exhib ited by loyal Pasadenans, the event was a resounding success and aided 32 the Red Cross substantially in its relief work.

The Wartime Philosophy of the Star-News Meanwhile, the Star-News was prompting all Americans to unite in the war effort. The paper exhorted Pasadenans, in particular, to sup port the President in the current war crisis and insisted that loyalty and patriotism were the order of the day in the city. "Do not say or do anything to neutralize the brave work of the American boys going to the firing line. Do not encourage the enemy to hold out in the hope that this country will be rent with controversies," warned the Star News.33

In an October 1917 editorial, the Star-News also noted that even the famed pacifist, William Jennings Bryan, had reversed his political slant: "Before we entered the war, it was a matter of opinion and discussion, but it is no longer a question of opinion. It is time for action now. 1134 The Star-News had recognized the need for national unity and was applying all of its resources to achieve this goal, at least on a local level. Although it is difficult to understand their reasoning, a German language newspaper published in Geneva, Switzerland, was reported by the Star-News as warning the German people about American involvement 167

in the war. According to the Star-News, the Swiss paper suggested that the United States was fully committed to the war and backed the Wilson decision to fight to the end: "Only when we [Germans] are vic 35 torious in Europe will war enthusiasm in the United States weaken." It is unclear whether the newspaper was cautioning the German gov ernment against continuing the war in the face of a far-superior enemy or attempting to infuse more spirit into a flagging German people by convincing them that theirs was the better fighting machine and cer tainly would prevail. Nevertheless, it is obvious that the German press recognized the power of the printed word to influence a reader's opinion and was exercising propagandistic control to a large degree. Further, the Star-News was using the story to show Pasadenans that Germany realized the contributions of the United States to the war effort, which probably instilled even greater pride in the American soldier. Strong local support for United States war involvement appeared in a Star-News editorial in June. While reporting that 800,000 Americans were now in Europe--including combat soldiers, medical service personnel, and others in similar capacities--the Star-News also expressed the opinion that the United States had an awesome responsibility in turning around the fortunes of the war. In one year, said the Star News, the direction of the war had shifted from the Germans' favor to that of the Entente. In addition to supplying critical manpower and material, United States involvement had stimulated both Great Britain and France and caused their soldiers to face the enemy with a greater 36 determination to win than ever before. By February 1918, the Star-News reported that President Wilson 168

37 would extend a conditional peace agreement to Austria. This flew in the face of the German peace offer that America's leaders found wanting. So unreasonable was the German offer in Wilson's mind that he preferred to continue the war rather than agree to conditions that he believed would resolve none of the issues and could possibly extend the war over the same basic political differences. The Star-News sup ported Wilson's stand and even suggested that the German peace offer was nothing more than "camouflage by unscrupulous military masters of Germany."38 Additional Wilson support came from the Star-News as a result of the President's war stance. Whereas the Pasadena Star publishers had been traditionally Republicans since the newspaper's inception in 1886, the Pri sks in 1918 adopted a much more moderate approach to politics. Despite Wilson's vow to pursue the war to its successful completion, while the Star-News had long proposed that America remain neutral in an apparent contradiction of philosophy, the Pasadena pub lishers went on record as political middle-of-the-roaders by declaring 39 that ''Woodrow Wilson may rank as the world's greatest peacemaker." In future months, the Star-News continued to praise Wilson for his handling of the war. "So wonderful and so acceptable has been his record as war President, the masses are enthusiastic in admiration for him. 1140 The Pasadena Star-News, a rabidly Republican newspaper voicing the opinions of a traditionally conservative community, had shifted its approach and editorial slant by adopting a more liberal political view--it now backed a strongly Democratic President for the first time in its thirty-two-year history. (By 1984, however, the 41 Star-News had declared itself a political independent. ) 169

The Star-News supported the war effort in more ways than editor ially, and the citizens of Pasadena with more than money and other aid. While the Pasadena newspaper applauded its own advertising poli cies and those of other American dailies for being "immeasurably help ful" in promoting the Liberty loans, War Savings Stamps, and similar war measures, it also proudly announced that many of its staff members were taking leave from the newspaper to enlist in the military. One

July enlistee had been a Star-News family member for "sometime," and was treated like royalty by the Pasadena publisher who presented the departing composing room assistant with a wrist watch in honor of the occasion.

By October, the Star-News was also congratulating Americans across the nation for responding to the needs of the war effort through vol untary programs of conservation. Because of the greater wealth tradi tionally held by old -line Pasadenans, the per capita consumption of luxury i terns was considerably higher locally than in other parts of the country, even in nearby Los Angeles. In praising citizens for willingly foregoing luxuries, the newspaper was doubtlessly singling out local residents for their efforts, even though Pasadenans were not 43 directly named.

Shortly thereafter, a nation-wide plot was uncovered in which ap proximately thirty American newspapers had been contacted by a German agent to publish propaganda supporting the German cause. With great pride the Star-News reported that all but two papers had flatly re fused the offer to "sell" their newspaper columns to former German

Ambassador von Bernstorff. The Star-News credited the "strong, un swerving, consistent, helpful loyalty of the typical newspapers of 170

44 America" for foiling the attempt. Meanwhile, colleges and universities throughout the United States were creating military units on their campuses to train potential Army recruits. Locally, Pasadena's own Throop College of Technology was reported by the Star-News to have joined with other universities such as Princeton, Yale, Harvard, and Stanford in being designated a unit of the United States Army Training Corps. Under terms of the program, according to the Star-News, all male students over eighteen years of age became members of the Students' Army Training Corps and thus subject to mobilization in case of emergency, serving in their respective fields of specialization. Pasadena viewed the program with consider able pride, especially since Throop College was an integral part of the quasi-military operation, and it had been an outstanding component of Pasadena for well over a quarter century.

The Armistice By the winter of 1918, German military leaders had submitted con ditions of armistice to the American government, where they were met with swift rejection by the President and Secretary of State Lansing. While news stories related to the German offer filled the Star-News pages, one October issue also ran a full-page advertisement repudi~t ing the German terms. "Their arms are not laid down!" warned the ad, which also advised that a fourth Liberty loan was necessary and should be supported by all Americans. In an editorial opinion, the Star-News rationalized the waging of the war by claiming that human 1i ves were 46 being sacrificed to promote "brighter eras for the human race." During the first week of November, reports began circulating that 171

peace was imminent. Despite the fact that American military involvement in the War was slightly over a year and a half in duration, the Star-News reported that the entire nation was "wild with joy" over the prospect of peace. 47 In the same breath, the Pasadena newspaper indicated that local businessmen, eagerly awaiting word of the armistice, were planning the "city's greatest carnival when official news of Germany's defeat reaches Pasadena over [the] wires."48 That word was received on November 11, with the entire front page of the Star-News devoted to the war's end. Banner heads read "Allied Terms Guarantee Peace • • • Germany Beaten Down • • • Fly Banner High" heralding the advent of peace, with the flags of the victorious Allied nations adorning a boxed item on the first page describing the armistice. The interior pages contained the full text of Wilson's famed Fourteen Points and an editorial declaring "Peace, glorious, just, is achieved. Let your soul revel in this." Throughout the entire Armi- stice issue, the readers were treated with flag-waving articles extolling the virtues of the victors in their conquest of the German war machine and the prosperity that peace offered to Pasadena and the en 49 tire world in the months and years to come. 172 Q '

ENDNOTES

lPasadena Star, 1 August 1914, p. 1; 4 August 1914, pp. 4, 7; 7 August 1914, p. 1.

2Pasadena Star, 13 August 1914, p. 2; 15 August 1914, p. 1. 3Pasadena Star, 10 May 1914, p. 1; 13 May 1914, p. 4. 4Pasadena Star, 20 April 1914, p. 1. 5Pasadena Star, 18 June 1914, p. 1. 6Pasadena Star, 18 July 1914, p. 1. 7Pasadena Star, 13 October 1914, p. 1. 8Pasadena Star, 16 December 1914, pp. 1, 10. 9Pasadena Star, 12 January 1915, p. 1; 13 January 1915, p. 4. lOPasadena Star, 18 January 1915, p. 1. llPasadena Star, 3 March 1915, p. 2. 12Pasadena Star-News, 15 January 1916, p. 4; 12 February 1916, p. 4. 13Pasadena Star-News, 15 November 1916, pp. 2, 4. 14Pasadena Star-News, 16 February 1917, p. 4; 10 April 1917, pp. 1, 4. 15Pasadena Star-News, 15 March 1917, p. 1; 17 March 1917, p. 4. 16Pasadena Star-News, 11 September 1917, p. 1; 17 September 1917, p. 1; 18 September 1917, p. 4.

17Pasadena Star-News, 17 November 1917' p. 1. 18Pasadena Star-News, 13 December 1917' p. 1; 17 December 1917, p. 4. 19Pasadena Star-News, 26 February 1917, p. 4. 20Pasadena Star-News, 27 February 1917, p. 4; 10 March 1917, pp. 1, 40. 21Pasadena Star-News, 2 April 1917, p. 1; 2 April 1917, Extra Edition. 22Pasadena Star-News, 3 April 1917, p. 4. 173

23Pasadena Star-News, 10 May 1917, p. 1. 24Pasadena Star-News, 18 May 1917, p. 4; 17 June 1917, p. 4; 11 September 1918, p. 4. 25Pasadena Star-News, 12 May 1917, p. 4. 26Pasadena Star-News, 13 June 1917, p. 1; 15 June 1917, pp. 1, 4. 27Pasadena Star-News, 16 March 1916, p. 4. 28Pasadena Star-News, 17 February 1917, p. 4. 29Pasadena Star-News, 23 February 1917, p. 4. 30Pasadena Star-News, 17 May 1917, p. 4; 18 May 1917, p. 4. 31Pasadena Star-News, 11 June 1917, p. 1; 12 June 1917, p. 1; 14 June 1917, p. 4. 32Pasadena Star-News, 10 November 1917, p. 1; 16 November 1917, Special Supplement; 17 November 1917, p. 1. 33Pasadena Star-News, 13 August 1917, p. 4; 18 August 1917' pp. 1, 4. 34Pasadena Star-News, 17 October 1917, p. 4.

35Pasadena Star-News, 10 December 1917, p. 1. 36Pasadena Star-News, 15 June 1918, p. 4.

37Pasadena Star-News, 11 February 1918, p. 1. 38Pasadena Star-News, 12 February 1918, p. 4. 39Pasadena Star-News, 12 February 1918, p. 4. 40Pasadena Star-News, 16 August 1918, p. 4. 41The IMS '84 Ayer Directory of Publications (Fort Washington, PA: IMS Press, 1984), p. 179. 42Pasadena Star-News, 12 July 1918, p. 4; 13 July 1918, p. 11. 43Pasadena Star-News, 10 October 1918, p. 4. 44Pasadena Star-News, 16 July 1918, pp. 1, 4. 45Pasadena Star-News, 15 August 1918, p. 1. 174

46Pasadena Star-News, 14 October 1918,. p. 14; 15 October 1918, p. 4. 47Pasadena Star-News, 7 November 1918, p. 1. 48Pasadena Star-News, 8 November 1918, p. 1. 49Pasadena Star-News, 11 November 1918, pp. 1, 2, 6; 14 Novemher 1918, p. 1; 16 November 1918, p. 3; 18 November 1918, p. 9. CHAPTER 8

RETURN TO NORMALCY

Although the fighting had ceased, it took several months for war- related activities to wind down. While military and civilian hospitals principally in France continued to care for the war casual ties, arrangements were begun to acquire troop ships to return battle-weary

American servicemen to their homes in the United States. Less than a week following the Armistice, editorials prompting the American government to return its soldiers immediately appeared in the Star-News; however, reports of actual troop movements toward home were not published until mid-December when the newspaper wrote that England had agreed to provide the American military with ships to repatriate its service personnel. Also at this time, the Star-News stressed the need to continue funding the military to provide it with sufficient money to effect the return. Once again, the Star-News was a champion in the . . 1 cause o f patr1ot1sm.

THE 1REATY AND THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Despite the terrible toll of life that the war had taken, peace remained an elusive commodity. Although the fighting stopped on

November ll, 1918, it was not until June 28, 1919, that a Star-News banner head would declare: "Peace Treaty is Signed; Greatest War

Ended • . • Wilson Hails Proclamation. 112

175 176

Q •

The Treaty of Versailles Although everyone had appeared ready to reach an accord in Novem- ber, much disagreement surrqunded the negotiations and delayed until the following June the actual acceptance of terms by the United States and Germany. Then, because the United States Constitution charges the Senate with responsibility for ratifying all such treaties, the upper house withheld its approval, postponing peace even further. While Wilson also urged the United States to accept the role as principal international leader that many of the world's nations were offering to this country, the other elected officials were reluctant to consider either action. The Star-News, in supporting Wilson and his policies, held that the only reasonable course for this country to follow in cluded ratification of the peace terms and acceptance of the provision involving America's entry into the League of Nations. The reluctance by Congress to accept the treaty prompted the Star-News to call the delay a "deplorable, unfortunate situation."3 As a result of this considerable foot-dragging by the Senate, the peace treaty between the United States and the Central Powers was not ratified until October 1921, nearly three years after the Armistice was declared. It was with some chagrin that the Star-News reported formal ratification. The delay was "not to the credit of the United 4 States," the newspaper wrote. During that protracted period, all nations eagerly awaited word that the world was finally ~t peace. The Pact of Locarno, which actually established a demilitarized Europe, did not appear until October 1925. At this time, Calvin Coolidge, who was now in office, heralded the pact as being "of the greatest importance to the world." 177

The Star-News agreed, writing that the treaty "will constitute one of the greatest steps, since the Armistice, toward removing the menace of 5 war from Europe." (All this despite the fact that America was not a signatory.)

The League of Nations

The League was an extremely important part of Wilson's post -war peace plan and one backed strongly by the Star-News. Wilson viewed his proposal as a promising way to preserve world peace by creating an association of countries bound by self-imposed, regulatory bylaws to negotiate international differences rather than settling them by war.

Unfortunately, while both the President and the Pasadena daily recognized the benefits that the League of Nations offered, America's lawmakers mirrored the post-war sentiments of most citizens by adopting an isolationist attitude and opting to stay free of the international entanglements which they believed membership in the group entailed.

Meanwhile Star-News editorials consistently promoted the cause of the League, in one case calling it "potentially beneficial to common people of this and other lands. " 6 In another instance, the editorials indicated that the power of the organization lay in the great influence introduced by American involvement in the group; ho\vever, this support was often in rebuttal to strongly worded anti -League 7 views that also ran in the Star-News.

These predominantly isolationist views that prevailed throughout the country were coupled with the fact that Americans were quick to avoid any additional involvements that they felt could lead the United

States into further conflict. This caused a large percentage of the 178

American population to oppose this country's membership in the League of Nations and undermined the progress that the Star-News thought it was making toward having the organization become acceptable to the

United States.

To retain editorial integrity in the eyes of its readers, the Pas- adena newspaper also covered the contrary viewpoints that insisted the

United States remain outside of the League. In July, for example, the newspaper wrote that Nebraska Senator Norris condemned the League of 8 Nations for "planting the seeds of future wars." The Star-News countered by declaring that America must join the League or European nations would likely return to the totally unworkable "balance of power" scramble that had led to the World War. The Pasadena publish ers continued by chiding this country's leadership, saying that United

States reluctance to join the League made this country a "trailer" in international affairs, when it "should have been a leader."9

When Warren G. Harding became a candidate for the Republican Pres- idential nomination in 1920, the Star-News proclaimed that American membership in the League was finally ensured. As a Senator from Ohio, Harding had been a staunch friend of the League and this backing would allow the organization to prevail in this country, according to the

Star-News. 10

During his first year in office, however, Harding reversed this position. In reporting excerpts of the President's message to Con- gress in April 1921, the Star-News quoted Harding: "In the existing

League of Nations, world governing with its super powers, this Repub lic will have no part. 1111 Despite this obvious turnabout in Hard- ing' s political philosophy, the Star-News simply reported the event 179

without comment. By September, however, the newspaper had relaxed its strong stand on the League. At this time, it ran an editorial supporting some form of world association--simply not the League. Not surprisingly, this paralleled the Harding Administration's vie\<{ on . . 12 wor ld po 11t1cs.

TIIE ETHNIC ISSUE One significant outcome of the war for the Pasadena Star-News was an apparent softening of the hard-line Republican stand that had ex isted at the newspaper since it began publication in April 1886. This was evidenced by the newspaper's support of Wilson's war policies. The shift from political conservative to liberal was not the only major difference in newspaper policy that the Star-News publishers in troduced during the war years. As the United States geared up for war much of the emphasis on the Oriental issue was temporarily forgotten at the newspaper. A1 though the Star-News long supported a strong anti-Oriental stand, following the World War, it wavered periodically and even relented occasionally in favor of one ethnic group or another.

The Oriental in the Post-War Star-News In September 1919, the Star-News experienced one period of relaxa- tion on the ethnic issue when it reported that a petition was circulating throughout Pasadena suggesting that the current Chinese Exclusion policy be liberalized. In fact, the petition demanded that Oriental laborers be allowed into the United States to "till the fields and gardens, perform coolie labor in various industries which Americans do not care to do and also labor in private employ for which American 180

13 domestics cannot be secured." (In ear~ier days, the newspaper would have been swift to rebuke such a story; this time, however, it refrained from comment.)

While the Chinese immigrants had been granted a reprieve, however, the Japanese were being treated almost as subhumans. For example, the Star-News ran an item datelined Bakersfield, California, also in 1919, in which it reported that the State Federation of Labor had adopted a strong anti-Japanese policy. When reporting on that event, the news paper commented: "Japanese immigration [is] lowering American moral standards as well as being dangerous economically." The Japanese, according to the Pasadena newspaper, "are unfit for [United States] citizens. . h" 1p. ,14

An interesting side note to this issue is the distinctly opposite viewpoint that had evolved over the years at the newspaper. In one generation, the Pasadena Star-News had shifted from a totally anti

Chinese stand, finely honed following the heavy construction periods of the railroads, to one of limited exclusion, supporting the selfish needs of wealthy Americans desiring the services of a low-paid house- boy or gardener and the self -serving American businessman seeking to hire unskilled labor at starvation wages.

In the pre-war days, the Star published several feature articles extolling the virtues of the Japanese; how they were culturally super ior to the Chinese and possessed the ability to adapt to Occidental customs and manners, while the obviously inferior Chinese could not.

By 1920, however, the Star-News reversed completely its position on these two ethnic groups. The lowly Chinese. were granted a limited status in this country; the Japanese, by contrast, lost what little 181

ground they had gained previously.

Despite this apparent vacillation, the Star-News still retained one traditional aspect of its ethnic position. While it marginally accepted the Oriental race, the newspaper vigorously opposed inter- racial marriage. In a July 1920 editorial, for example, the Star-News reported that the president of the Japanese Association of America favored such intermarriage. The newspaper reverted to its typical conservative voice when it loudly condemned the practice saying:

"intermarriage of white Americans with any race other than their own is unthinkable." To support its stand, the newspaper claimed that this issue involved "the question of racial purity and integrity. "15

(Similar views would produce earth-shaking results in less than twenty years, when Hitler's Nazi Germany forced the world into a second global war~)

Interestingly, the Oriental issue became very hotly contested immediately following World War I, and for several years involved diverse and opposing opinions from civilian groups, the media, and government leaders as well. When the governor of California publicly denounced the Japanese race as a menace to civilization at the end of

1920, the Star-News quickly supported his view and insisted that federal immigration laws be stringently enforced to limit the number of

Japanese allowed into America. "This Nation's first duty is to its 16 own people and their interests," the Star-News added.

Publisher S. S. McClure, sensing the great disparity growing between the so-called minority races, indicated that a world struggle was just beginning. McClure believed that, ultimately, the yellow and black races would be locked in mortal combat over supremacy in the 182

world. "The crisis," he wrote, "may come much more quickly then we . . ,,17 Imagine. The Star-News also published opinions of the Japanese Exclusion League of California. The League, an outspoken critic of liberalized immigration policies, urged the House Immigration Committee to ensure "absolute exclusion of all Japanese immigration and withholding of American citizenship from all members of the yellow race." According to League officials, unless their warning was heeded the United States was extremely likely to find itself in "very grave danger" of being . 18 overrun by non-wh Ites.

The Supreme Court Rules on the Oriental

As if awaiting its proper cue, the United States Supreme Court agreed to review the Japanese issue. In a previous lower court ruling a California judge had found against Japanese immigrants, denying the group citizenship on the grounds that the people were not white as the naturalization laws required. After hearing the case, the Supreme Court upheld the state court decision, establishing a legal precedent that stood for several years. The ruling had an immediate effect also; it caused one thousand recently naturalized Japanese to lose their citizenship. Included were three hundred "new" Americans who had been granted citizenship based on their service in the United States armed forces during World War I. 19

An editorial in the Star-News two days following the decision not only supported these findings, but took them even further. The newspaper held that the Supreme Court decision had helped to clarify the law that prevented Orientals from being land-owners in this country. 183

Q '

A1 though the land ownership ruling would be challenged later, it was

upheld by the Supreme Court at this time. As the Star-News wrote in

1923, the laws forbidding aliens to own land were "intended as a mea 20 sure of self protection, not inspired by malice or acrimony."

Lastly, the newspaper also saw the federal court rulings as making

it "undesirable" for both races to live side by side as citizens of

this country. Indirectly, the court's actions may have pushed the

United States closer to World War II, since the Japanese government

viewed the exclusionary policy as a direct threat to continued good

Japanese-American diplomatic relations, and warned that "grave conse- 21 quences" could result.

On the opposing side was an opinion column published by the Star

News in 1928. In his article, the author, E. Guy Talbott, wrote that

"White Domination Wanes." Quite possibly Talbott was presaging the

next global conflict when he said, "The proud Japanese and the arro

gant Turks feel without any reservations that they are the equals of white races and white nations. The attitude of the 'superior' whites

toward the 'inferior' people of color during the next generation will determine whether white civilization will survive in the inevitable 22 struggle."

\Vhether Talbott was an extremely astute student of human nature or

a lucky soothsayer is pure conjecture. Needless to say, the Star-News

thought highly enough of Talbott's credentials to publish his politi

cal comments, despite the fact that even then they were contradictory

to the newspaper's expressed views.

Before committing itself to acceptance of a particular political

stance, however, the Star-News, as had become its common practice, 184

carefully checked the pulse of the American people and then adapted

its editorial policy to one favoring the majority view.

PROHIBITION

With the World War now history, the federal government turned once

again to the anti-liquor issue. By the middle of January 1919, one

article in the Star-News reported that ratification of the Eighteenth

Amendment was near, with thirty-six states needed to approve the new

law and forty or more considered likely to adopt the measure. Obvi

ously, this was an earlier story that the editors had failed to pull,

for on the same page was a companion story declaring that the Prohi

bition measure had been passed and automatically would become law on

January 16, 1920. On the editorial page, the newspaper also ran an

op1n1on piece claiming that successful passage of the amendment "be 23 speaks a high state of moral vigor in this land. rr As it had for

over thirty years, the Star-News supported "dry" laws.

It is apparent that the Star-News page editors had difficulty even

in the twenties with maintaining control over last-minute changes in

the content of their pages. It is possible that the hectic pace of

publishing six days a week allowed such incongruities to creep into

even the best of newspapers. The fact that the Star-News had been

recognized as one of the outstanding dailies by its contemporaries would seem to indicate that such problems were somewhat commonplace

and almost accepted practice in the journalism of that era.

Enforcement versus Public Opinion

Prohibition was rigidly enforced under Warren Harding, and reports 185

such as the one on June 11, 1923, detailing the arrest of "rum run-

ning" interests in the United States, attested to the success of the

Administration in enforcing the Eighteenth Amendment. 24

The frequency of the articles in the media also indicated the news

value that the Star-News and other newspapers placed on the issue.

Strict controls imposed by the government to ensure consistent en

forcement and the high incidence of organized efforts to continue an

illicit "wet" America continually opposed one another. These diverse

opinions were encountered routinely in the press and led it to invest-

igate Prohibition and its impact on the American public. While gov

ernment had accepted the anti-liquor tenets and legislated to prevent

the use of spirits in the country, the citizen on the street often

held opposing viewpoints that contradicted the federal law.

Repeal is Proposed

Prohibition was broadly disputed and questioned during its nearly

fifteen years of existence. The proposition received considerable

backing when it had been proposed as an answer to the moral dilemma

facing the nation during the World War I period. However, when the

moral fervor dissipated in the years following the War, a movement for

repeal began to take shape.

In March 1926, the Star-News reported on a survey conducted by

newspapers throughout the United States, which had tested the public's

reaction to Prohibition. One survey of 400 newspapers revealed that

Americans favored repeal of the anti-liquor ordinance by a ratio of 25 nine to one. While the mood of the country tended toward repeal

or at least modification of the act, officials responsible for the 186

survey indicated that such actions were not likely to occur in the

near future.

However, the movement suggested that Americans were agitating for

change and it came as no particular surprise when the Star-News re

ported that repeal was near in early 1933. 26 By the end of that year, the Twenty-First Amendment had reversed the controversial, unpopular, and virtually unenforceable Prohibition act.

THE STAR-NEWS

Although the Star-News traditionally relegated its editorials to

the opinion page (usually page 4), the newspaper began publishing a commentary on page 1 when it encountered issues that it considered

significant or at least noteworthy. This column, which first began as

"Views of the Star-News Tersely Stated," incorporated such controver

sial topics as racial discord, the slight to Pasadena during the state visit by King Albert and Queen Elizabeth of Belgium, and proposed pay

increases for Pasadena's uniformed personnel. In later days the col umn also carried Star-News opinions on public works improvements being made in Pasadena and the reduction in naval vessels being proposed for the United States Navy by several Congressmen. By March 1926, however, the name of the column had changed to "Views of the Star-News

Editorially Expressed," yet the subjects discussed remained essen 27 tially the same.

Expansion Once Again

Since its founding in 1886, the Pasadena Star-News and its predecessor newspapers had been a strong supporter of the Crown City, and 187

in a reciprocal move Pasadena supported the newspaper. As a Pasadena booster, the Star-News had long promoted the community, whether encouraging a buy-at-home policy to improve the city's economy, support ing the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and Civic Association to sustain area growth, or praising the graduating classes of Pasadena's educa- t1ona. 1 f ac1"1" 1t1es. . 28 Pasadena responded in kind and caused the Star-News to again aug- ment its press room to accommodate the increased circulation the newspaper enjoyed by 1920. As the Pasadena daily reported, "The Star-News Makes Larger and Faster Its Great Press, That It May Give To Its Loyal 29 Readers Better Service. rr This new addition gave the Star-News the capability of producing 36,000 twenty-four page newspapers per hour, which allowed the publisher to satisfy a readership that approached

12, 000 daily, based on yearly averages. A very proud Star-News re ported that "no newspaper printed in a city of comparable size [to Pasadena] has a circulation as large as that of The Star-News." For three years the new equipment served the newspaper faithfully, six days a week. In August 1923, however, the highly reliable Goss press faltered when a motor bearing burned out. The bearing, which was fitted onto the shaft of a large drive motor, seized and caused the press to shut down without warning. The failure was severe enough to halt production for several hours beyond the newspaper's usual deadline, and prompted the Star-News to insert a last-minute notice in the edition, apologizing to its readers for the unexpected delay. 30 (This occurrence apparently was only the second time a late issue had reached the streets since December 1904, when the first Star published by the Prisks also was delayed.) 188

The Newspaper Builds Its Own Facility In November 1923, the Star-News recognized that it was outgrowing the facilities it currently occupied at Holly and Raymond streets. With an eye to the future, the publishers purchased a large lot at Oakland and East Colorado streets, in the heart of Pasadena, where the newspaper would erect a new, more spacious building. (On March 10, 1923, the 123- by 200-foot corner lot was sold for a record $153,000, as the site of a new "high class building. " 31 No mention was made at this time of its future use. It is interesting to note, however, that the land, up to the time that construction began on the Star-News building, was the site of the Frost home, a large, two-story structure considered "one of the 'show places' of the community."32 The new building was constructed from plans completed by architect Joseph H. Blick in January 1924. Ground breaking began on September 4, 1924, producing a structure that became a reality in August 1925, when the Star-News moved into its new home and began a new era for the newspaper. In July, the newspaper began publishing articles announcing the grand opening of its new plant. While all Pasadena had watched with interest for months as the five-story structure took form, the news that occupancy would occur about August 1, with a formal open house scheduled two weeks later, became the talk of the town. In prepara tion for the pending move, the newspaper had taken a new phone number, which was assigned before the relocation to allow clients to become familiar with the change. By August 1, however, it was obvious that the move would be delayed and the Star-News announced it would publish its first issue from the new facility on August 10. The reception, 189

which would be held on August 18 from 3 to 10 p.m., would allow the public to "inspect one of the finest and most completely equipped 33 buildings of its kind in the West." On August 10, 1925, the Star-News proudly announced that this was their first edition written, produced, and distributed from the news paper's new building. With its Goss press now able to accommodate the production of 20,000 ninety-six page newspapers per hour, the Star

News publishers felt it could readily service the 81,212 potential readers that the Pasadena Post Office reported now lived in the city. (In reality, the actual number of Star-News subscribers stood at 19,155.)34 The day following the open house at its new facility the Star-News pushed its Goss press to the extreme when it published a special 128- page issue of the newspaper. The entire front page of this, the largest issue ever produced by the Star-News, featured an artist's concept of the new building that the Pasadena newspaper now called home. In the interior pages were numerous articles detailing the various features of the new structure. Included was an illustrated story on the publisher's office, which was located on the second floor and sported a false fireplace and mahogany paneling. Since Charles Prisk would spend so many waking hours in this facility, he opted to 35 furnish it "like his home."

The Star-News Enters Broadcasting Not only had the Star-News improved its home plant, the newspaper expanded its ·role in the community by augmenting its ability to inform the people it served. Unlike prior days when the newspaper bolstered 190

p • pressroom equipment to increase production, it now moved into a new medium (broadcasting) to broaden its audience coverage. On the top floor of the new Star-News building, alongside an elegant roof garden, the newspaper had installed its new 1000-watt radio station, KPSN. The latest in electronic technology joined the latest in mechanical pressroom technology to provide a modern news-gathering and distributing capability that was the envy of many newspapers in cities of larger size than Pasadena. Radio station KPSN began broadcasting under test conditions in November when it aired the Armistice Day football game from the Crown City. 36 Its regular broadcast schedule began at 7:45p.m. on Novem ber 23, and, as might be expected, the official opening day broadcast was.covered exclusively by the Star-News. Along with its article, the Star-News coverage included photographs of the studio and transmitter room high atop the building, along with the twin antenna towers that allowed the "clear reception" of broadcasts as far away as San Fran cisco, New Mexico, and the Hawaiian Islands. 37 During this same period, the Star-News contracted with the United Press to improve its coverage of world news, which tended to vary daily as international events vied with national news for inclusion in the newspaper. In late 1925, the paper estimated its news-to-advertising ratio was a respectable fifty-five to forty-five percent, which meant that the revenues were adequate to earn a fair monetary return on the publishing company's investment and the readers received a sub stantial amount of news for their sixty-five-cent-per-month subscrip- tlon. pnce. . 38 191

p •

The Newspaper Calculates Its Property Value

Within their special issue of the daily on August 19, the Star

News publishers reflected on the transformation the paper had under gone in its first thirty-nine years of publication, and the half dozen

owners who had framed its editorial policies during this period. In

an interesting comparison, the Star-News recounted that the Star's physical plant was worth $1500 in 1900, when title to the newspaper passed from Charles Gardner to J. P. Baumgartner. Twenty-five years

later, according to Charles Prisk, the Star-News was the owner of a

$500,000 building that housed composition, pressroom, and broadcasting equipment worth at least that same amount. In a quarter of a century, the Star-News had increased its net worth by nearly seven hundred per 39 cent.

During the next two years, the Star-News grew even more and by

1927 it featured a staff of 315 employees, 183 fulltime in the newsroom, editorial, circulation, pressroom, and production departments, and 132 part-time carriers. Its annual payroll represented $400,000, which contributed significantly to Pasadena's net worth. 40

PASADENA GROWS UP

Unfortunately for the Star-News, the glory in which the newspaper basked for its new home plant was very short-lived since Pasadena ex perienced the most dramatic civic building program between 1925 and

1927 that was ever encountered in Southern California, at least at that time. 192

The Rose Bowl In reality, the city's building program began much earlier in 1921 when Pasadena started work on what was destined to become the world famous Rose Bowl. In April, the city received bids to construct the stadium. Financing for the project was by a unique subscription plan, whereby 10,000 five-year and ten-year seats would be sold for $50 and $100, respectively. The price paid by participants was a partial pay ment for the· seats, but it did guarantee the patron first refusal for admission to sporting events for the contracted period after the sta dium in the upper Arroyo Seco officially opened. 41 The Star-News followed the project with great interest as the paper felt the completed stadium would add prestige to Pasadena and make it the "winter football capital of the United States. 1142 On October 28, 1922, the Star-News proudly reported that "40, 000 persons marvel [ed] at the new structure," which saw the University of Califor nia Bears beat the USC Trojans by a score of 12 to 0 in the "thrill 43 ing" first football game played in the facility.

The Civic Center Complex In February 1924 the Star-News reported that plans were in design for the upcoming civic center complex, which consisted of the new City Hall, a Public Library, and a Municipal Auditorium. The Pasadena Planning Board had opted to move ahead with construction of the library first, since its plans already were completed. By the middle of 1925 the Star-News wrote that concrete footings had been poured for the library building, and architectural plans for the auditorium were 44 expected to be completed within two weeks. (An audit in June 1925 193

showed that only enough monies were available to build the City Hall and Library, but not the auditorium. While the city promoters vowed to seek funds for the entire three-building project, the Municipal

Auditorium became a political football and a~ such was not completed until February 1932, after "the Star-News, in hearty cooperation with Pasadena civic bodies, fought a long fight."45 ) During January 1926, the newspaper reported that the contract had been awarded for the City Hall construction project. This structure, which incorporated a unique "fish-scale" copper dome tower design, had been bid at a cost of $1,122,677, and would use the talents of local tradespeople for many of the facets of construction. The concrete pads used in the foundation of the City Hall building were designed to support a total load of 5000 tons. The center pad, which was special ly constructed for the heavy tower, measured 100 feet square by 5 feet thick. When it was poured in March the finished concrete slab weighed in at 4000 tons. 46 One year later, on February 11, 1927, the Star-News published a photo essay covering the new Pasadena Library that was set to be fo~ ally dedicated on Lincoln's birthday, the following day. The page 13 spread included photographs of exterior and interior views showing the new building in all its glory. 47 Delays in completing the City Hall project were reported by the Star-News in July 1927. At that time the newspaper indicated that several construction difficulties had postponed the occupancy of the structure until late fall. The Star-News, in an article buried deep inside on page 15, simply announced that the City Hall had been occu 48 pied over the weekend and was officially open for business. 194

Nevertheless, Pasad~nans were so proud of their new civic center

building that the city made arrangements to provide a lighting system

that illuminated the City Hall during the night-time hours. Two

thirds of the ambitious civic center project was completed.

The Arroyo Seco Parkway

Roads were the lifeline of any community in the early days of this

country, allowing it to grow and prosper if they were properly engi-

neered, built, and maintained, or wither and die if they were not.

Although the founding of the San Gabriel Mission predated that of El

Puebla de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles by ten years, Pasa

dena almost from the start found itself 1i ving in the shadow of its 49 bIg. sister . nine . mi"1 es to t h e sout h wes t • While both towns grew,

Los Angeles did so with greater vigor than Pasadena. Yet, the two

communities remained complementary to one another.

For many years the principal connection between Los Angeles and

Pasadena was a rutted, unpaved road that meandered across the Arroyo

Seco, which was usually dry during the hot summer months, but became

impassable when winter rains caused it to overflow its banks. Because

each township relied on the support of the other, it soon became apparent that a year-round road was essential; this was especially true

for Pasadena. Despite its relatively wealthy residents, because it was the smaller of the two cities Pasadena could not command the higher-priced entertainment that the large audiences of Los Angeles

could draw. Nor could it be totally self-sufficient in an economic

sense. Consequently, the wagon trail became a paved road. This was eventually supplemented by the railroad and ultimately the trolley 195

cars of the Pacific Electric and other rapid transit systems, to allow Pasadenans access to the culture and businesses of Los Angeles. In the late 1890s the Dobbins Cycleway was proposed as the short- est route connecting the two cities; however, it required human muscle power to effect the trip. While the Cycleway eventually failed, the route selected by Horace Dobbins had been carefully chosen and years later became the basis for the most ambitious highway project ever undertaken in America or the world. On June 16, 1925, the Star-News reported that the new Arroyo Seco Boulevard proposed to link the two cities would possess features never before seen anywhere. Two lanes of traffic would flow in each direction, one lane for high-speed tra velers, the other for slower cars. Limited access to those traffic lanes was proposed and the complete absence of cross traffic, except on overpasses, substantially improved the safety factor for the new road. This was to be the first freeway for which California would be known worldwide in the 1950s, '60s, and 70's. 50 The Star-News recognized the impact that the direct route had for Pasadena by shortening the travel time drastically. The newspaper also understood the implications of the new road design--that it represented a previously unknown concept in highways that could, indeed did, become a standard for the country in the years ahead. Understandably the Pasadena daily accepted its role as the principal local supporter and published numerous opinions promoting the idea both locally and state-wide.

POLITICS When Warren G. Harding took office in 1922, the Star-News lauded 196

his win for two reasons. Before turning to politics, Harding had been

a practicing newspapennan in his hometown of Marion, Ohio. Here he

operated the Marion Star for many years, until he was elected to the

United States Senate to represent the voters from Ohio. Needless to

say, the Star-News was impressed that a journalist could actually rise to political fame and achieve the position of chief executive of the

United States.

The Star-News Returns to the Republican Fold

Harding was a Republican, and represented the traditional view of

politics to which the Star-News subscribed after strongly supporting

Woodrow Wilson and the Democratic Party during World War I. In 1922,

the newspaper recognized the Republican contribution to the post-war

economy when Harding proposed rail fare cuts to stimulate new busi-

ness. The losses of revenue by these cuts would be more than made up

by the increased volume in travelers, according to proponents of the 51 plan.

Along the same line, the Star-News continued to praise Harding for

his handling of the rail strike, which was intended to prevent a dev-

astating blow to the nation's mail system. As the Star-News wrote, his stand was "the only one the chief magistrate of the Nation prop-

erly could assume." While the government did not take sides in the labor dispute, the Administration's action did prevent the postal

system from being destroyed, thereby averting serious injury to the Am encan. publ" 1c. 52 When Harding announced his long-delayed trip to the West, the

Star-News took the opportunity to promote the chief executive and his 197

administration. For some months the President had been the target of rather severe criticism because of his political philosophy and activ ities. However, according to the Star-News, these shortcomings would have little effect on Harding's visit. Instead, in an editorial opin ion, the newspaper wrote that Harding "will be received and greeted as President of all the people."53 By late July, Harding was on the road with the Presidential en- tourage, heading toward Alaska, his first destination. From there the group was scheduled to visit San Francisco and Los Angeles before re turning to Washington. The Star-News had begun a running commentary on the tour when suddenly Harding took ill and the newspaper reports turned to advisories on his condition. On August 1 the newspaper reported that Vice President Coolidge was deeply concerned over Harding's illness. In an editorial that same day, the Star-News blamed the rigors of the Presidency for reduc ing a healthy Harding to a weakened individual unable to withstand the stress of minor food poisoning caused by eating tainted food. 54 However, the Pasadena newspaper proclaimed a few days in the warm California climate would nurse him back to good health in short order.

President Harding Dies On August 3, 1923, the Star-News ran a special edition sadly an nouncing "President Harding Dies Suddenly of Apoplexy." The entire issue was devoted to a review of Harding's life before and after tak ing office, plus a recap of the man's accomplishments. The paper also reflected on Calvin Coolidge, the new chief executive, indicating that

"he will make a good President." As Vice President, Calvin Coolidge 198

automatically assumed the Presidential post upon the death of Hard- ing. The editorial concluded by praising Harding as being both "constructive and conciliatory. His achievements will rank him high among Presidents."55

Coolidge Takes Office In October 1925 the Star-News once again donned its pro-Republican hat. Although the World War had been over for nearly seven years, the American public remembered its cost in United States servicemen's lives and strongly supported any overt moves that kept this country away from possible military encounters. Toward this end, the Pasadena daily hailed Coolidge's stand on the reduction in United States armed forces. Because Coolidge was committed to decreasing personnel and defense budgets, the Star-News applauded him as unique among American

Pres1 "d ents. 56 The Star-News found the chief executive to be strongly supportive of the press. In a nonpartisan comment, Coolidge promoted American journalism as a "vital aid of free thought and inspiration." While the Star-News agreed, at least in part, its editorial stopped just short of total acceptance of the concept. Newspapers, wrote the Star- News, refuse to be "propagandists for menacing theories directed against government, law, order and decency."57 Conceivably the newspaper and the politician had become a mutual admiration society, each supportive of the other. A similar view was echoed by the Hampshire Gazette, the newspaper published in Coolidge's hometown. This New England publication wrote: "One of President Coolidge's biggest boosters is a newspaper not in 199

Washington, not in New England, or in the East or the Middle West, but in far-off California, the Pasadena Star-News, which supported him in his campaign for the Presidency, and is now upholding him to the limit in his economy program." The Gazette did not stop with this oblique compliment of the President. Instead, the New England newspaper continued: "And the support of the Star-News amounts to something, as it is a leading paper in Southern California, and one of the best in the country."58

Second Coolidge Term Uncertain By the middle of 1927, the candidacy of Coolidge became questionable and a handful of political hacks proposed that Herbert Hoover, a young engineer and rising politician, be considered for the Republican Presidential nomination. Hoover, who had distinguished himself following World War I as Woodrow Wilson's personal emissary, had gone abroad to arrange for food to aid the millions of Europeans left home- 59 less and starving by the War. He had served in this post with honor and was recognized for saving millions of lives by his actions. Meanwhile, Coolidge remained the candidate of choice for the Star- News and even Hoover himself, while "Silent Cal" earned his nickname by withholding his decision on a second term. Coolidge instead opted to let the Republican Party draft him if he was its choice. In August a shocked Star-News reported to an unbelieving world that Coolidge had made his decision--he would not seek reelection. The Star-News showed its concern by announcing that "Calvin Coolidge had made a remarkable record in the Presidency. The economics he has affected have never been equaled. The country has prospered, under his administration as 200

never before." In an article possibly designed to influence the Re publicans to draft Coolidge, the Star-News continued: "The American people may be inclined to insist that he be a candidate again. "60 All things considered, said the Star-News, a "great President is now in the White House" and his successor faces· a tremendous challenge in attempting to replace him. When it became obvious that Coolidge was firm in his commitment not to run, the Star-News shifted its support toward Hoover. By Jan- uary 1928 the Hoover drive for the Presidential nomination was reportedly gaining momentum in the nation's capital and Hoover himself was apparently willing to accept his country's call. The Star-News was overjoyed at the prospect of Hoover's nomination:

"Herbert Hoover is one of the truly great men of the nation. He long has been a worldwide figure as engineer, as a humanitarian and as a man of superlative capabilities and broad sympathies. He is imminently fitted for the Presidency and the Nation needs a man of his type to carry forward the policies of Mr. Coolidge."61

The Star-News Supports Hoover At the Kansas City Republican convention in June 1928, the consen sus had the nomination going to Coolidge if he were receptive. When Coolidge declined, the anti-Hoover movement collapsed, the delegates became as one, and Hoover won the nomination on the first ballot. The California engineer's nomination prompted a pleased Star-News to re port that this showed "consummate wisdom and sound Americanism. Herb ert C. Hoover is an outstanding man of the age--a man of many superb qua 11t1es. . an d super b ta 1ents ••• a construct1ve. gen1us. . 1162 Election Day 1928 saw a record voter turnout and a banner head in the Star-News, which proclaimed: "Hoover Landslide Sets Record of 440 201

Electoral Votes." The once-again strongly Republican Star-News also announced that the Hoover sweep had extended to the Congress as well, giving the G.O.P. a "safe majority" of seats in both the House and the Senate. Much of the Republican success the Star-News attributed to a breakdown in the sectional barriers that traditionally had influenced the political makeup of the nation. 63 Following Hoover's inauguration in March 1929, the Star-News pre- dieted "great service is sure from Mr. Hoover. His judgment is sound, his conscience is keen and his objectives are high. " 64 The poli ti cal honeymoon had begun.

'!HE STAR-NEWS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Like any hometown business in a small community, the Star-News relied on itself and its employees to effect the transition from commercial enterprise to a socially responsible good neighbor. To ensure that most Star-News employees felt the same as he, Charles Prisk did his best to set the example by becoming a totally involved participant in his adopted city's activities. When the Star-News published a special edition on August 19, 1925, commemorating the grand opening of its new half million dollar build ing, it also ran a feature article on publisher, Charles Prisk. In the article, the paper reported that its publisher was very active in city life: "In the midst of a superlatively busy career, Mr. Prisk finds himself impressed into the club, social and fraternal life of the community the New Century Club, Pasadena Rotary Club, the Twilight Club, Court of Honor of Boy Scouts, Knight Templar, Scottish Rite Mason and a Shriner." On the role of the Star-News in Pasadena's 202

activities the newspaper wrote: "within its walls, unquestionably he

[Prisk] sees a future of greater service and greater usefulness to the 65 connnunity which he loves."

While the publisher personally supported Pasadena and several of

its philanthropic and service organizations, the newspaper also did

its part. Although favoring a particular political candidate is stan dard practice for most newspapers, the Star-News consistently worked at getting out the vote, regardless of the party affiliation involved. Representative of this philosophy was a Star-News opinion published during the 1926 Presidential campaign. Although it was true that the newspaper endorsed Hoover and the other Republican candidates, the

Star-News totally ignored all party lines by strongly supporting the entire ballot process. "The main thing is--the climax act of good 66 citizenship--vote!" insisted the Star-News.

THE ECONOMY

In post-War America the trend was heavily toward an improved economy. With an eye on this new peace-time era, the world's busi nesses switched from a guns-to-butter production environment. Like the rest of the world, the Star-News viewed this transition with great interest. In the first year following the Annistice, the Pasadena

Star-News reported that recovery was well underway and further along in the United States than in Europe, where the improvements, while apparent, were much slower. Munitions plants had given way to the food-producing industry, wages were up between forty percent and one hundred percent, and productivity in the workplace was better than ever. Another factor that seemed unique to America was a scarcity in 203

the labor force available to accommodate this remarkable-increase in . 67 prod uct1on.

Economic Improvements As a result of the improved economic picture in America, business profits began to soar. As profits increased, those parties involved in supporting the various businesses insisted on earning their fair share of the proceeds. In June 1920, the Star-News ran a feature article on Wall Street and the cost of office space in the American financial center. In its story, the newspaper claimed that the scramble for office space was sending rents spiraling on "the elevator marked GOING UP!"68 By late 1921, however, the tide had begun to ebb on the business scene and the Star-News reluctantly reported that employment in the United States was down once again, with 5,735,000 people out of work. 69 Although most experts agreed that greater unemployment would prevail before any appreciable improvement was felt, the Star- News took exception to this view and expressed a contrary belief. In the newspaper's opinion, the current problem was simply a minor setback--an adjustment--and since the country was great, the difficulty would be overcome in a short time. The newspaper appeared to be correct in its assessment, for the employment picture had brightened substantially according to its business reports in late 1922. In an editorial the Star-News reported on United States government claims that jobs were plentiful everywhere in the country. In fact, the report concluded, "the demand for labor in some lines exceeds the supply."70 204

Q '

The Stock Market Rises In an unusual editorial in 1924, the Star-News warned the invest ing public to use extreme care when speculating in the stock market. "Consult bankers or reputable firms dealing in high-class stocks and bonds," the newspaper ad vi sed. 71 Although the message predated the stock market crash of 1929, the wild fluctuations of the securities industry were becoming legend even then and caused the more censer- vative members of the nation to express concern. Regardless of the vacillations experienced by the stock market, the Star-News believed in the basic integrity of American business. Time and time again the newspaper was prepared to support this view both in its news stories and its editorials. Across the country, the Star-News reported, the American economy was healthy and growing vig orously. As the paper proudly declared: "retail business, throughout the United States, is unusually active. This is a very gratifying indication of the prevailing prosperity which covers the land. "72 This widespread confidence in the economy, according to the Star-News, would be a great aid in preserving that prosperity. Even closer to home, the Pasadena paper reported that the B. F. Goodrich rubber company had plans to open a tire plant in Los Angeles where it would employ one thousand people who earned annual wages of $1. 5 million. The Star-News believed this showed that "Los Angeles is becoming the automotive center of the West." Naturally, Pasadena would share in this enterprise, directly by increased local sales with the Crown City acting as a bedroom community for the workers, or indirect ly by the greater property tax base through a larger population. 73 Either way, according to the newspaper, everyone would win. 205

In early 1929 the Pasadena newspaper quoted nationally known economist Roger W. Babson on inflation. According to Babson, the traditional concept that profits increased only during an inflationary period had been disproved in 1928 when America experienced the exact opposite condition. During the previous year prices fell while profits rose, which as Babson put it "is an extremely heal thy condition." 74

That summer, the Star-News echoed Babson's sentiments when it declared that "two hundred thousand more workers are employed in the United States now than one year before. This is prosperity." It continued its optimistic viewpoint with "hard times in the business world are a thing of the past. Predictions for the future are rosy."75

Yet all the optimism in the world was not able to overcome the tragic crush that awaited the world .just around the corner. The stock market, as America's prime indicator of prosperity, was soaring and investors were prospering heavily on paper. Like a hot-air balloon rising toward the heavens, the prices of American securities increased until the flame went out and the balloon plummeted to earth.

The Great Depression was here. 206

ENDNOTES !Pasadena Star-News, 11 November 1918, p. 4; 10 December 1918, pp. 1, 2, 4; 16 December 1918, p. 4. 2Pasadena Star-News, 28 June 1919, p. 1. 3Pasadena Star-News, 10 July 1919, pp. 1, 4; 15 December 1919, p. 1. 4Pasadena Star-News, 19 October 1921, p. 1. 5Pasadena Star-News, 16 October 1925, pp. 1, 4. 6Pasadena Star-News, 13 February 1919, p. 4. 7Pasadena Star-News, 11 August 1919, p. 3; 13 August 1919, p. 4. 8Pasadena Star-News, 15 July 1919, p. 1. 9Pasadena Star-News, 13 December 1919, p. 1; 10 January 1920, p. 1. lOPasadena Star-News, 16 June 1920, p. 4. llPasadena Star-News, 12 April 1921, p. 1. 12Pasadena Star-News, 16 September 1921, p. 4. 13Pasadena Star-News, 18 September 1919, p. 11. 14Pasadena Star-News, 11 October 1919, p. 13. 15Pasadena Star-News, 14 July 1920, p. 4. 16Pasadena Star-News, 14 December 1920, p. 1; 18 December 1920, p. 1. 17Pasadena Star-News, 12 February 1921, p. 6. 18Pasadena Star-News, 18 April 1921, p. 1. 19Pasadena Star-News, 14 November 1922, p. 1. 20Pasadena Star-News, 15 November 1922, p. 1; 13 November 1923, p. 4. 21Pasadena Star-News, 12 April 1924, p. 1; 14 April 1924, p. 1. 22Pasadena Star-News, 16 June 1928, p. 4. 23Pasadena Star-News, 15 January 1919, pp. 1, 4. 207

24Pasadena Star-News, 11 June 1923, p. 1. 25Pasadena Star-News, 10 March 1926, p. 6; 11 March 1926, p. 1. 26Pasadena Star-News, 18 February 1933, p. 1; 14 March 1933, p. 1. 27Pasadena Star-News, '10 September 1919, p. 1; 18 October 1919, p. 1; 12 November 1919, p. 1; 11 March 1922, p. 1; 15 April 1922, p. 1; 10 March 1926, p. 1. 28Pasadena Star-News, 15 November 1919, p. 11; 15 April 1920, p. 1; 14 June 1920, p. 9. 29Pasadena Star-News, 17 June 1920, p. 1. 30Pasadena Star-News, 11 August 1923, p. 28. 31Pasadena Star-News, 10 March 1923, p. 1. 32Pasadena Star-News, 19 August 1925, Section I, p. 3. 33Pasadena Star-News, 15 August 1925, p. 9. 34Pasadena Star-News, 10 August 1925, p. 13; 12 August 1925, p. 9; 19 August 1925, Section I, p. 2; 11 January 1926, p. 25. 35Pasadena Star-News, 19 August 1925, Section I, p. 1; 19 August 1925, Section II, p. 6. 36Pasadena Star-News, 12 November 1925, p. 1. 37Pasadena Star-News, 14 November 1925, p. 13; 23 November 1925, pp. 21-32; 10 December 1925, p. 15. 38Pasadena Star-News, 19 August 1925, Section III, p. 2. 39Pasadena Star-News, 19 August 1925, Section III, p. 2. 40Pasadena Star-News, 19 May 1927, p. 40. 41Pasadena Star-News, 18 April 1921, p. 13; 17 October 1921, p. 13. 42Pasadena Star-News, 16 November 1921, p. 15. 43Pasadena Star-News, 28 October 1922, p. 1; 30 October 1922, p. 4. 44Pasadena Star-News, 13 February 1924, p. 17; 18 June 1925, p. 1. 208

45Pasadena Star-News, 19 June 1925, p. 15; 15 February 1932, Special Civic Auditorium Section; 16 February 1932, p. 1. 46Pasadena Star-News, 12 January 1926, p. 15; 18 February 1926, p. 1; 18 March 1926, p. 11. 47Pasadena Star-News, 11 February 1927, p. 13. 48Pasadena Star-News, 27 June 1927, p. 11; 4 July 1927, p. 13; 31 October 1927, p. 15. 49Encyclopedia Americana, 1961 ed. s.v. "Los Angeles." 50Pasadena Star-News, 16 June 1925, p. 1. 51Pasadena Star-News, 13 May 1922, p. 1. 52Pasadena Star-News, 13 July 1922, p. 4. 53Pasadena Star-News, 12 March 1923, p. 4. 54Pasadena Star-News, 1 August 1923, p. 4. 55Pasadena Star-News, 3 August 1923, pp. 1, 4. 56Pasadena Star-News, 10 October 1925, p. 1. 57Pasadena Star-News, 10 November 1925, p. 4. 58Pasadena Star-News, 13 July 1926, p. 15. 59Pasadena Star-News, 16 November 1918, p. 1. 60Pasadena Star-News, 11 April 1927, p. 4; 10 May 1927, p; 1; 12 May 1927, p. 4; 14 May 1927, p. 1; 3 August 1927, p. 4; 17 October 1928, p. 4. 61Pasadena Star-News, 16 January 1928, p. 1; 13 February 1928, p. 1; 14 February 1928, p. 4. 62Pasadena Star-News, 11 June 1928, p. 1; 14 June 1928, p. 1. 63Pasadena Star-News, 6 November 1928, p. 1; 7 November 1928, pp. 1, 4. 64Pasadena Star-News, 4 March 1929, p. 4.

65Pasadena Star-News, 19 August 1925, Section I, p. 6. 66Pasadena Star-News, 1 November 1926, p. 1. 209

67Pasadena Star-News, 11 November 1919, p. 12. 68Pasadena Star-News, 16 June 1920, p. 18. 69Pasadena Star-News, 17 August 1921, p. 1. 70Pasadena Star-News, 17 November 1922, p. 4. 71Pasadena Star-News, 14 July 1924, p. 4. 72Pasadena Star-News, 12 May 1927' p. 4. 73Pasadena Star-News, 11 May 1927' p. 4. 74Pasadena Star-News, 16 March 1929, p. 31. 75Pasadena Star-News, 16 April 1929, p. 4; 17 April 1929, p. 13. rnAPTER 9

TilE DEPRESSION TO THE GOLDEN AGE

The seven-year period between 1929 and 1936 introduced extremes in activity, ranging from the Great Depression, to the return of the Democratic Party to national power, to the Golden Anniversary of the Star-News and the city of Pasadena, to the world on the brink of war. While some of these events had worldwide implications and others were of a local nature only, all involved the Star-News in some way and became the basis for hard news reports as well as editorial commentary and feature stories in the Pasadena daily •

.AMmiCA ENTERS TilE DEPRESSION A full two months before the actual stock market crash occurred, economist Roger Babson sounded dire warnings about what he labeled an over-evaluation of securities. ''Many are priced far ahead of their real worth," he charged, and recommended that present investors seri ously consider disposing of the over-priced issues and instead build ing a strong cash reserve.1 Babson's prediction appeared in the Star-News in August 1929, but by October the newspaper began running frequent articles describing the volatility of the market and the furious attempts being made by Wall Street to control the wide swings in both volume and sales prices

that were adversely impacting stock stability~

210 211

Liquidation Depresses Market

In an October business brief, datelined New York, the Star-News

reported that a rally had been cut short by a flurry of selling, which 2 curbed prices and reduced the profits that speculators sought. By

the fourth of the month the paper reported that widespread liquida tions by profit-seekers were depressing the prices on such blue chip stocks as United States Steel, General Electric, Westinghouse, and American Telephone and Telegraph Co. As with any negative occurrence, there also was a positive aspect.

With the decreased prices came a corresponding reduction in interest rates. The instability of the market had dropped the prime interest rate to 6-1/2 percent, the lowest it had been in four months. This further spurred installment buying that already was running at an all time high. On Saturday, October 5, 1929, the business section of the

Star-News declared "Prices On Stock Markets Take Severe Crash." By the start of the next week, however, the newspaper reported that the 3 market had opened strong and stocks were showing a resurgence. Daily reports on the stock market became routine newspaper copy for the Star-News as continued liquidation moves by speculators forced price supports to bottom out violently. On October 24 the newspaper's front page announced "New York Stock Market Steadies After Five Bil lion Loss in Value on Day's Trade," as a record 13 million shares ex changed hands. Despite the valiant efforts of the nation's bankers and security houses to prop up the sagging prices, by Black Tuesday,

October 29, the United States experienced a trememdous economic blow 4 as the market plunged downward, wiping out thousands of investors. 212 p '

The Star-News Remains Optimistic

A1 though the immediate market losses were extremely severe, the

Star-News described a tremendous upswing in stock prices the following day, on October 30, in a story headlined "Stocks Turn and Start Sky- ward." This, the newspaper indicated, was the beginning of a big

rally, especially since it was accompanied by a volume of 10 million

shares. Seeing this as a signal of market recovery, the November 2 Star-News view turned somewhat more positive, and again quoted econo-

mist Roger Babson on the country's "improving" economy." According to

the Star-News, Babson believed the market scare was simply that--a

scare. The country was basically sound in the economist's eyes, and a

turnaround in fortunes had already begun. It was simply a matter of

time, definitely short in duration was the belief, until this negative

aberration was overcome and the country's financial picture returned

to normal. Despite the fact that five thousand banks failed during these early days, the Star-News reported that the actions of President

Herbert Hoover himself had done much to aid the situation. According

to the Pasadena newspaper, the Republican Administration in Washington had moved swiftly, at the first sign of real trouble, to lessen the

impact of what most observers viewed as a temporary setback or adjust ment in the stock market and, ultimately, the national financial . 5 picture. In an editorial on November 18 the Star-News credited Hoover with exhibiting a strong front to curb the recession in its infancy. As the newspaper commented, "His prompt and judicious words are having a wonderful stabilizing influence." In a companion editorial with a 213

strongly partisan flavor, the newspaper praised Hoover for outstanding leadership in the face of economic adversity. A weaker man would have folded, it wrote. The Star-News, too, believed the country was finan cially sound and would recover shortly, under the direction of the 6 Republicans.

Pasadena Feels the Economic Pinch

As noted in earlier chapters, Pasadena traditionally has been a community composed largely of monied people. With its mild weather available the year round as a drawing card, the city first enticed affluent businessmen and their families to vacation here during the winter months. Later, many of these same visitors chose to relocate permanently to Pasadena when they reached retirement age. In the words of Carey McWilliams, a transplanted mid-Westerner who came to the Southland in the early 1920s, Pasadena was described as a city of old, wealthy recluses. In a tongue-in-cheek manner, McWilliams wrote that "rich and retired [Pasadenans] live in seclusion so complete and so silent that in some residential hotels one hardly hears anything 7 but the ticking of the clock or the hardening of one's arteries."

Although this is a somewhat facetious description of the city and its inhabitants, it does indicate that many Pasadenans were quite well off financially. Consequently, a roster of Pasadena-area residents over the years has included such notables as George D. Patton (father of Gen. George

S. Patton of World War II fame), Mrs. James A. Garfield (widow of the assassinated President), Upton Sinclair (noted American novelist), and

Henry E. Huntington (the street car "king" and head of the Pacific 214

Electric transit system), all of whom were well to do. 8 Since a good part of this wealth was derived from bond interest and stock dividends, it is no surprise that the Depression impacted the community by diminishing the amassed fortunes of many of its resi dents, even in the early days of the crisis. Although the Star-News continued its optimistic reports for many months after the "crash"-- for example, it quoted United States Secretary of Labor J. J. Davis as saying the American wage earner of 1929 "enjoys the highest standard of 1iving in history"--the newspaper began to recognize less than two months into the Depression that this was more than a simple adjustment to accommodate profit taking. 9 In a move calculated to instill confidence in the flagging econ omy, at least locally, the Star-News began publishing a boxed item on its front page that showed the daily bank clearings in Pasadena. For a time the current figures were compared with those of the respective time periods of the prior year "to reflect the solidity" of the local financial picture. On January 10, 1930, for example, the paper iden tified $1,064,528.44 as the bank clearings for that day, as opposed to $1,158,178.54 for the same day in 1929. Certainly a $90,000 differen tial was not insignificant, but it could be explained. When the dif ferences became overly disproportionate and began to undermine the optimistic spirit they were intended to generate, the comparisons were dropped and only the current day's figures were shown. 10 Nevertheless, the newspaper generally retained its optimistic out look. Even in the face of rapidly growing economic problems, the Star-News carried reports such as the one in which a Los Angeles busi nessman called the stock market crash a "blessing," because it checked 215

speculation and installment buying, while strengthening the overall business picture by forcing mergers of weaker concerns with prosperous

I ones to produce more viable organizations. In an editorial, the newspaper commented that the United States Department of Labor predicted a "normal level of employment" within three months, with the severely depressed iron and steel industries leading the way. However, the Star-News attempted to retain its image of objectivity by publishing an item shortly thereafter that reported Congressional delay on the passage of an appropriation bill that could idle 20,000 federal workers and contribute further to the already im pacted unemployment figures. 11 In a startling revelation, the Star-News also reported that high- placed political sources held the current Hoover administration at fault for the country's economic ills. While not a reflection of the Star-News editorial opinion, this anti -Republican comment was one of the first opposing G.O.P. policy to appear in the newspaper since the Pasadena daily openly supported the Wilson administration during World

War I. It also signaled a turnabout in the political views of the country when voters flocked to the polls in the 1932 Presidential election and faced the choice of four more years of a known candidate who was tainted by the Great Depression or an eloquent, but unknown politician then serving as governor of New York.

The Depression Provides Pasadena with a Dubious Honor Although many Pasadenans felt the economic crunch of the Great Depression, it was minimal in comparison to the remainder of the country in general and Los Angeles in particular. Remi Nadeau, the 216

son of a French-Canadian mule skinner who came to the Southland around the turn of the century, suggested that Los Angeles was one of the cities hardest hit by the Depression. Because of its great economic role in Southern California, the City of Angels saw a tremendous number of its investors ruined; many could not face the reality of a future of destitution after riding a financial high for such a long time. In the East, Wall Street suicides became commonplace, starting shortly after the first crushing blow wiped out the fortunes of thousands of New York brokers and financiers. With its high-rise buildings, the preferred method of suicide in New York was by jumping. In Los Angeles, however, buildings were restricted by law to much lower heights, and those persons bent on self-destruction were more creative in fulfilling their single-minded purpose. In the early 1930s, during the depths of the Depression, seventy-nine Angelenos reportedly leaped to their deaths--from the Colorado Street bridge, spanning the rugged rocks of the Arroyo Seco below. 12 Pasadena's newspaper publishers had entered into a gentlemen's agreement not to publish these sensational accounts on the premise that such coverage would encourage additional despondent people to use "Suicide Bridge" to end their lives. However, the unofficial bargain did not involve the Los Angeles press. For example, Carey McWilliams credits the powerful Hearst newspapers of Los Angeles in the 1930s with influencing Pasadena's city fathers to install safeguards on the bridge to prevent further deaths because of the articles they pub-

11s. he d - con d emn1ng . t h e Sl . t uat1on. . 13 By mid -1931 the Star-News also broke its vow of silence on the bridge and ran a story on a seventeen- 217

year-old woman who walked to the center of the Arroyo span and was arrested by police after a huge crowd pleaded with her not to jump. Following hours of questioning, the young woman was released and returned to her home. The Star-News in reporting the incident wrote: "It took that length of time to prove to police that a person might walk on the sidewalks of the bridge, and even look over the edge of the railing without planning to end one's life."14 Despite this early break in convention, however, it was not until 1936 that the city of Pasadena dealt in earnest with the issue of in stalling protective barriers the length of the bridge to deter would be jumpers. On August 18, 1936, the Star-News ran an illustrated story that proposed a decorative "bayonetted grille" for the bridge to prevent such suicides. The article actually was a reprint of an open letter directed by Pasadena City Manager C. W. Koiner to each of the city councilmen. The Star-News also received a copy, as did other Pasadena and Los Angeles newspapers. In his letter Koiner outlined the "facts" surrounding the incidence of suicide from the bridge. "There seems to have been a keen delight to increase the number, dis regarding the number of those who [actually] have jumped from the bridge," he wrote. 15 Since the Los Angeles newspapers were the only ones to have carried these stories, it is safe to say their publishers probably took offense at Koiner's words and refused to respond to the charges. Nevertheless, the protective grillework, which was estimated at $14,000 to complete, ultimately was installed and abruptly halted further use of the bridge for self-destructive purposes. 218

p '

The Olympics in Los Angeles Midway through the Great Depression Los Angeles played host for the X Olympiad. While the Los Angeles Coliseum was the seat of the major ceremonies at which 105,000 spectators wildly acclaimed the opening of the games, the entire Southern California area benefited financially from the event. This included the Pasadena Rose Bowl, where cycling was staged. As the Star-News editorialized, the Olympic Games are "a bright spot in the midst of economic gloom."16 At the very least, the games were a much-needed diversion for Southern Californians who were undergoing the most severe financial crisis ever encountered. In a few instances, the Olympiad also repre sented an economic windfall that partially offset some of the monetary losses sustained in the previous three years. The games may well have begun a turnaround in fortunes for some Southlanders.

The Depression in Perspective In retrospect, a look at history books and encyclopedias reveals that the October 29, 1929, crash started a worldwide depression that lasted for more than a decade and, some students claim, required World War II tq reverse. Yet it must be recognized that such academic hind sight allows a researcher to perceive objectively the subtleties in human behavior, activity, and circumstance that a person living during that age could not appreciate.

As a consequence, it is realistic to assume that any newspaper-- and the Star-News was no exception--would be inclined to report that economic relief was close at hand. The same would be true of the administration and quite possibly many financial experts in the real or 219

mistaken belief that their optimism would help slow, if not halt al together, the downward trend. It is equally realistic to expect that no one living in that period would have believed that such a severe and long-lasting economic crisis could cripple a wealthy nation like the United States and produce a rash of suicides on Wall Street and elsewhere, as rich investors became penniless paupers in a matter of minutes. Yet the fact remains that the Depression did occur, it dra matically impacted the lives of millions of people around the world, and it required a myriad of federally funded social programs, national commitment, and another world war to conquer.

1HE STAR-NEWS AND ITS COMt!UNITY While the country sttunbled about somewhat aimlessly, trying to overcome the economic dilemma that seemed to grow worse with each passing day, life in Pasadena continued in a more-or-less routine manner. This included the Star-News as well, since the newspaper and its staff had become virtually inseparable from Pasadena's profes sional, civic, and social lives.

The Arthur Noble Award Arthur Noble, a long-time booster of the community, had begun an annual award in October 1924, when the city was undergoing its ambi tious civic building program. The award, which honored those citizens who had contributed significantly to Pasadena's success, took the form of a specially cast medal financed by the proceeds of $1000 in bonds that Noble had donated to the city for that purpose. Noble envisioned his program as lasting for twenty-five years, beginning on January 1, 220

1926,- and using only the interest earned on the bonds to pay for the medal. At the end of the quarter century period, the $1000 principal would revert to the City of Pasadena.

In February 1930, Charles H. Prisk, Star-News publisher, became the fifth recipient of the Noble award in recognition of his twenty- five years of outstanding community service both professionally as the city's leading newspaperman and personally as an active citizen. The award, which covered the 1929 period, was inscribed to "Charles H.

Prisk for notable service as editor of a model newspaper." As might be expected, Prisk had to share the award in part with the Star-News itself. After a long deliberation, I. Blair Evans, the chairman of the selection committee, applauded both Prisk and the Star-News for making "a great contribution to the community in which we 1ive. He has made the daily advent of The Star-News more important than the menu for the evening meal." During the actual presentation ceremony,

Evans also declared: "It [the Star-News] has never stooped to harm any person however humble."17

Another speaker reportedly praised both the publisher and the newspaper for their years of outstanding service to the community.

'~ay after day, for 26 years, Mr. Prisk has published his newspaper--

8000 issues--and not a word that should not be read by our children or that violated the spirit of fair play and upright dealing. The man 18 who can do that deserves the honor you have paid him."

To show that the Arthur Noble award· was truly a Pasadena event, even the medal itself was prepared locally, through the J. Herbert

Hall Co., a long-standing and well-known Pasadena jewelry firm. 221

The Prisk and Paddock ''Merger"

Charles W. Paddock, also known as the Crown City Flash for his

running ability, had joined the Star-News during his days at Pasadena

High ~chool, writing a sports column for his hometown newspaper.

Later, after graduation from the University of Southern California,

Paddock represented the United States team at the Olympic Games in

Europe, while at the same time wiring home colorful reports as a 19 special correspondent for the Star-News.

Paddock's early years at the newspaper were fruitful, and he ap

parently came under the watchful eye of the publisher who guided his

career path into journalism when Paddock's highly successful amateur

athletic days had ended. At least one member of the Prisk family

other than the publisher also watched Charles Paddock with more than

casual curiosity. On December 11, 1930, in what may have been con

sidered the high point of the Pasadena social scene for the year,

Charles W. Paddock took Mrs. Neva Prisk Malaby, daughter of Star-News

publisher Charles H. Prisk, as his bride, ensuring the continuation of 20 the Prisk family tradition at the newspaper for another generation.

Exactly how much influence Charles Paddock's marriage into the

Prisk family had on his career at the newspaper is not clear, but

certainly it did no damage. As a USC graduate, Paddock was well

educated, and his earlier days as an outstanding sprinter in high

school and college had thrust him into the limelight at a young age where he learned early on to deal ably with the public. His partici

pation in the Olympic Games also afforded him lifelong contacts that

probably made him a saleable commodity and undoubtedly enhanced his

public relations value to the Star-News. Whatever the circumstance, 222

Paddock rose through the ranks of the newspaper and by 1936 had become . . 21 1ts assoc1ate manager.

THE STAR-NEWS AND DEPRESSION POLITICS

When Herbert Hoover won the Presidential nomination at the 1928

Republican national convention, the Star-News immediately began a campaign highly supportive of the G.O. P. ticket. ''Mr. Hoover's ideals

[are] broad [and] sound," the Star-News wrote. "There is substance in every sentence [of his acceptance speech]. It is a deliverance that will stave the acid test of criticism," the newspaper continued in an 22 editorial appearing shortly after Hoover's nomination.

Throughout the subsequent Presidential campaign the Pasadena daily followed Hoover's progress, hanging on every word he uttered, and comparing his brevity with Abraham Lincoln's ability to say "much in a few words. 1123 It is apparent that the Star-News felt it had contributed much to Hoover's win, which it heralded as a "great triumph for a great American. 1124 In 1928 Star-News circulation was in excess of 20, 700 daily, which meant that the newspaper undoubtedly did influence the election's outcome, at least in Pasadena, which had always been a traditional Republican stronghold. 25

Politics Blends into Society

Despite the pressures of his high office, Hoover always remained a human being first and foremost, and never lost sight of the fact that people were responsible for his election. The fact that Hoover also was a Californian may have influenced his decision to honor long-time

Pasadena resident Galusha M. Cole, who celebrated his 103rd birthday 223

in August 1929. Hoover was joined in his congratulatory message by former President Calvin Coolidge, and their actions were duly reported by the Star-News with great pride on behalf of the community. 26 Unfortunately, within a year and a half, the Star-News ran the obituary of Galusha Cole. At age 104, the Pasadena patriarch fell at home, breaking his hip. During his convalescence Cole developed pneu- monia; he died on April 10, 1931. Once again, the Star-News covered details of the revered Pasadena pioneer who had been born while John Quincy Adams served as President--but for the last time. 27

Influence of the Economic Crisis While the Star-News generally remained pro-Republican during this period, when the full impact of the Depression became obvious the newspaper's approach to the issue turned somewhat defensive in nature. In an Armistice Day editorial in 1930, the Star-News suggested that the American people themselves, and not the government, were responsible for the fiscal crisis that the nation then faced:

"How unfair and groundless it is, to charge the Hoover admin istration, or any other government administration, the economic ills that have come to this country largely through speculative excesses of its own people--largely because the desire for quick and easy gains became such a mania that there had to be a col lapse--an economic breakdown--to be followed by a slow conva lescence."28

Yet the newspaper attempted to retain a modicum of objectivity when it congratulated the country's lawmakers for ignoring party lines and joining forces instead to lead the United States out of the throes of the Depression. While the Star-News, in describing the political moves involved in dealing with the Great Depression, proudly declared 224

that "patriotism rose above partisanship," it quickly added that "the government at Washington still lives," as a reminder to the citizenry that the Republican party remained in control in the nation's capital (Periodically the newspaper would repeat this message during the years to come.) When Hoover received widespread criticism for cutting back on the farm subsidy programs that he believed could bankrupt the federal treasury, the Star-News rallied to his defense by supporting his plan and pointing out the exceptional record the President had posted dur ing his relief work in Europe after World War I as Woodrow Wilson's personal emissary. Hoover's success then certainly lent credibility 29 to his present course of action was the belief. By the middle of December, Congress had accepted the Hoover plan, cutting in half the $60 million relief appropriation as the President had requested. Quite possibly this strong Congressional support led Hoover to believe that his was the correct approach to cure the coun try's financial ills. It is also possible that this prompted the President to institute his policy of not using the federal "dole" to aid the unemployed, relying instead on the private sector to bring the country out of the doldrums. According to Hoover, such aid was a per sonal matter best handled by private organizations such as the Ameri can Red Cross. 30 The Star-News, in turn, seemed to agree with these conclusions, as did Congress. A Star-News editorial on February 18, 1931, praised the nation's lawmakers for supporting the President by passing a $20 mil lion "loan" for drought relief, rather than a $25 million drought and unemployment "handout" that had been proposed as an alternative. A 225

large percentage of the American population believed in Hoover and felt that he could arrest the country's financial downturn. 31 In a later article, the Star-News tempered this somewhat one-sided view by suggesting that a blend of action by government and the private sector would serve the nation best. '~usiness and industry must equalize their work throughout the year," the newspaper editorialized, with government projects appropriately timed to fill the voids between the private projects. By so doing, the newspaper reasoned, the tre mendous unemployment crisis could be at least partially overcome. 32

THE 1932 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Despite the heroic measures taken by the Hoover Administration to curb the Great Depression in the United States, the crunch was so severe and widespread that an immediate. cure was impossible. Seizing the opportunity to enhance his political career was the relatively un known politician, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who, together with John Nance Garner, had won their party's nomination for the nation's top posts in the Democratic convention in Chicago during July 1932. Roosevelt's principal claim to fame was his current status as governor of New York state. His national political experience was limited to a term as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy during the Woodrow Wilson Administration, one of many posts he had been offered for his outstanding leadership in organizing the Democratic Party win in the 1912 election. Although his personal charisma would establish him as a national favorite in coming years, Roosevelt did not take the Chicago nomination by acclamation. Instead, the Democratic delegation needed three ballots before settling on the Roosevelt-Garner ticket as 226 p '

its choice to oppose the apparently popular Hoover-Curtis Republican nominees in November.

By late summer 1932, the Presidential candidates of both parties were on the campaign trail, loudly proclaiming the virtues of their respective political positions, and condemning the opposing party's views. Roosevelt soundly denounced the current Republican Administra tion for what he viewed as a failure to recognize the farmer's plight as a national issue. He also blamed the Republicans for much of the financial distress that the country had faced since October 1929.

The Star-News had patiently and faithfully recorded the activities of all candidates as they stumped across the country in search of new votes. But the newspaper bridled at the latest Democratic charge. In an editorial less than one month before the election, the Star-News branded as the shallowest of all arguments against Hoover's reelection the claim that Republicans were to blame for the "economic stress of the last three years." The newspaper followed up this commentary with additional partisan statements suggesting that the Hoover campaign \vas constructive and "characteristic of the Republican party." Any change in administration policy in 1932, the Star-News warned, would be a grave setback for the nation at a time when it could not afford the 33 trauma.

The Democratic Win

On November 9, however, despite the heavy G.O.P. vote cast in

Pasadena, the Democratic Party won the hotly contested election in what appeared to be a landslide victory. The Star-News duly reported the election returns as the lead story on its front page, and included 227

an i tern on the cordial congratulations that Hoover extended to the winners. Nevertheless, the Pasadena paper was quick to counter edi torially by assuring its readers that the Republican party would sur vive this setback, that it had accounted for extraordinary gains in the past and would do so once again. A short time later the newspaper also charged the winning Democrats with a great responsibility to the voters who gave them carte blanche to operate the government according to their party's philosophical precepts. The Democratic Party "must give a good account of its commission or give strict account to the sovereign voters in the next general election," the Star-News solemnly warned. 34 As the Hoover days wound down and inauguration day approached for the Democrats, the Star-News reported that several members of the out going cabinet would possibly resign early. These reports were run as straight news stories and elicited no editorial comment from the newspaper. Shortly after the new year, however, the Star-News optimistically predicted that "the year 1933 should be capitalized with confidence." Although it did not directly attribute the forecast of prosperity to the groundwork laid by the current administration nor credit it to the incoming Democrats, the Star-News most likely recognized that the country's electorate had opted for at least four years of liberal leadership under FDR and chose instead to work toward the common good rather than fighting the will of the majority. 35

Democrats Cannot Satisfy Everyone In spite of the Democratic landslide election victory, not every 228

American was pleased with the prospect of Roosevelt leadership. Less than a month before the inauguration, the Star-News reported that the President-elect had been the target of an assassination attempt in Miami, Florida. Although FDR escaped the incident unharmed, a politi cal companion, Chicago Mayor Cermak, was not so fortunate having been fatally wounded in the attack. In the same edition in which the Star-News reported the shooting, the newspaper decried the increasing incidence of violence in the country, especially when it was directed at a public official, apparently to prevent him from taking office. "The progress of crime in the United States during the last few years has been so startling that a tragedy of this nature hardly may be called un-American anymore," 36 the Star-News chided. (It is interesting to note that the Repub lican Party had controlled the federal government during the period of time when most of the criminal growth had occurred, yet this fact re ceived no mention in the Pasadena newspaper.) On March 4, 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated in Washington, D.C., as the thirty-second President of the United States. When sworn in, he became a man accepting the leadership of a country in the midst of the greatest economic crisis ever encountered. Be- cause of this crisis, one of Roosevelt's first orders was to call for a national bank holiday in an attempt to head off the institutional failures that continued to plague the nation. The seriousness of the situation did not escape the notice of the Star-News, which supported the new President's move as the most logical means to combat the De- pression. The upsurge in the stock market when the banks resumed normal operations a short time later seems to bear out the correctness 229

of his act. In reporting on this improvement, the Pasadena daily indicated that stocks had registered increases between $2 and $11 per 37 share in the first real recovery since the crash of 1929. By the middle of May, Roosevelt had requested that Congress give him the authority to control all factors of business: wages, prices, production, and working conditions. This followed the Administra tion's expressed concern that Wall Street was guilty of poor practice and unbusiness-like conduct in its role as trustee of the nation's finances. Interestingly, the Star-News supported the Democratic Pres ident's stand as beneficial to the United States and a tremendous aid 1n. restoring . f"1sca 1 co nf"d1 ence 1n. t h e country. 38 A scant three months after his inauguration, the President began experiencing the end of his "honeymoon" with Congress. In a June editorial, the Star-News commented that large numbers of Congressmen from both parties were abandoning the President as the lawmakers faced extreme opposition from their constituents at home over several of his policies. In light of that situation, the newspaper commented: "Small wonder that Mr. Roosevelt is hurrying Congress to final adjournment. Others of his measures and policies might by endangered if the session lasted much longer." 39 Yet the following day, the Pasadena newspaper allowed that "legi slative history has been made that will reflect glory upon the name of Franklin Delano Roosevelt." However, the Star-News cautioned, "the Presidential path will not be strewn with roses throughout his entire administration." A1 though the United States Supreme Court eventually declared many of FDR' s "alphabet soup" programs unconstitutional, a few, including the National Recovery Administration (NRA), prevailed 230

for a time and indeed grew in power as more and more industries came 40 under its contro1.

By early 1935, the Star-News reported that FDR was resolved to allow the NRA to die in view of the growing opposition by the Supreme Court to his New Deal programs. Despite this rebuff, however, Con- gress accepted a "toothless" bill extending for nine months a watered- down version of the NRA. This extension, which was considerably less than the two years that FDR had requested, was opposed by former Pres- ident Herbert Hoover. Hoover denounced the NRA as imposing the "worst era of monopolies on the American people." The Star-News appeared to side with Hoover, as did several Democrats who broke party ranks by rejecting the FDR plan. 41

While Roosevelt 1 s socially oriented programs such as the Civilian

Conservation Corps, the Public Works Administration, and the Agricul tural Adjustment Administration were under fire from the United States Supreme Court, the Democratic President moved to ensure fiscal soundness for the American retiree by signing into law the controversial

Social Security Act. The Star-News reported the act to be "a momen- 42 tous governmental venture. 11

Because of the Supreme Court 1 s distinct anti -administration lean- ings, FDR attempted to reverse the trend by altering the composition of the Court. In a move designed to overcome the opposition through replacement of the justices with candidates handpicked by Roosevelt himself, the Democratic President publicly recommended that the number of Court justices be increased from nine to fifteen. This would in effect have allowed FDR to "pack" the High Court with jurors obviously sympathetic to his programs. The Star-News recognized the impact of 231

this action and warned its readers that Roosevelt's proposal was a

danger to the Constitution. Furthermore, the paper declared, by giv-

ing in to FDR, Congress would have "turned over vast powers to a small

group of men," which could ultimately undermine the entire fabric of 43 the country.

The newspaper followed up shortly thereafter by declaring that it

would publish the full text of the United States Constitution in a

future issue. Ostensibly this was to commemorate the !48th anni ver-

sary of the document and to contrast the democratic form of government

in America with that of the Nazis, the Fascists, and the Communists,

who were then vying for political supremacy in Europe. 44 The news-

paper's constitutional reprint, however, seems to have been timed more

to counter the Presidential move to modify the Supreme Court.

On January 6, 1936, the Star-News front page featured the banner headline: "Supreme Court Rules Entire AAA Invalid." Sensing that a

furious Roosevelt would move quickly in retaliation, the Pasadena newspaper commented editorially on the Court's actions the following day:

"This is no time to tamper with the United States Consti tu tion. This is no time to try to circumvent the opinion of the United States Supreme Court. If the NRA and the AAA have good in them, in some measure--and multitudes agree they have--it should be possible to salvage this good and to preserve it bS ways and means not repugnant to the United States Constitution."4

While the Supreme Court was not so harsh with other New Deal pro grams, including the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Star-News sug gested that the nation's voters had begun to tire of Roosevelt and his occasionally unpopular policies. The newspaper used the return to the 232

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Republican Party fold in New England (Maine voters elected a G.O.P.

governor, one senator, and three representatives in 1936) as signify

ing a change in the country's political climate. "The wave of public

sentiment against the New Deal is rising," claimed the Star-News.

However, the newspaper warned, "Maine only pointed the way for other states; it has not fought their battles for them." Nevertheless, the

Star-News believed that the political worm had turned in the 1936

Presidential election year and strongly supported the Republican can

didate, Alf Landon. The newspaper expressed little joy in November,

however, when FDR won his second term handily, by an overwhelming 46 majority of 523 to 8 electoral votes.

The International Scene

With the Democrats firmly in control of Washington, the Star-News awaited proof positive that the Roosevelt plan would bring the country

out of the Depression. While the newspaper played a cagey waiting

game nationally, it continued to report on the international scene,

concentrating on the rise to power of two European leaders who threat ened the political stability of the entire continent. One was a fiery

1ittle Austrian, Adolph Hitler, who was making decisive inroads into

the German government; the other was Benito Mussolini, who toppled a

weak and ineffectual Italian regime to become "Il Duce."

Immediately following the signed armistice of the World War, the

Germans denounced the terms of the Treaty of Versailles as unfair to their nation and its people. The most outspoken critic was Hitler, who was rapidly gaining control of the German Reichstag as leader of

the powerful National Socialist or Nazi Party. Because of Hitler's 233

p • militaristic approach to political change, other nations treated him with considerable deference, especially when he threatened to derail the Disarmament Conference in Geneva in the early 1930s. 47 In mid-1933, Roosevelt offered a nonagression pact to Germany, which Hitler hailed as a major step forward in world peace. However, the Chancellor refused to accept the terms as stated. Instead, he demanded that his country be given military parity with other European nations such as England and France, in complete opposition to the Ver- sailles accord. In a fit of pique Germany quit the Geneva Conference, refusing to accept the status of "second-class nation" that Hitler claimed the League of Nations was forcing on it by denying the Nazi 48 m1"1" 1 tary d eman d s. Meanwhile, Italy also was sabre-rattling under the military dicta torship of Mussolini. In the 1930s as Hitler began to move on Germany using political unrest to stir up support for his cause, Mussolini had wrested control of the weak leadership in Italy and established himself as the reigning power. According to the Star-News, these two European dictators held the world's destiny in their hands. In one particularly insightful issue, the Pasadena newspaper carried photos of Mussolini and Hitler on the front page under the banner headline: 49 ''May Decide Peace or War in Europe. n In March 1935, the Star-News reported that Germany had established a standing army of 480,000 men, in direct violation of the terms at Versailles. Hitler arranged for this large army by installing compul sory conscription in Germany and defying the other European nations to prevent his actions. Within a short month's time the English, French, and Italians met in Stresa, Italy, to negotiate a peace accord. The 234

Germans, however, remained adamant with regard to the buildup of their military forces. 50 Meanwhile, the Star-News closely followed the arms negotiations and immediately condemned Italy when it attacked Ethiopia in early 1935 while still at the bargaining table. In the opinion of the Star- News, Mussolini had sent its well-armed military forces against the poorly equipped, spear-carrying Ethiopian natives only because of the oil and other natural riches possessed by the North African nation. If Ethiopia had no such wealth, said the Pasadena newspaper, the Italians would not have given it a second thought. 51 In an interesting development, the Star-News wrote of a group of Harlem Negroes who were flocking to sign up and fight in Ethiopia. The United States recognized the plight of the Ethiopian natives who were being ravaged by an aggressive European neighbor, and were willing to stand up to the injustice they felt was occurring some six thousand m1.1 es away. 52 In the face of growing European unrest, the situation in the Pa- cific fared no better. While Hitler and Mussolini made their moves in the early 1930s, Japan was overrunning China and establishing the pup pet state of Manchuk.uo. By the end of 1936, after the Japanese had forcibly taken control of Manchuria from its rightful leadership, an emasculated and nearly bankrupt Chinese government teetered on the brink of an ouster and faced the prospect of a long, bloody Civil War. China's defense against the Japanese had taken a massive toll in both lives and money, and left the country ripe for revolution as the many warlords maneuvered for total control. 53 235

A HALF-CENTIJRY RECAPPED As Roosevelt's first term in office drew to a close, both Pasadena and the Star-News celebrated their Golden Anniversaries. Although the newspaper was founded on April 21, 1886, preceding the city's incorpo ration by two months, the Star-News deferred to the Pasadena date and produced its "50th Anniversary Number" on June 15, 1936. 54 The 92-page edition, which was dedicated to "the founders of the Star and the News," honored such famous Pasadena names as H. J. Vail, original founder of the Pasadena Star in 1886; Theodore Coleman, an early-day Star editor; the Hon. Walter S. Melick, California Senator and partner in the earlier Pasadena News; and J. P. Baumgartner, Star owner before the Prisks. In recognizing these predecessors, Charles Prisk also extended credit to the current staff of 258 who were responsible for that particular issue. He also addressed what he explained was a question often-asked of him: ''Why is the Star-News the type of newspaper that it is?" In his answer, Prisk waxed eloquent. Said the publisher:

"I would endeavor in matters of public interest to present all essential and enlightening facts, with here and there a help ful, pointed word of approval or dissent, rather than constantly to interject my personal feelings and prejudices into the inter pretation of every passing event. So, in moderation yet in firm ness, The Star-News consistently expresses its convictions, hoping by soundness of reasoning to wield most potently its influence as a newspaper."55

Throughout the entire anniversary issue, the newspaper recounted interesting anecdotes involving the Star-News and many of the people who were responsible for its success over the years. The newspaper also introduced its readers to the important role that the Star-News 236

and its predecessors had played in helping guide the destiny of Pasa dena during the first half century. The second fifty years of the newspaper and the city had begun, and the world once again faced a major war. 237

ENDNOTES lPasadena Star-News, 17 August 1929, p. 29. 2Pasadena Star-News, 1 October 1929, p.l5. 3Pasadena Star-News, 4 October 1929, p. 29; 5 October 1929, p. 29; 8 October 1929, p. 23. 4Pasadena Star-News, 23 October 1929, p. 23; 24 October 1929, p. 1; 29 October 1929, p. 1. 5Pasadena Star-News, 30 October 1929, p. 29; 2 November 1929, p. 29. 6pasadena Star-News, 18 November 1929, p. 4. 7earey McWilliams, Southern California: An Island on the Land (Santa Barbara: Peregrine Smith, Inc., 1973), p. 327. 8J. W. Wood, Pasadena, California: Historical and Personal--A Com lete Histo of the Or anization of the Indiana Colon (Pasadena: J. W. Wood, 1917 , pp. 556~58; Josep S. O'Flaherty, ose Powerful Years The South Coast and Los eles 1887-1917 (Hicksville, NY: Ex position Press, Inc. 1978 , p. 201; McWilliams, pp. 100, 290; Harris Newmark, Sixt Years in Southern California 1853-1913, 4th ed. Maurice H. Newmark an Marco R. Newmark, ed., Los Angeles: Zeitlen & Ver Brugge, 1970), p. 529; Marco Newmark, Jottings in Southern Cali fornia History (Los Angeles: Ward Ritchie Press, 1955), p. 147. 9Pasadena Star-News, 11 December 1929, p. 4. lOPasadena Star-News, 10 January 1930, p. 1; 18 February 1930, p. 1. llPasadena Star-News, 13 January 1930, p. 9; 16 February 1930, p. 4; 18 February 1930, p. 1. 12Remi Nadeau, Los Mission to Modern Cit (New York: Longmans, Green an , p. 157.

l~tcWilliams, p. 246. 14Pasadena Star-News, 10 July 1931, p. 17. 15Pasadena Star-News, 18 August 1936, pp. 1, 2. 16Pasadena Star-News, 30 July 1932, p. 1; 11 August 1932, p. 4. 238

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17Pasadena Star-News, 19 March 1930, pp. 9, 10; Harris Newmark, p. 654. 18Pasadena Star-News, 19 March 1930, p. 11. 19Pasadena Star-News, 14 June 1920, p. 19. 20Pasadena Star-News, 12 December 1930, p. 23. 21Pasadena Star-News, 15 June 1936, p. 12. 22Pasadena Star-News, 11 August 1928, p. 4. 23Pasadena Star-News, 14 August 1928, p. 4. 24Pasadena Star-News, 7 November 1928, p. 4. 25Pasadena Star-News, 9 November 1928, p. 18. 26Pasadena Star-News, 12 August 1929, p. 17; 15 August 1929, p. 4. 27Pasadena Star-News, 11 April 1931, p. 9; 15 April 1931, p. 4. 28Pasadena Star-News, 11 November 1930, p. 4. 29Pasadena Star-News, 12 November 1930, p. 4; 15 November 1930, p. 4; 12 December 1930, p. 4; 15 March 1934, p. 4. 30Pasadena Star-News, 18 December 1930, p. 1; 12 February 1931, p. 4. 31Pasadena Star-News, 18 February 1931, p. 4. 32Pasadena Star-News, 12 July 1932, p. 4. 33Pasadena Star-News, 14 September 1932, p. 1; 13 October 1932, p. 4; 15 October 1932, p. 4; 7 November 1932, p. 4. 34Pasadena Star-News, 9 November 1932, pp. 1, 4; 12 November 1932, p. 4. 35Pasadena Star-News, 10 December 1932, p. 1; 11 January 1933, p. 4. 36Pasadena Star-News, 16 February 1933, pp. 1, 4. 37Pasadena Star-News, 4 March 1933, p. 1; 10 March 1933, pp. 1,4; 15 March 1933, p. 1. 38Pasadena Star-News, 11 April 1933, p. 4; 17 May 1933, p. 1 •

• 239

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39Pasadena Star-News, 13 June 1933, p. 4.

40Pasadena Star-News, 14 June 1933, p. 4; 12 August 1933, p. 1. 41Pasadena Star-News, 10 May 1935, p. 1; 16 May 1935, pp. 1, 3; 14 June 1935, p. 1.

42Pasadena Star-News, 14 August 1935, p. 1.

43Pasadena Star-News, 17 September 1935, p. 1. 44Pasadena Star-News, 18 September 1935, p. 13. 45Pasadena Star-News, 6 January 1936, p. 1; 7 January 1936, p. 4. 46Pasadena Star-News, 15 September 1936, pp. 1, 4.

47Pasadena Star-News, 15 May 1933, p. 1.

48Pasadena Star-News, 17 May 1933, p. 1; 14 October 1933, p. 1. 49Pasadena Star-News, 18 July 1932, p. 1; 10 August 1932, p. 1; 16 June 1934, p. 1. 50Pasadena Star-News, 18 March 1935, pp. 1, 4; 10 April 1935, p. 1. 51Pasadena Star-News, 10 July 1935, pp. 1, 4. 52Pasadena Star-News, 15 July 1935, p. 3. 53Pasadena Star-News, 14 December 1936, p. 1. 54Pasadena Star-News, 15 June 1936. 55Pasadena Star-News, 15 June 1936, p. 1. CHAPTER 10

TI:lE SECOND HALF-CENIDRY

For the Star-News, the second fifty years involved significant changes for both the city of Pasadena and the newspaper. The world experienced several military conflicts that claimed millions of liVP.S, including an executive of the newspaper itself, and the United States faced tremendous social upheaval introduced by racial integration, be ginning in the 1950s. In addition, the paper changed ownership after more than a half century under the Prisk family. For the first time in its history, the Star-News was no longer a family operation; it had become a member of a national newspaper chain. This chapter will review the changes in ownership and the news paper's pre-war editorial positions.

THE FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT ADMINISTRATION, 1932-1945 The years immediately preceding World War II were marked with great political unrest. Many small nations moved to increase their influence over world affairs, and would-be leaders vied with incum bents to upset the status quo. Because of the direct involvement of the United States in many of these international events, the Star-News was forced to re-evaluate its traditionally insular view of news reporting that placed primary emphasis on local happenings. Heightened political tension throughout the world in the post-Depression era saw the Pasadena daily expand its scope of worldwide coverage and diminish the reliance that it placed on

240 241

community affairs, social events, and local political gossip to fill its news pages. The same was true of Southern California's role in the national news picture. Improved transportation and enhanced communications techniques reduced the distances separating Pasadena from the rest of the United States and the world, and increased the influence that national and international occurrences had on local conditions. The global village concept was beginning to emerge even in the late 1930s, and the Star-News recognized that it must adapt if it wished to remain competitive in the rapidly changing print media environment. A month following Franklin Roosevelt's landslide victory, Pasade nans were shocked by the lead story of the Star-News on December 10, 1936: "King Edward Abdicates to Wed Mrs. Simpson." The King of En- . gland had given up the throne for the hand of an American divorcee in what the Star-News referred to as a storybook romance that was driven by a power with more strength than that of national leadership.1 The Pasadena daily ran the full text of the former monarch's fare well address on December 11, along with background information. Ed ward had opted for marriage to Simpson over the crown, and publicly accepted full responsibility for his actions. That same day the Star News covered the coronation of newly crowned King George VI. 2 In August 1937 FDR named Alabama Senator Hugo Black as a new jus tice to the United States Supreme Court. Black's appointment, which was stymied for a time by Senators Burke (Nebraska Democrat) and John son (California Republican), was to replace seventy-eight-year-old Willis Van Devanter, who had stepped down in May 1937, after serving twenty-six years as an Associate Justice. 242

In an August editorial, the newspaper expressed relief ·that FDR's plan to increase the size of the Court was averted.

"There has been much deploring that the Roosevelt proposal was. made. But it may well be concluded that the controversy and tumult were well worth having. A great ordeal in national his tory has been passed, and the Supreme Court and the United States Constitution are vindicated by the patriotism of Congress regard less of political affiliation. "3

The Star-News credited this change in policy to the Senate Judici- ary Committee, which was comprised of seven Democrats and three Repub- licans. The group had denounced FDR' s plan as "a needless, futile and utterly dangerous abandonment of constitutional principle."4 Star-News political writer, David Lawrence did not view this as a weakening of Roosevelt's resolve. According to Lawrence, Black "is neither judicially-minded nor impartial, but satisfies every require- ment which the President publicly announced last March when he frankly said he would at the first opportunity pack the Court with men who held his political views on the Constitution."5 The Star-News also believed that FDR's popularity had dropped substantially, as he had alienated many Democrats by nominating Black and pursuing other political courses in opposition to his party's views. Nevertheless, the newspaper cautioned, "it is too early to write the obituary of the 'Democratic party."6 Several of FDR' s controversial measures caused the Star-News to take an anti-Roosevelt stand. In June 1938, the newspaper opposed a third term for Roosevelt, citing his "declining" popularity and the fact that no prior President served more than eight years in office. The Star-News suggested a Constitutional amendment limiting Presidents 243

to two four-year terms. After all, the newspaper reasoned', "if a man should be elected to the Presidency for three terms, there would be no limit. If a third term, why not a fourth [or] a fifth? The logical development would be Presidency for life--a thing that would destroy the American fol1ll of government."7 In the 1930s several of the current Supreme Court justices were likely to retire within a short time, which gave the Star-News the opportunity to promote a woman for the High Court. "In Los Angeles County itself," the newspaper wrote, "women have done the work of Municipal and Superior Court judges, and there are numerous other in

stances throughout the country. ,S The Star-News even recommended a thoroughly qualified candidate: United States Circuit Court Judge Florence Ellinwood Allen. Unfortunately, FOR's liberalism fell short in this area, and he selected Stanley Reed, United States Solicitor General, to the next vacant seat. 9

Local Activities Amidst this political turmoil, Pasadenans sadly saw the Mount Lowe Railway fall on hard times. By 1936, even the prestige and capital of the owner/operator, Pacific Electric, could not keep the line economi cally sound. After having survived several disasters, the railway be carne terminally ill and in 1937 Pacific Electric petitioned the Public Utilities Commission to abandon the road. The Commission granted per mission and the Mount Lowe Railway officially shut down in November 1939. Another era in Pasadena history and one in which the Star-News had played an immensely important role came to a close. 10 A1 though Pasadena lost the Mount Lowe Railway, it had become the 244

northern terminus of a totally new form of road system called the freeway. On March 22, 1938, the Star-News reported on the historic groundbreaking ceremonies for the Arroyo Seco Parkway, which were conducted by Rose Queen Oleryl Walker. In his Editorial Views of the

Star-News column, publisher Charles Prisk heralded the modern roadway as "the beginning of a new and larger era of progress for Pasadena," since it would provide rapid access for commuters between the CroWn

City and Los Angeles. 11

The Star-News treated opening day of the Parkway as a major event.

Although the nine-mile roadway was not all completed simultaneously, the last tunnel remaining to link Pasadena with Los Angeles did not open until mid-December. Nevertheless, wrote the Star-News, state officials promised that the road would be available for travelers on

New Year's Day, 1941. The Star-News registered tremendous pride at the Parkway's opening: "[It] will mark a new era, not only for Pasa dena but for the entire state of California." Charles Paddock also commented, calling it "the finest, the fastest and safest transpor tation modern road designing can offer." The official dedication ceremonies occurred on December 30, 1940, with Rose Queen Sally Stan ton and California Governor Culbert Olson officiating. 12

Prelude to War

Military activity increased dramatically as Roosevelt began his second term. Although the United States was not directly affected in the early days, the course of events turned inexorably toward American involvement in the war. 245 ..

Pre-War Political Coverage and Editorials While Italy engaged the Ethiopians, Spanish insurgents were bomb ing Alcazar Fort in Toledo, Spain. 13 The Star-News published ac counts of the action for its readers, often with wire photos, drawing primarily from the wires of the Associated Press, the United Press, and the International News Service, to which it subscribed. By mid-November the rebels were pounding Madrid with bombs and ar tillery. Led by Gen. Francisco Franco, the insurgents soon had the entire country in a civil war. Both Mussolini and Hitler were inter ested in the Spanish war and recognized Franco as Spain's leader. 14 The growing closeness of this relationship led the Star-News to quote Karl H. von Wiegand, a scholar of eight major wars, who described the 15 Spanish Civil War as "a war to begin wars." While the Spanish Civil War was the proving ground for Italian and German weapons, the Chinese faced their own civil disturbance in Asia. Japan, being deeply involved in Chinese affairs through its puppet government of Manchukuo, was concerned with Communist infiltration of China. The Star-News said these conditions contributed greatly to un rest in the \vorld. 16 When the Japanese sank the American gunboat, U.S.S. Panay, on China's Yangtze River, the United States immediately demanded an offi cial apology, reparations for this act of war, and "a guarantee of no further unlawful interference with American rights by the Japanese in China." Furthermore, said the Star-News, America "would not be driven [out of China] by terrorism. This is the word from the President of 17 the United States to the Fmperor of Japan," the newspaper wrote. As the world braced for war, the Pasadena daily reported that 246 Q •

foreign relations expert, H. R. Knickerbocker, saw the United States 18 providing most of the basic supplies to the combatants. It is likely that Knickerbocker did not realize that he was presaging the Roosevelt Lend-Lease Plan of later years.

An October 1937 Star-News editorial conceded that America was close to war. One reason, said the newspaper, was the fact that the United States planned to honor all existing treaties. England and France hailed the action as a step toward world peace, while certain critics, who were also isolationists, believed such a stand would in crease the chances for war. 19

In 1938 FDR asked the nation's voters to defeat the Ludlow ref- erendum, a measure taking the power to declare war away from elected leaders and requiring an election in which three-fourths of the states must agree to the war. Roosevelt believed this "would cripple any President in the conduct of our foreign relations." The Star-News agreed, declaring that any attempt to alter the process by which Arner- ica declared war could be taken as an indication of weakness by other nations and might possibly lead to another Panay incident. 20 Shortly thereafter the Star-News ran an editorial highly critical of controls that FDR proposed for radio, interstate commerce, and newspapers. The paper was irate that he could suggest actions contra- dieting the guarantees of free speech provided by the First Amendment and abridging the newspaper's fundamental rights. "Guard against Gov- ernmental control of the press," warned the Star-News. "This advice was never more pert1nent. 1n . Am er1ca. t ha n 1t. 1s . t oday. 1121

By the end of 1938 the Star-News saw the world one step away from total war and began a series of editorials on such topics as American 247

neutrality, German occupation of the Sudetenland, and American mili-

tary preparedness. In September, the paper wrote that our neutrality

would likely be challenged in the event of all-out war.

Although the newspaper recognized the inevitability of war for

America, it refused to blame any one person or nation in Europe:

"International lawlessness as it now exists in the world is not the creation of Herr Hitler, but rather, he and the serious crises in Central Europe are the products of our era of political and diplomatic immortality and chicanery which began with Japan's conquest of Chinese Manchuria in 1931. The specter of world war is the result of the breakdown of moral leadership in Europe."22

The Star-News believed that the United States was more fully pre-

pared for war in 1938 than it had been in 1914. America had a better

organized army equipped with better weapons and it was more economi-

cally stable, said the newspaper. (The Star-News did not hold this

same view during the Korean War when it claimed "this country faces a 23 global conflict in worse shape than at the end of the last war." )

WORLD WAR II

As war threatened Europe, the Star-News questioned whether Hit-

ler's move on Czechoslovakia was in reality a bluff, recalling a pre

vious coup, in which the Nazis hoped for "a bloodless victory over 24 Prague by methods made familiar in Austria."

While Hitler encouraged prejudicial treatment of the German Jews

on the one hand, his Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels begged

German citizens to halt anti-Jewish protests on the other. The Star

News said Goebbels' request came despite "the justifiable and under

standable indignation of the German people over the cowardly Jewish 248

murder of a German diplomat in Paris." This referred to the assassination of Ernst von Rath, secretary of the German Embassy, by a seventeen-year-old Polish Jew. In November 1938, the paper quoted

Goebbels: "The final answer to Jewry will be given in the form of laws or decrees. 1125 However, later articles belied his claims of nonviolence.

On September 8, 1939, the Star-News lead story ran under the banner headlines: "Berlin Claims Troops in Warsaw" and "French Smashing

Ahead on West." The hostilities led FDR to place American forces on

"emergency" alert and saw the Star-News fill its pages with other war- related material such as Associated Press wire photos of the fighting, an analysis of Hitler's motives by a former editor of the Frankfurter

Zeitung, and a promise that the government would not impose censorship 26 on the news media, at least for the present.

By mid-October, the Star-News reported that both French Premier

Daladier and British Prime Minister Chamberlain totally opposed the

German's "bogus peace" plan. The Star-News quoted Daladier as vowing that France would fight "until the world had certain peace," punctua 27 ting the French rejection of Hitler's offer.

When Germany increased submarine attacks on American shipping, the

House of Representatives lifted its ban on armed merchant vessels tra versing the war zones. Captains of the United States merchant marine 28 were allowed to arm their ships and fight back if attacked.

While this action principally affected the North Atlantic, the

Star-News also reported that Washington officials were engaging special Japanese envoy, Saburo Kurusu, in talks to defuse the "explosive" situation developing in the Far East. The uneasy peace was made even 249

more tenuous when America condemned Japan's Asian conquests. Mean while, the Star-News reported minimal progress in negotiations. 29

The Pearl Harbor Attack

Shortly before 8 a.m., on Sunday, December 7, 1941, carrier-based

Japanese aircraft attacked the United States naval installation at

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Simultaneously, other Japanese planes struck

American bases in the Philippines to deliver a decisive first strike against the United States. Because of the time difference, the story broke Sunday afternoon on the West Coast, and Pasadenans had to hear the news on the radio.

On Monday, December 8, the Star-News reported "U.S. Declares War;

Manila Bombed; 1500 Dead at Oahu." In an accompanying page 1 opinion column, "Editorial Views of the Star-News," the newspaper's general manager, Charles Paddock, vowed that "Arneri ca wi 11 fight [in a united cause with] no more strikes! [and] no more profiteering!" to hinder the war effort. Further, the editorial page outlined America's "Duty of This Hour: Unity, Calmness and Determination to Win This War."

Even the upcoming Tournament of Roses saw the need for a unified front when Tournament officials opted to carry on with the annual celebra 30 tion despite the war. Its theme: "Protect What You Have."

On the ringing words of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's declaration of war to Congress, America had entered the world conflict just as many experts had predicted it would several months before.

The Star-News Goes to War

Immediately after the declaration of war Pasadenans rallied to the 250

cause, volunteering en masse to support local police, fire, and civil defense auxiliaries. Star-News offices were used as a recruiting sta

tion in the early days, and as radio headquarters for the Army Sector Command during the height of the war. 31 The war saw the Star-News upgrade its opinion of Orientals from the view it held in the 1920s. The newspaper now acknowledged the loyalty of most Japanese-Americans and tried to boost their community image. It wrote: ''Recently a young Japanese-American girl, address ing Los Angeles clubwomen, said, 'We Nisei are not Japanese. We are American. In the present critical times we especially want to make ourselves known--that we are American.'"32 With considerable sarcasm, however, the Star-News "complimented" the Japanese as brave and experienced in modern warfare. Neverthe less, the paper believed the conflict would be "only a short war" because of Japan's extremely limited resources. A protracted action would drain these resources quickly, with heavy consumption resulting from prosecuting a war in the widespread Pacific. 33 Two months following the Pearl Harbor attack, the Star-News ran a special "victory" edition of the newspaper to allay the rumors that Pasadenans were suffering more from the war than the rest of the coun try. On February 12, 1942, the Pasadena daily overprinted a large "V'' on page 1 and ran an editorial stating: "Life goes on, with a will to win, in beautiful Pasadena. If the Victory Edition of this paper mitigates in any way American intramural sabotage by rumor, it shall 34 have served its purpose. n Not only did Pasadena do its part to supply manpower for the war effort, so did the Star-News. At the peak of the war, the newspaper's 251

staff box showed thirty-seven of its "family" serving in the American armed forces. The most prestigious of this number was Charles W. Pad- dock, former Star-News vice-president and general manager.

During World War I, Paddock had served as an artillery officer in the American Army. When the European war threatened in the 1930s,

Paddock again eyed military service. However, in March 1940, after thirty-six years as publisher of the Star-News, Charles Prisk, Pad dock's father-in-law died, and Charley Paddock set aside his mili tary plans to become an officer of the newspaper and its affiliated publ 1s. h" 1ng company. 35

On July 10, 1942, Charley Paddock took leave of the newspaper to become Capt. Charles W. Paddock, United States Marine Corps, aide to

Maj. Gen. William P. Upshur, commanding officer of the Marines in the 36 Pacific theater. The 41-year-old Paddock accepted a commission in the Marines because he felt the Corps would be pivotal in the war.

"In this war most of the action will be in the Marines, because to make any progress in the invasion of Japan or establishing a second front in Europe, bases have to be set up and the Marines are the ones 37 to do that."

Just over a year later Paddock, the "world's fastest human, 11 who retired from the high school and collegiate track circuits undefeated in the 100- and 220-yard sprints, was dead. While enroute to inspect a Marine installation in Alaska, the military aircraft carrying Major

General Upshur, Captain Paddock, and four others crashed into a moun tainside, killing all aboard. While a shocked Pasadena read of the tragedy, the Star-News flew its flag at half staff in Paddock's honor 38 and eulogized him as "a man who lived and died as a champion." 252

American business during the war often had women assume responsible roles in many operations. On August 3, 1942, Mrs. Neva Paddock, Charley Paddock's widow, was elected a director and first vice president of the Star-News Publishing Company. The previous week, she was confirmed in a similar capacity at the Long Beach Press Telegram, an other Prisk family publication. In her new position at the Star-News, Neva Paddock supported its publisher, William F. Prisk, brother to ' 39 Charles and long-time head of the Long Beach Press Telegram. On April 12, 1945, an extra edition of the Star-News informed stunned Pasadenans that President Roosevelt had died in Warm Springs, Georgia. The next day the paper ran a number of feature articles on FDR' s life and achievements, plus a stirring editorial eulogy: "The United States entry into the war made Franklin Roosevelt a world leader--one of the Big Three upon whom destiny laid the tremendous duty of defeating the Axis dictators and charting the peace. Presi- dent Truman has the best wishes of a united nation. The success of 40 his Administration is necessary to the national welfare." Despite FDR's death, the Axis powers continued to press the war in Europe and the Pacific, and the Star-News provided ongoing coverage of the campaigns using a "special leased wire" arranged with the New York Times and Chicago Tribune, supplemented by reports from the Associated Press, United Press, and International News Service. 41 From the first few days after Pearl Harbor in 1941 to the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944, the Star-News was there for Pasadenans. And so it was in May 1945 when a Star-News banner proclaimed: "Adolph Hitler Dies in Berlin Battle, Nazi Radio Declares." After six long years of war, the sound of gunfire and artillery had ceased. Not only 253 p ' was Hitler dead but Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Claretta Petuc- ci, had been executed by Italian partisans. The war in Europe was over and the Allies now focused on the Japanese. 42 One of the most closely guarded secrets of the war was a special weapon developed under the code name Manhattan Project. Both Allied and Axis scientists had worked feverishly for more than four years to develop a super bomb deriving its power from the atom. The United States produced a working device first. A1 though it was unknown at the time, a Pasadenan, Maj. Gen. Leslie Richard Groves, had been a "driving force" behind the project, while serving as deputy chief of construction, Chief of Engineers, in Washington, D.C. 43 On August 5, 1945, a lone B-29 Superfortress, dubbed the Enola Gay after the pilot's mother, made a high-altitude flight over the south ern Japanese city of Hiroshima. On command of the pilot, Col. Paul Tibbets, and the bombardier, Maj. Thomas Ferebee, the bomb bay doors of the aircraft were opened and at 9:15a.m., Japanese time, a single silver-colored missile was released. The world's first atomic bomb to be used in war destroyed approximately two-thirds of the city's buildings, and caused more than 300,000 casualties. President Truman announced the news to the nation at 10:20 a.m., on August 6, and the Star-News reported the event in its afternoon edition that same day: "Atomic Bomb Rips Japan. Missile Equal to 20, 000 tons of 'INT." In an accompanying editorial, the newspaper described "the new secret weapon, a secret no longer, [as] a triumph of Allied scientific ingenuity and persistence. It is a notable vic tory ov~r Allied enemies."44 Although censorship made available news reports sketchy, the 254

Star-News recognized the significance of nuclear power when it cau tioned its readers on America 1 s future uses of the atom. "It is hoped the atomic bomb will speed the end of the war by compelling Japan 1 s capitulation, and principles practically applied to its development can be diverted to help man in the pursuits of peace."45

THE COLD WAR The shooting war had ended, but negative political undercurrents were causing problems in major international diplomatic circles. The

Cold War now began.

Communist China

While the West faced the tension in Germany, political change was developing in China. By early 1949, actual fighting between the Com munists and Nationalists prompted the Star-News to make the following editorial observation: "No one can be in much doubt as to what Com- munist China will mean to the rest of the world. It will mean trouble and threats of trouble. 1146 This paralleled American policy toward

China, which, for some time, had supported the Chiang regime. The

January 15 Star-News banner head, "Chinese Reds Take Tientsin," sig- nalled the beginning of the end for the Chinese Nationalists and saw

Generalissimo Chiang flee the mainland to set up his government in exile on the offshore island of Formosa. 47

THE KOREAN CONFLICT

As a result of the Yalta and Potsdam conferences in 1945, Korea had been divided at the 38th parallel into the North and the South. 255

In the North, the Russians had been given authority to disarm and neu tralize the Japanese military influence. On June 24, 1950, Soviet armed North Korean soldiers invaded the South, and by December 1950, the United Nations forces defending South Korea were so outmanned by a Red Chinese enemy of greatly superior strength that they had to with draw by sea. This retreat led the Star-News to question the military preparedness of the United States. 48

As unpopular as the UN police action was, Americans soon recognized the contributions of their servicemen in Korea. For example, six months after the Korean conflict began, Marine Corporal Robert Gray, a Temple City resident who had been wounded twice in battle, was selected to be Grand Marshal of the 1951 Tournament of Roses. Gray filled the top Rose Parade celebrity spot in 195.1 with distinction, and received extensive Star-News coverage as a returning war hero. 49 The Star-News routinely provided its readers with articles on places with such strange-sounding names as Chosen Reservoir, Pusan, and Pork Chop Hill. In one article, the Star-News heralded the "kill" record of American pilots who had downed thirteen Red aircraft during aerial combat. Meanwhile, rumors of a Korean truce circulated, along with reports that the North Koreans had refused to allow the Red Cross to Inspect. communist . prisoner . of war camps. so "Brain washing," which became a coinmon term in the Korean War, was charged by the Red Chinese after peace talks began in 1953 and only 6 of 227 North Korean prisoners of war agreed to be repatriated to their Communist homeland during one prisoner exchange. Nevertheless, the UN forces denied the use of such psychological trickery and the Star-News and other newspapers questioned why such a large m.nnber of soldiers 256

refused to return home. The si tuatiori became a propaganda tool for 51 the free world in its ongoing verbal battle with Communism.

HARRY S TRUMAN ADMINISTRATION, 1945-1952

After FDR died in April 1945, Vice President Harry Truman rose to

America's highest office. When Truman assumed the presidency, he saw the war to its satisfactory conclusion and pointed America toward a peacetime economy. By November 1948, with Truman running for the presidency on his own, the need for national unity was over and the Star-News initiated a blistering attack on the Democratic administration.

"For 16 years the Democratic party has fostered certain trends in the government in Washington. These may be summarized as: Encroachment on individual liberty and on constitutional states' rights; deepening of class distinction by class legisla tion. Two years ago a reversal of those trends began with the election of a Republican Congress. An issue in the election is whether this corrective change of direction, just now started, will continue."S2

The 1948 Election

For years the results of voting in New Hampshire had been used as a bellwether for both the national primary and general elections. The primaries "predicted" the trend of the candidates' political futures, while the results of the general elections indicated the likely trend of the vote across the country. Much credibility was placed on the results. So it was in 1948 when the Star-News ran a photo of the residents of Heart's Location, New Hampshire, holding a tote board showing the outcome of their Presidential vote. It read: Dewey 11;

Truman 1. This indicator plus others caused most of the nation to 257

fall asleep that Tuesday night confident that the country's voters had 53 elected Thomas E. Dewey to the Presidency.

George Gallup of the highly respected Gallup poll called the 1948 election a "nightmare to poll-takers" .because of the difficulty in accurately predicting the outcome. The Chicago Daily Tribune was so certain of the vote that it ran a banner headline: "Dewey Defeats

Truman." The conservative and ever-cautious Star-News withheld its announcement of the winner until Wednesday when most of the vote was in and Dewey had conceded the election to Truman. The sixteen states (189 electoral votes) that Dewey carried be fore he conceded showed that Republicans still retained a strong fol lowing. Dewey's aunt, a Pasadenan who traced the election returns at the Star-News offices, was staunchly Republican, and the Star-News proved strongly G.O.P. when it voiced caution over the Democratic win:

"It will be the hope of all that majority rule in Washington may prove 54 wise, reasonable and good for the nation."

Democratic Tax Plan

By 1949 the Star-News renewed its attacks on the Administration, commenting that Truman's colossal $42 billion budget proposed "the biggest spending and the most powerful military forces America has ever maintained in peacetime." However, it continued, "the Presi- dent's recommendations for expenditures on health, security and social welfare will be scrutinized even more carefully and critically than 55 those associated with the national defense." When Truman proposed a general tax increase in 1950 to finance his spending program, the Star-News balked. "The plain truth about the 258

Truman tax message to Congress," the paper complained, "is that the Truman Administration needs more billions for its improvident regime which already is levying an exhorbitant and heavy tax tyranny on every taxpaying American. Spendthrift Truman [is encouraging] more Welfare Statism, tinged with Redhued Socialism."56

Scandal in Government In the 1950s, while Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy (Wisconsin) conducted his Communist "witch hunt," the Truman Administration was under fire for alleged corruption. "If the Republicans had not kept hammering away in search of the truth and maintained their zeal for exposing dishonesty in government," the Star-News wrote, "then it may be assumed that the administration would merely have coasted along." Ultimately, Truman credited the news media with bringing the problem to h1s. at t ent1on. . 57 By now, such extensive damage had been done that the Democrat's credibility suffered irreparable harm, especially in view of the com ing 1952 election. ''While the Republicans must make inroads in the independent and Democratic vote in order to gain victory in November, the Democrats have their own worry: How to keep that vote while campaigning on the record of an administration in which many of the people.have lost confidence."58 During this same period, the Communist scare reached epidemic pro- portions. Senator McCarthy headed up a committee investigating Soviet infiltration in American politics, the military, the entertainment industry, and local education. In February 1950 the Star-News declared: "America has succeeded almost beyond man's dreams with out Socialism 259

and it would be a pity if the people were so blind to their own des-. tiny as to adopt it now." Yet "evidence" of Communist influence in America caused Pasadena school superintendent Willard Goslin to resign from his post after he had been branded a Communist. 59 Lending further credibility to McCarthy's allegations was the Rosenberg spy case. In 1951 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were arrested, tried, and convicted of selling American atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. The Rosenberg conviction on April 5, 1951, was upheld repeat edly, and on February 12, 1953, the Star-News carried the headline, "Eisenhower Rules Death Is Just Punishment for Atomic Spy Pair." This action prompted the Star-News to write: "Of the Rosenbergs this newspaper said, at the time of their conviction and sentencing, that one couldn't have a feeling of sympathy, only regret; regret that they were traitors to their country. The President of the United States, in a statement last night, viewed them in the same light." (Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed at Sing Sing prison on June 19, 1953.)60

THE EISENHOWER ADMINISTRATION, 1952-1960 Although pollsters had been tricked badly by the 1948 Truman win, they returned en masse to predict the 1952 election, which saw the Democrats pit Sen. Adlai Stevenson against Dwight Eisenhower. Primary returns in New Hampshire incorrectly "determined" that Eisenhower would face Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver in the upcoming general election. The "grand slam" wins in New Hampshire by these candidates guaranteed that their names would appear on the ballot in November said the Star-News, which also claimed that the vote showed the great 260

popularity of the Republicans and the disgust of the electorate with 61 the scandal-ridden Democrats.

After Stevenson and Eisenhower were nominated, the Star-News began to follow their political campaigns. The Pasadena paper again favored the Republican ticket, writing: "The 1952 platform of the

Republicans is a good one. It is much stronger and more logical than have been the faltering performances of the Democrats in the tragic 62 years since the end of World War II. "

The Star-News also favored Eisenhower personally, characterizing him as "so popular on all levels of American life, including vast num bers of Democrats as well as Republicans and including a multitude of young new voters, that he will, unless all portents go awry, be the new occupant of the White House, ending 20 years of Democratic occupancy."

With Richard Nixon as Ike's running mate in the Vice Presidential slot, California rose to prominence in national politics for the first time since Herbert Hoover left office in 1928. Hoover claimed Central

California as his home; Nixon, a resident of nearby Whittier, brought the honor to Southern California for the first time. When the Repub- licans won in 1952, the Star-News noted Nixon's California connec tion: "It is a proud moment for Southern California, hailing a native son, Senator Nixon, as the new Vice President of the United States.

The Star-News feels very good, having supported the Eisenhower-Nixon 63 ticket from the start."

Eisenhower surprised everyone by supporting higher payments for 64 the Democratic brainchild, Social Security. To nobody' s surprise, however, he also initiated a benefits package for former American 261

armed forces personnel. The Star-News agreed with his plan and, in

1955, editorially complimented the administration for promoting the

G. I. Bill: "As long as the draft continues," the newspaper wrote,

"young men ·whose own education and careers are suspended during military service are entitled to the same benefits as their recent 65 predecessors." By September 1955 the Republicans were confident that Ike would seek reelection in November 1956; however, he had not formally announced his candidacy. Ultimately, Eisenhower and Nixon were chosen at the Republican convention and hit the campaign trail. While the

Star-News reported in a news item that "Ike has a tough fight to take

Missouri," an editorial in the same issue claimed that Republican pop ularity was on the rise nationally, with Eisenhower leading Stevenson by eleven percentage points, only three points below the Republican 66 sweep of 1952. The Star-News was rewarded for its expressed confidence in the outcome of the election when its headlines on November 7, 1956, read:

"Ike Snowball Grows." The newspaper regarded the Eisenhower win as a

"mandate from the people of America. Not just the Republicans, but all the people [that ensured] his victory, a thunderous approval by

Americans of their President." On January 21 Ike was sworn in by 67 Chief Justice Earl Warren for his second term. Meanwhile, local politics in Pasadena had become the object of

Star-News scrutiny. During the Presidential election, Pasadena had turned out in record numbers to reelect Eisenhower. However, the

Star-News recognized a decided difference in off-year elections. 262

"[While] Pasadenans believe in good government, in large num bers they historically just do not take the trouble to vote in local elections, save for the stalwart few who are attached per sonally to an individual candidate and for the encouraging number who act [as if] going to the polls is a basic responsibility of good citizenship."68

The Space Program

Under Eisenhower, America's space program grew. Pasadena became involved when the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) was formed as an adjunct to the California Institute of Technology and its scientists, under contract with the United States Government, designed and built sophisticated satellites for civilian space exploration. The Star-

News also reported on military uses of space, which by the late 1950s were causing an escalation of the Cold War. 69

Republican Difficulties

During 1959 the Republicans faced tremendous problems when steel workers struck. The Star-News said their move threw a "monkey wrench into a national economy that was on its way to smash records of all 70 sorts." When Eisenhower invoked the Taft-Hartley Act to get the mills back into operation, the Star-News wrote that the unions had labeled him pro-management, claiming his actions were a "payoff to corporations which backed [him] in the 1950 Presidential campaign."71

The U-2 incident in May 1960 caused the Republican Party serious damage. A high-altitude U-2 reconnaissance aircraft flying for the

CIA was shot down, according to Russian claims, 1300 miles into Soviet 72 territory, and the Russians cried espionage.

"Eisenhower Defends Flights Over Russia [to prevent] Another Pearl

Harbor," countered one Star-News headline. The paper also included 263

comments from Democratic Senator Lyndon Johnson, who defended the administration's acts as Soviet-initiated to maintain America's national security. On May 11, 1960, the Star-News reported that John F. Kennedy had won the Virginia primary, enhancing his chances for the Democratic Presidential nomination. The Democrats were making their move on the White House. 73

THE KENNEDY YEARS, 1961-1963 The Star-News banner on November 9, 1960, declared that "Kennedy Wins Presidency," but that day's editorial placed into perspective the "real" meaning of the election results. The popular vote, according to the Pasadena paper, only gave Kennedy a slim 50.71 percent margin, so it was "no Kennedy sweep." Despite this Republican-slanted hedge, the Star-News conceded, that both Kennedy and Johnson should have the "solid support of the American people, irrespective of the closeness of the popular vote." 74 In January 1961, Walter T. Ridder, writing from Washington, D.C., offered his view of "Kennedy's Problems." Economics, the UN, Krus- chev, and integration topped the list. Ridder's opinion: 'What with new and old problems, a new President and new people, 1961 ought to be qu1te. a year. "75 The United States space program received a tremendous boost in May 1961, when Navy Cdr. Alan Shepard, Jr., rode a specially equipped Red stone vehicle on the first American suborbital flight. The immensity of the achievement was cause for extensive coverage by the Star-News for several days. 76 264 p •

While KeiUledy was decorating Commander Shepard for his historic feat and establishing a maiUled lunar landing by 1970 as a national commitment, the Star-News also reported that JFK contemplated sending

American fighting troops to Vietnam. Military aid to the Southeast

Asian nation had begun under Eisenhower, but was being increased by

KeiUledy. As the United States once again flirted with armed conflict,

Walter T. Ridder commented that "the war in Vietnam is going a little better than it was," since the United States military had shifted to 77 anti-guerilla tactics rather that conventional warfare.

Meanwhile, the Soviets again tied up the Autobahn highway route into Berlin, refusing to allow military traffic into or out of the divided city. For two days the situation grew worse until Kennedy finally convinced the Russians to restore normal conditions and the

Star-News aMounced "Russians Back Down, Let Convoy Pass." Despite this confrontation that extended the Cold War, the newspaper supported the sale of surplus American wheat to the Soviets in what the daily 78 heralded as "a move that will benefit both parties to the deal."

KeiUledy Assassination

On November 22, 1963, the Star-News baiUler head screamed "Kennedy

Slain." The youngest President in the history of the United States 79 had been shot and killed by a lone gunman in Dallas, Texas. Al though the Star-News basically disagreed with the political philosophy of Kennedy and had backed Nixon in the 1960 election, it now declared that the "world mourns a martyred leader," and eulogized JFK: "and so the world of which he was truly a benefactor, has bidden him a sorrow 80 ful farewell. " 265

LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON, 1963-1968 The death of Kennedy left much of his work unfinished, and Lyndon Johnson took on the challenge. One highly controversial JFK-initiated measure, the Civil Rights Bill of 1964, was passed by the House on February 11, in what LBJ called a "historic step forward for the cause

of d1gn1ty. . 1n . Am er1ca.. "81 Less than one year after taking office, Johnson faced the electorate as the Democratic Presidential candidate in his own right. Apparently LBJ had captured the imagination of the American voter for he won the election in a landslide, taking all but six states over a heavily touted Barry Goldwater. While Johnson's lead eventually ex panded to 15 million popular votes, the G.O.P.-oriented Star-News cautioned, "let it never be forgotten by Mr. Johnson and those who quite rightly are savoring their Tuesday victory that more than 25 million Americans voted against him."82 Under the Johnson administration, Pasadena was well represented in the nation's capital. Proudly the Star-News announced that Johnson had selected VAdm. William Rayborn as the new CIA Director. Rayborn was a Pasadenan, the former Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, and later vice-president of Program Management at Aerojet in nearby El Monte. 83 Internationally, LBJ had replaced the military advisers in Viet- nam with a large number of Army, Air Force, Marine, and Navy combat personnel when he escalated the war. By September 1966 the Star-News reported that American casualties included 5000 dead since the war's start. Those who remained at home staged a series of anti-war demon- strations, which the Star-News partially supported at least in theory. 266

However, the newspaper warned, the dissidents should realize that some wars must be fought and by demonstrating at this time, the protestors could be playing into Communist hands. 84

The 1968 Election When LBJ announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race on March 3, 1968, the Democratic nomination was left wide open. Two principal candidates appeared to lead the Democrats: Robert Kennerly,

JFK' s brother and former United States Attorney General, and Hubert Humphrey, Senator from Minnesota. Following a Los Angeles campaign speech, Kennedy was fatally wounded by an irate gunman as he returned to his room. Along with full coverage of the shooting, the June 5, 1968, Star-News editorially condemned the act of violence:

''We can no longer afford to teach that personal license is more important than personal and social responsibility • • • [or] wink at those who choose which laws they will obey and which they will disobey. We must establish equality and justice for all our citizens, we must snuff out the pangs of violence."85

In what had become standard practice for many newspapers, the Star-News published a list of recommended candidates the week preced ing the election. As might be expected of a Republican newspaper, the Star-News endorsed Richard Nixon. The day after the election, the paper's front page declared "Nixon Inches to Presidency." This was accompanied by a photo of a smiling Nixon with his family, and a pledge by the loser, Hubert Humphrey, of his immediate and complete . . 86 support to t h e w1nn1ng party. 267

NIXON IN OFFICE, 1968-1974 While the space program received tremendous support during the Kennedy years, the high point of the Apollo manned lunar program occurred in July 1969, under Nixon's Administration. When the "Eagle" spacecraft landed on the moon, the Star-News was so taken by the accomplishment that editor Charles Cherniss was moved to write "A Moon Prayer" in honor of the event, 87 New york city honored the astronauts with a ticker tape parade, and at a state dinner in Los Angeles President Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew awarded the Apollo 11 crew Medals of Freedom commemorating their feat. 88 In another move designed to improve his popularity, Nixon opted to de-escalate the Vietnam War. During December 1969 he ordered an addi tional 50,000 American troops withdrawn from Southeast Asia, the third such order of his term. To the Star-News, these actions demonstrated Nixon's good faith efforts in the "pursuit of peace."89 By mid-1971 the Star-News was mildly reproaching the Republican Party for its role in the fifth recession of the United States economy since World War II. While the unemployment figures of Pasadena were 11.2 percent, more than twice the national average, the city remained basically Republican and the Star-News voter recommendation for the November election included all G.O.P. candidates: Nixon for Presi- dent, Pasadenan Warren Dorn for County Supervisor, and Joseph Busch f or D1str1ct. . Attorney. 90 Most of the paper's recommendations were validated by the voters, including "landslide winner Nixon [who] sets shakeup." The one race that probably caused the most pain for Pasadena and the Star-News was the loss by Warren Dorn of his County Supervisorial seat. As the 268

incumbent, Dorn had been in county office since he vacated his mayoral post in Pasadena in 1956, and he obviously was the favorite son candi date in the San Gabriel Valley to continue on the county board. Nixon and Busch won, but the Star-News sadly reported that Dorn had been unseated by the former television newscaster, Baxter Ward, in a hotly contested local race. 91 Regardless, the Star-News was essentially gratified by the election results. To the Pasadena newspaper, the Nixon win was "not only a vindication o~ his first four years in office but a mandate of the people to continue his strong and firm, but deliberate policies on 92 both the international and domestic scenes."

Watergate Nixon's second term, while beginning as a mandate, quickly deteri orated into a political fiasco. By March the Watergate scandal had broken and Nixon was publicly daring the Senate to take him to court to force presidential adviser John Dean to testify against the chief executive. Initially, the Star-News comments were restrained on the contro versy, as the newspaper adopted a wait-and-see approach. However, as time passed and additional administration personnel were implicated, the Star-News was forced to accept the fact that a Republican presi dent faced a scandalous situation rivaling that of Truman in the late 1940s. In August the paper reported on Nixon's nationwide television address in which he claimed no prior knowledge of the Watergate break in. The news article was accompanied by the full text of Nixon's speech. The following day, the Star-News editorial page carried a 269

comment on the indecisive address, which the paper said satisfied no one and disappointed everyone. The anti-Nixon forces had not pres sured the President into groveling for mercy, those for the President did not hear him totally refute the charges, and the uncommitted had gained no evidence that the President was innocent of any wrongdoing. The Star-News placed itself in the last category, and expressed dismay that nothing had been settled. 93 During the next nine months, additional investigation revealed Nixon's complicity in the affair and steps were taken to remove him from office. By May 1974 the Star-News reported that impeachment proceedings had begun and a national movement was under way to force Nixon to resign. Ultimately, Richard Nixon did step down under a great cloud, leaving the office to be filled by Gerald R. Ford on August 9, 1974. Ford had been named to the Vice Presidency in October 1973, to fill the post vacated by Spiro Agnew's resignation for tax fraud. With Nixon's departure, Ford became the first President to reach the nation's highest office without having been elected by the people. 94

THE FORD PRESIDENCY, 1974-1976 One month after being sworn in as the 38th President, Gerald Ford was being sworn at by the great body politic of America for granting an official pardon to Nixon for his part in Watergate. On September 9, 1974, the Star-News lead article carried reports of the nationwide protests over the Nixon pardon. The following day, however, the Star News defended Ford's executive action in an editorial that claimed the pardon "was the right thing to do. Mr. Nixon paid an immense penalty 270

[for an error in judgment and] has already been punished far beyond 95 the law." By early 1976, the Star-News reported that Ford and a relatively

unknown Democrat Jimmy Carter had won the presidential primary in

Florida. Following the Democratic convention in July, the country

knew that these two men and their running mates would face each other

in November: Ford with Robert Dole, and Carter with Walter Mondale.

On Carter's nomination, the Star-News offered congratulations, but with a note of caution: '~e're still waiting for him to separate his full beliefs from rh~toric." 96

THE CARTER ADMINISTRATION, 1976-1980

After the election results in November declared Carter the winner, the Star-News lead story ran under the headline: "Carter wins election in climax of campaigning." However, the fifty-one to forty- eight percent margin of the Carter-Mondale ticket did not produce a

long-lived "honeymoon" for the Democrats, at least in the view of the Star-News. By April 1977, the Pasadena paper was questioning the cam paign statements that Carter had made during the previous summer. In particular, the Star-News asked about Carter's promise to reduce the

White House staff by thirty percent. Only four months after his inauguration, James Earl Carter admitted somewhat sheepishly that the · number of White House workers in his employ actually exceeded the size of the group that served under Ford. 97

In late summer of 1977 Star-News editor Charles Cherniss issued a tongue-in-cheek challenge to Carter who by now had become known for his family-oriented sports activities. In his column on August 14, 271

1977, Cherniss published an open letter to the President inviting him

to play a softball game against the Star-News team when Carter visited

the Southland in the corning months. Needless to say, the challenge

went unanswered, but the Star-News took advantage of the opportunity

it had created to poke a little fun at the Adrninistration. 98

Proposition 13

Two controversial measures became discussion topics for the Pasa dena newspaper in the summer of 1978. A property tax measure had been

introduced to the voters by local advocate Howard Jarvis as Proposi

tion 13. The Star-News "reluctantly urged" a no vote in an editorial

on May 14, because the newspaper believed that the proposition gave

too much power to the state at the expense of the local governments.

However, the Pasadena city government recognized the strong popular

support the measure would likely receive at the polls and, as a re

sult, the directors prepared a city budget for 1979 with a $1.7 mil-

lio_n cut in services they believed was necessary to accommodate the 99 reduced tax base should Proposition 13 pass.

In September, after the measure passed, the Star-News ran an opinion column by Pamela Moreland who wrote that "the jury is still out on Prop. 13," with neither the massive layoffs predicted by gov ernment officials nor the great economic windfall its proponents pro mised by its passage.- The huge state budget surplus that had been amassed by California Governor Jerry Brown was used to bai 1 out the local governments; but the question of what to do when this extra money ran out still remained to be answered. 100

The Proposition 13 cutbacks directly affected San Francisco, 272

@ •

Alhambra, and Los Angeles County, which announced their withdrawal from the 1979 Tournament of Roses parade. However, this setback had very little overall impact on the city of Pasadena or its New Year's Day pageant. 101

The Iranian Hostages In 1979, the Shah of Iran was deposed and replaced as the head of the government by a religious leader called the Ayatollah Khomeini. Americans were regarded poorly by the Iranian because of United States assistance to the Shah and the fact that he was so hated and feared by his former subjects. By November fifty-two Americans had been taken hostage when Iranian revolutionaries overran the United States Embassy in Tehran. Despite repeated attempts by Carter to free the captives, months passed with little progress in negotiations. On the !28th day of hostage captivity, the Star-News sadly reported that the Ayatollah had refused a UN request to see the hostages. 102

THE 1980 ELECTION

As the months passed, the Iranian situation remained a stalemate and the Carter Administration appeared unable to effect the hostage release. This ineffectual foreign policy possibly alienated voters and may have contributed to the overwhelming victory by Ronald Reagan and George Bush on November 5, 1980: ''Reagan, GOP Big Winners," the headlines read. 103 While the conservatives scored nationally, the liberal faction won a big victory in Pasadena. The voters approved a totally new concept in the election of city directors. Traditionally, the directors were 273

elected to represent the particular district in w~ich they lived, but by a citywide vote. The new method which had been proposed for fifteen years under the motto "right of choice" altered the voting structure by limiting the vote only to those citizens in the district for whom the representative was being elected. In the view of the former Star-News publisher Larry Collins, this effectively curtailed whatever power the newspaper may have exerted over the Pasadena voters since the publication derived its strength from its influence on the entire 04 e 1 ectorate of t h e c1ty. an d no t a par< t. 1cu 1 ar d 1str1ct.. . 1 Much of the credit for this new procedure can be given to former director Robert Oliver, who accused city elections of being racially biased because of the method used to select directors. Oliver claimed that the prior mechanism was designed "to keep blacks from serving on the board." Although the Star-News did not comment directly on the charges, it did run an article discussing the opinion of Oliver whose credentials included city director from 1965 to 1969 and professor of Economics at Caltech.105

REAGAN Is WHITE OOUSE DAYS' 1980- Shortly after the election, a Star-News article discussed a growing problem involving electronic journalism. Because election returns were broadcast as soon as they became available and polls closed in the East some six hours before they did in Hawaii, returns began to appear long before hundreds of thousands of votes were even cast in

the West. As a result, Jimmy Carter conceded the election to Ronald Reagan nearly three hours before the California polls closed. Critics claimed this discouraged many voters from casting their ballots and 274

impacted on many of the local candidates and issues. The Star-News suggested a twenty-four-hour polling period, individual states select ing their own hours of operation from that time frame with tallying of ballots commencing only after all polls were closed. 106 Within the first three months of the Reagan Administration, the

Iranian hostages were released, a $48.6 billion cut in the federal budget was submitted, and the President publicly supported the veter ans of the Vietnam War. All of America rejoiced at the return after 444 days of captivity for the Americans caught in the Iranian Embassy takeover, and on the budget cuts, the Star-News reported objectively that only the Defense Department had escaped without severe trimming. But the Vietnam veteran issue prompted the following editorial comment from the newspaper: "The Star-News does agree with President Reagan that our cause in Vietnam was noble, even if our efforts and sometimes our tactics were not. Give the veterans of Vietnam the appreciation 107 they richly deserve. It is long overdue."

Americans Renew Confidence In September 1981 the Star-News reported that Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman jurist to be nominated to the United States Supreme Court, opposed mandatory school busing to promote integration and supported capital punishment. To some, Reagan's nomination of O'Connor represented his view on women's rights; to others it was a political . 108 p1 oy to dupe t h e pu bl1c. Under Reagan, the Dow Jones industrial averages rose dramatically with renewed confidence in the government and the country and broke the magic 1000 barrier almost fifty-three years to the day after the 275

start of the Great Depression. While the country experienced an economic resurgence, private education was receiving a large measure of support by the administration, which prompted the Star-News to editor ialize: "Although the Star-News strongly believes in public school education, it also must be recognized that students attending private schools leave more money for the public schools. One estimate is $1 billion a year. 11109 The reported savings caused the newspaper to recommend that publicly-owned textbooks be loaned to the private educational institutions of America.

Reagan Reelection

As the summer turned into fall, the general election became an important topic for the Star-News, especially since the Reagan-Bush ticket faced the Democratic team comprised of Walter Mondale and

Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to be nominated for Vice President by either party. The final days of campaigning just prior to the election saw each candidate in the opposition 1 s terri tory, Reagan stumping Minnesota to win its voters to the Republican camp, and

Mondale doing the same in California. While commenting on this last- minute politicking, the Star-News also reported that Reagan 1 s "cam paign strategists predict a coast-to-coast victory. "llO This was in line with the national polls that showed "Reagan leading Mondale by a wide margin."

Mindful of the problems that media election predictions caused in the West in the 1980 race, the Star-News edi tori ali zed: "Forget what

TV is projecting about the presidential races elsewhere. Go to the polls and vote on all the issues. ulll 276

The newspaper again listed its recommended candidates. This time, however, the recommendations slightly favored the Democrats, the first indication that the Star-News was moving toward political indepen dency, rather than the heavy Republican slant it had exhibited in prior years. While the newspaper's Presidential recommendation was Republican, its endorsements for the four Congressional seats in Star-

News country were split evenly between the two major parties and the five state Assembly offices favored the Democrats by a three to two . 112 marg1n. Although the majority of San Gabriel Valley voters had sided with

Reagan, it was not by the same large margin as the national vote. A post-election analysis by the Star-News showed that over the years Pasadena's political makeup had changed, paralleling the ethnic break down of its population. Where the wealth of the early-day white city founders had established a strong Republican base, the shift in the ethnic composition toward the minority races, particularly the blacks, had altered Pasadena's registered voter makeup to a hefty 50.8 percent

Democrat versus 39.5 percent Republican. Altadena was even more Demo- cratic at 64 percent. As the Bob Dylan lyric suggests: "The times, they are a-changin'," and Pasadena was the scene. 113

The Shuttle Disaster

Shortly after the start of Reagan's sixth year in office, the

American space program was jolted by a catastrophic accident. The

Star-News headline on January 29, 1986, blared: "SHUTILE EXPLODES."

Following much hoopla and press coverage concerning this particular mission, to which the Star-News contributed its share, the Space 277

Shuttle Olallenger exploded just seventy-three seconds after liftoff on January 28, killing the seven astronauts aboard in the worst calam ity in the history of United States spaceflight. A Star-News editori al following the disaster related how "hundreds of millions of Ameri cans share the sorrow of the family and friends of the Olallenger' s victims." And Bill Winter, Star-News executive editor, expressed the community's feelings in his column: ''We, all of us, ride on every shuttle that roars away into the skies. And all of us felt the horror and the pain of the families of those seven [astronauts] when the explosion came and, soon thereafter, the realization that the unthink.- able had occurred."114

The Libyan Crisis Politically, the mid-East continued in turmoil, and Americans abroad became the targets for increased terrorist attacks. United States intelligence reports traced the origin of most to Libya, which prompted Reagan to launch American air strikes against the North Afri can nation in April 1986. The administration labeled the April 15 raid "successful" and received the immediate support of the Star-News, which defended the attack as "justified ••• in every respect."115

SOCIAL ISSUES As the world reached the middle of the Twentieth Century, a number of social factors became pertinent issues and involved the local community as well. Being the voice of the people, the Star-News re searched many of the topics and offered comment where it thought opinion was warranted. 278

Q '

Air Pollution For years, Southern California had been noted for its moderate climate, and local chambers of commerce used the mild weather to lure both new industry and residents to the area. The large influx of people to the Southland coupled with the added industry and mass of auto mobiles increased the amount of pollutants released to the air beyond the ability of nature to overcome. A new word was coined in the late

1940s, when smoke and f~ combined to produce an eye-smarting, lung irritating air pollutant called SMOG. By 1951, a Caltech scientist isolated various components of smog in early attempts to determine what it was and how to eliminate it. Dr. A. J. Haagen-Smit, professor of bio-chemistry at the Institute on "loan" to the Air Pollution Control District (APCD), identified ole- fins as the parts responsible for eye irritation. The Star-News congratulated the professor in an editorial and predicted a cure for the problem would be found: "It is too soon yet for any one to come for ward with a method [to eliminate smog] but indubitably a successful method will be found. Americans are a resourceful people. 11116 Despite this optimism the Star-News reported four years later that severe smog attacks were responsible for closing refineries and that "blinding smog" worsened by high summertime temperatures was causing Los Angeles county officials to ban backyard incinerators and exces- s1ve. d nVlng. . . 117 Nevertheless, air pollution became a political football in the Southland, and Star-News articles vacillated between linking smog with heart disease and lung cancer in California, to playing down the impact of air pollution in the Los Angeles basin by claiming the killer fog that had plagued London, England, and Donora, 279

Pennsylvania, simply would not be replicated here because of the geographic differences. However, the Star-News warned, "we can't ignore the possible danger from fumes which have been blamed for wholesale deaths in other areas. "ll8

To counter the increasing air pollution, especially in the San

Gabriel Valley area, directors in Pasadena urged Los Angeles County Supervisors to adopt a ban on fuel oil usage during the seven-month smoggy period. The proposed swi tchover to natural gas from smog producing sulfur-laden fuel oil would affect the power-generating and other industries in Southern California. Apparently the Pasadena directors lobbied the Supervisors effectively, since the next day's edition of the Star-News reported that the county was seriously con sidering the Pasadena. proposa1. 119

Unfortunately, the smog situation deteriorated with the years and later Star-News articles treated the issue as the massive health prob lem that it is today. For example, in 1970 the newspaper reported that Pasadenans had started a Stamp Out Smog letter-writing campaign directed at California state senators and assemblymen; in 1977 that the Southern California APCD had devised an air pollution measuring system to designate the level of smog in the air; and in 1979 that a letter-to-the-editor from a registered professional enginer in La Can ada warned that "smog will never be eradicated, nor will we ever meet 120 the federal standards in the Los Angeles Basin."

The politics involved in the smog problem surfaced again in early

1985 when the powerful Air Quality Monitoring District proposed a new law that would force Los Angeles County employers to adopt stringent measures to help curb air pollution. The County Board of Supervisors 280

quickly condemned the proposal as "characteristic of a totalitarian government." The Star-News sided with the supervisors in its next day's editorial. "Attacking the [smog] problem from a totalitarian stand po1nt• 1s• counterpr00 uct1ve," II t h e newspaper wrote. 121

Racial Discrimination

The large black population of Pasadena caused a concerned board of directors to recognize that the racial issue represented a potential problem to the city during the 1950s. For example, the periods of recession that followed World War II usually impacted the black male to a much greater extent than his white counterpart, and the higher unemployment figures resulted in more unrest.

A sweeping decision by the United States Supreme Court in May 1954 overturned a fifty-seven-year-old mandate allowing separate but equal educational facilities for black children in America and was reported by the Star-News in a banner head that read: "School Segregation Out lawed. 11122 A1 though the immediate effects were felt in Little Rock,

Arkansas, when Eisenhower dispatched federal troops to ensure the safety of blacks enrolling in all-white Central High School, the Su- preme Court's decision was so far-reaching that the city of Pasadena 123 also was touched several years later.

Watts Riots. During the long, hot summer of 1965, the predominantly black Watts area of South-Central Los Angeles exploded in a race riot as an errant driver was arrested by a Highway Patrol officer for a traffic violation and the crowd that gathered to watch became uncon- trollable. Although Watts is approximately twenty miles from Pasadena 281

and the effects of the riot were minimal in the San Gabriel Valley, Thomas Daly, the assistant managing editor of the Star-News, toured t h e area two d ays 1nto. t h e d emons t rat1ons. . 124 By August 16 the Star-News reported the end to the riot. Thirty two people had died and property damage amounted to $100 million. But the losses in Watts meant little to Pasadenans except as statistics; that is, until the more militant blacks in the San Gabriel Valley took up the cause in a spinoff of the Watts dissention and gunfire, Molotov cocktails, and gang warfare erupted in usually quiet Pasadena suburbs. Although the violence was very short-lived because of the immediate efforts by government and minority leaders, it was only the complete cooperation by all that "resolved community difficulties," wrote the Star-News. 125 An extension of violence to the San Gabriel Valley probably caused the newspaper to comment editorially on the riots. With the United States viewed as the primary promoter of world peace, the Star-News asked a very embarrassing question of all Southland citizens in light of the riot: "How can America be policeman for the world when it cannot police one of its largest cities?" Despite this rather sarcastic query, the Star-News agreed that "as for now, the process of restoring normal living conditions must take precedence" over all other city bus1ness. . 126 Three days later, the Star-News again editorialized on the riots. After seeing the widespread death and destruction, the newspaper asked black leaders in Watts why they could not explain to the world the reasons for the riots so that appropriate steps could be taken to cor rect the problems. Perhaps, the newspaper suggested, "not enough time 282

has passed since the shooting died down to enable a full assessment of proper avenues toward 1iving in harmony. 11127

School Integration in Pasadena. The Star-News fully recognized the scope of school segregation in 1961 when the Pasadena Board of Educa tion was forced into court to face charges of racial discrimination for failing to allow a thirteen-year-old black to change schools.

According to the Star-News article, the board allegedly had "gerry mandered" the school boundaries to establish "a racially segregated school in violation of the 14th amendment of the U. S. Constitution and the laws of the state." Jay Jackson, the black student involved, was represented in court by his temporary legal guardian, who coinci- dentally was an attorney for the local chapter of the National Asso ciation for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). 128

The Star-News Reviews School Integration. Shortly before this court case, the Star-News had reviewed the segregation issue from different perspectives. A syndicated political cartoon portrayed integration in a kitchen setting. The chef, who was consulting a cookbook entitled

"mutual affection and respect between races" while stirring a pot called "integration laws," was overheard muttering to himself, "some thing's missing." Another view of integration appeared in a David Lawrence opinion column later the same week. Lawrence saw Executive Orders as "a new form of dictatorship in America," when referring to the federal equal opportunity, nondiscrimination directive, which, if violated, could 129 prohibit a company from conducting business with the government. 283

By 1964 school integration took on a personal meaning for Pasade nans as the local school board began to explore various plans to ensure racial balance among students. The preferred method in the early days involved the voluntary transfers of students to schools outside of their neighborhoods, when classroom space was available.

The inroads that Pasadena school boards had made over the years promp ted Wilson Riles, the secretary of the State Department of Education,

Committee on Equal Opportunity, to praise the city's integration ef forts. With a great deal of pride the Star-News published Riles' comments: "In the area of integration, Pasadena in the past ten years has 1mprove. d 1ts . 1mage. . ,,130 By early 1967, however, the Star-News warned readers that Pasadena faced "a future of becoming a racially unstabilized community unless the attention and effort of the entire community are focused upon a satisfactory solution to the problem of high school districting." The

Board of Education replied that racial unbalance resulted from the re alignment of school zones. In July the board reverted to the prior open district policy which, they claimed, allowed "a better ethnic balance in the city's three high schools and [aided] in alleviating overcrowding at Pasadena High."131

The Federal Court Intervenes. The open district policy, while not satisfactory to everyone, accommodated the majority of Pasadenans and remained in place until January 1970 when a suit was filed in federal court charging the Pasadena Board of Education with knowingly segre gating city schools by race. The trial was presided over by Judge

Manuel Real whose decision provided the Star-News with an assortment 284

· of related subjects on which to report. These included comments by

the Pasadena school board president and the superintendent of schools,

suggesting that the city be allowed to determine how integration of its schools be approached, to the opinion of a college professor who,

after a cursory two-day study, testified that Pasadena schools could be integrated "at a leisurely pace by September 1970."132 On January 20, 1970, Judge Real ordered the Pasadena school board

to prepare a detailed integration plan for all Pasadena schools. One

month later, the school board submitted the Pasadena Integration Plan,

which the judge lauded for its "good faith efforts" in promoting work

able integration. Although the Star-News expressed relief that the

court action had been settled, the newspaper did not wholly approve of the method selected--mass busing. 133

On March 5 when Real announced his decision, the Star-News also

ran a David Lawrence opinion column on school integration. Lawrence

used such quotes as "turmoil that exists over desegregation of public

schools" and a "totally unrealistic step in the wrong direction" to

describe his views of court-ordered school integration. Ultimately,

he wrote, American parents will "demand a system whereby school dis tricts [are] based on neighborhood patterns, and anybody--black or

white--who lives in a neighborhood will be able to attend the schools in the district."134

Busing in Pasadena. The opening day of Pasadena schools in Fall 1970

was covered as usual by the Star-News, but that year it had a new

look. The September 14 edition of the newspaper proclaimed "Busing

Integrates Pasadena Schools," which occurred without major incident, 285 p ' although nearly half of the city's students were involved. Interest ingly, on page 3 of the same Star-News was an article declaring that California's anti-busing law would be challenged in court by the Amer ican Civil Liberties Union. The racial issue had not ended. 135 In early summer 1974 the Pasadena school board again went to court only this time to ask permission to modify the approved Pasadena Inte gration Plan. Judge Real heard the school board's plea, which asked the court to consider two changes to the Pasadena plan: (1) that Pas adena parents be allowed to choose their children's schools and ( 2) that Pasadena students volunteer to be bused to another selected cam- pus in the city. As the Star-News reported, Judge Real refused to be swaye d an d hIS. or1g1na . . 1 dec1s1on . . stood • 136

''White Flight" Changes Pasadena's Ethnic Mix. Eighteen months later, the Star-News reported the results of the school board-funded study on court-ordered busing for integration. The study showed that mandatory busing increased "white flight" (white children leaving public schools to enroll in private facilities to avoid busing) and caused a decline in general academic achievement in public schools. Ramon Cortines, Pasadena school superintendent, claimed these negative results were "predictable."137 Numerous court hearings were held on the Pasadena busing issue, which the Star-News followed faithfully. In November 1976 a Star-News article reported that the local school board sought to have Judge Real removed from the case, claiming his jurisdiction ended when Pasadena complied with his 1970 ruling. Unfortunately, the city did not win and an August 1977 Star-News article described how the Pasadena Board 286

of Education would appeal the latest Real ruling that overturned the fundamental education concept being applied in certain Pasadena ele mentary schools.138 When schools reconvened in Fall 1978, Pasadena students returned to the classroom, but in reduced numbers. Whereas Los Angeles schools began the semester with a parent 1 s boycott aimed at the Los Angeles Board of Education and the courts that directed busing to achieve integration, Pasadena students were already familiar with the process and accepted it as a fact of life. Nevertheless, a small, but quite vocal group of Pasadena parents protested the "reverse discrimination" they claimed prevailed in the schools. The controversy arose over the voluntary alternative schools that violated Judge Real 1 s 1970 ruling that banned a "majority of a single minority in any school. "139 Amidst nationwide protests, sometimes violent in nature, the busing issue was challenged. Parents in Boston, Los Angeles, and other American cities viewed forced busing as an infringement of their basic rights and created organizations such as L. A. Bustop to fight the practice in court. By late 1980 the Star-News reported that Washing- ton had heard the people and the new conservative administration was proposing to ban "federal expenditures on efforts to require busing to achieve Integration.. . 11140 The school integration issue apparently was losing significance.

The State Court Voids Busing. By March 1981, however, the busing issue returned to prominence. On March 12 the California Supreme Court declared the Proposition 1 anti-busing amendment constitutional, directly affecting the Los Angeles Unified School District integration 287

program. Pasadena's legal exp~rts determined the state court's ruling had no bearing since Pasadena operated under the decision of a federal judge and school board officials voted to continue busing for integra tion. The board members' rationale: Pasadena had a twenty-three-percent white student population in the elementary school grades and only busing would allow the board to enforce the integration decree of Judge Real. 141 A June study covering the preceding three years of busing revealed that Pasadena had suffered heavily from "white flight" and enrollment in kindergarten through fifth grade realized a reduction of 1227 Anglo students citywide. While the actual headcount of black students had dropped, the percentage remained essentially stable. Spanish-surnamed students in lower grades, however, rose from 20 to 28.5 percent of the total student population. The Star-News pointed out quite correctly that maintaining racially integrated schools in Pasadena was nearly 1mposs1. "bl e 1n. v1ew . o f t h"1s e thn"1c s h"ft 1 • 142

Real's Jurisdiction is Set Aside. In November 1981 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Pasadena after a petition asked the Court to verify the status of Judge Real in the city's integration issue. The Court found that Pasadena had completely satisfied Real's original directive with its integration plan and therefore the federal judge's jurisdiction in the matter was terminated. Nevertheless, the board opted to continue busing until the .Fall of 1983, when it voted to save an estimated $600,000 by allowing the public RTD buses to carry students in grades 7 through 12. This move was met with mixed reactions, especially in the initial days when complaints against the 288

RTD ranged from long delays to passengers being passed by repeatedly, according to the Star-News. 143

1HE POST-WAR STAR-NEWS World War II caused a great many American youths to grow from ado lescence to adulthood, often overnight. The Star-News itself folloyed a similar path. When originally founded by the Vails in 1886, the Pasadena Star reported principally on local events, people, and news for a relatively unsophisticated readership. As modern presses, the telephone, typewriter, and Linotype machine came into prominence, the ease of news-gathering improved along with the breadth of coverage. By 1915 long-distance radio communication had been developed, people's horizons were expanded, and Pasadena became more cosmopolitan as the railroads brought Easterners to town in ever-increasing numbers.

The Metropolitan Star-News Two world wars, strained international relations and diplomacy, and possible nuclear annihilation joined together to increase the need for a better-informed public, and the Star-News recognized its role as the provider of such essential information. By 1953 the Star-News had added the word "metropolitan" to its masthead. Whereas the general manager of a major Eastern newspaper suggested peaceful coexistence between the community dailies and their metropolitan counterparts, each assuming its role in the respective geographic area, the Star News accepted a dual role singlehandedly. The one-time community weekly had grown up; it was now the Metropolitan Pasadena Star-News published seven days a week, with color comics and a "Parade" magazine 289

section on Sunday yet it retained the "down-home" flavor of its former image. While the Star-News found a place for itself in the current

day newspaper world, it did not pose a major threat to its big city sisters like the Los Angeles Times. 144 The Prisk and Paddock families remained strongly influential in Star-News operations during the early 1950s. The name C. W. Paddock, Jr., appeared in the newspaper staff box as Secretary-Treasurer of the Star-News Publishing Co. by 1954, when the younger Paddock joined his

mot her an d unc 1e 1n· d"1rect1ng · t h e paper 1 s act1V1t1es.• • • 145 In May 1954 the Star-News was named first in promotion for Amer ican and Canadian newspapers of less than 50,000 circulation. The award, which was presented by officials of Editor & Publisher at the

National Newspaper Publishers 1 Promotional Association, consisted of an engraved bronze plaque identifying the paper and its achievements. The Star-News was proud of its accomplishment; it had won over 231 entries submitted by 116 different North American newspapers. 146 The following year saw the Star-News again participating in Pas

adena 1 s Youth Day. During the annual event, 250 Pasadena students took over managerial posts for the day in the city government, school administration, and businesses, and learned about the real world by working alongside the actual office holders. High school students occupied several key spots at the Star-News and received important training on how a newspaper operates. 147

The Prisks Sell Out In an event reminiscent of April 1890, when ownership of the Pas adena Star passed overnight from H. J. Vail to the Star Publishing 290

Co., the Star-News was published on Sunday, March 25, 1956, for the last time under the Prisk family name. The following day a page 1 article announced that ''Ridders Purchase SN, Independent," and responsibility for the operation of both papers shifted to Bernard Ridder, a

Princeton University graduate and a member of the Ridder newspaper family. Actually, the buyer was Twin Coast Newspapers, Inc., which operated under the Ridder organization in much the same way as the Star-News Publishing Co. was controlled by the Prisk family. 148 The

Star-News had joined an elite fraternity to which ninety percent of all California papers belonged by 1984--the newspaper chain. 149

On Monday, March 26, the first day of Ridder operation, it was business as usual except that the Pasadena Independent, which also was absorbed by Twin Coast, now affiliated loosely with the Star-News. No change in the Star-News format was immediately apparent and Bernard

Ridder accomplished the transition with little disruption or fanfare.

Both William Prisk and Neva Paddock chose to retire from the newspaper business after the sale. However, the family names remained associated with the newspaper since Prisk Paddock and C. W. Paddock,

Jr., (Neva's sons) stayed on the staff in lesser capacities. Control of the paper's daily operations fell under a new set of executives essentially imported from the East: Bernard Ridder, publisher; F. G.

Runyon, editor-in-chief; I. Merriman, editor; E. R. Williams, business 150 manager; and R. F. Krueger, advertising manager.

The political bent of the Star-News remained essentially Republi can under Twin Coast and most of the newspaper's editorial opinions came from the local publisher, who had moved his family to California from the East and taken up residence in Pasadena. However, occasional 291

columns were contributed by Walter T. Ridder, patriarch of Twin Coast, who operated from Washington, D. C. This association provided the Star-News with a broader base for articles on national and international affairs than had existed under the Prisks, despite the news paper's long-time subscriptions to the major wire services. A family-owned business for fifty-four years had been folded into a large newspaper chain, following a practice begun successfully years before. The "chain" concept had flourished because of the economies it introduced into an increasingly competitive publishing environment, the philosophy of "better service for more people" that it was de signed to provide, and the lower tax liability that group ownership provided over a family-owned business. 151

Group Ownership Although the concept of group ownership began in the 1920s, the forerunner to the current-day Knight-Ridder organization was a leading proponent of the practice beginning in the 1930s. John S. Knight, who in 1937 was the editor/publisher of the Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal, bought out and merged with the Miami Herald and Tribune. By 1940 John Knight again increased his newspaper holdings by acquiring the Detroit Free Press. 152 Meanwhile, the Ridder side of the house was moving in the same vein. Under the name Twin Coast Newspapers, Inc., it charted a paral lel course until the two organizations joined forces to create the Knight-Ridder Corporation in September 1974. Factors that may have contributed to the merger included extreme increases in material costs such as newsprint that rose from $68 per ton in 1940 to $170 per ton 292 Q '

in 1970, the decline in newspaper readership that threatened ineffi- cient newspapers, and the war-caused shortages that saw one hundred newspapers c 1 ose the1r . d oors over a f our-year pos t -war per1 . od • 153 While the economies in operation under group ownership fostered greatly reduced production costs, the Star-News predicted that the one-hundred-fifty-percent rise in costs in the decade following World

War II would see "the day of the 10¢ daily newspaper not too far distant." Nevertheless, the Star-News believed that the dime price was still a consumer bargain, considering that the daily newspaper contributed greatly to the overall community economy by selling more than

"bottles of milk, packs of cigarettes, [and] loaves of bread."154

Technological Advancements

Group ownership provided much more than simple economy in opera tion. With the large corporate capital base available for improvements, newspapers could now afford to invest in high-cost equipment such as high-speed four-color presses and photoengraving devices that were too expensive for individual newspapers to purchase. 155 It was this sort of financial arrangement that allowed the Pasadena newspaper to expand its production capabilities in 1963 by constructing a new building alongside the main Star-News six-story plant on Colorado

Boulevard that it had occupied since 1925. In addition to the new

$750, 000 "modern home" for the Pasadena newspaper, refurbishment of the existing structure was undertaken and a new $650,000 press was installed to accommodate the paper's increased use of color. 156 In its article covering the dedication of the new facility, the Star-News wrote that actual construction had taken well over a year to complete. 293

Earlier, the San Gabriel Valley had been treated to a taste of the future when the newest production technology called "coldtype" was introduced to the area. For five weeks, twenty professional printers, many from the Star-News staff itself, attended a classroom on wheels, where they were trained in the techniques of phototypesetting, a pro cess that virtually revolutionized newspaper composition. 157 This introduction to automation at the Star-News was the precursor to that which was destined to occur two decades later, when the Pasadena daily became the first in the industry to apply the full pagination concept to a newspaper production environment. Automation was not a new idea for Knight-Ridder papers, rather it followed the lead set by the Knight operation in the late 1960s. An Editor &Publisher article in November 1967 described the acquisition of an ink mist removal system for the Goss presses at the Miami Herald and showed the interest in technological advances that absorbed Knight management even in the days before it became fashionable. 158

The Computerized Newsroom. As computer technology improved and more uses were found for the electronic devices, the newsroom became a natural for its application. A major innovation that re-introduced page composition and makeup to the editorial department was the con version from typewriters to video display terminals (VDTs) in the 1970s. 159 This showe9 the trend toward returning control of the composing room to the editorial function, which had lost the respon sibility with the advent of the Linotype machine in 1886. It also indicated the potential advantages that the computer age was providing to the newspaper production scene in the way of decreased errors and 294

greater schedule flexibility, and the widespread acceptance by management and staff a l 1"k e 1n. a newsroom env1ronment.. 160 There is general agreement that automation reintroduced newspaper layout to the editorial staff where it more reasonably belonged. In her 1982 thesis, Nancy Lee Bassett wrote: "The effect of this technology has been to shift control over the final version of the newspaper from the composing room to the newsroom." This had drawbacks, however, and Bassett argued that more error-free material was not automatically guaranteed, since the computerized system merely placed responsibility for accuracy of copy on the reporter and editor instead of t h e compos1"t or. 161 Some experts claimed that computers increased the number of work ers required by newspapers instead of vice versa. This premise has been disproved by the Star-News where the introduction of the compu terized pagination system dramatically reduced the amount of composing room personnel. Without the gentlemen's agreement between the local typographers union and Star-News management to retain classified ads in the composing room, that facility would have been closed down by the electronic system, which was capable of performing all operations from the newsroom to the press. 162

.Automation's Skeptics. The acceptance of automation by the union at the Star-News was a natural evolution of an earlier incident involving the New York Times and Daily News. In 1974 Typographical Union No. 6 approved eleven-year contracts with both New York newspapers allowing them to complete the installation of computer-driven publishing aids in union-controlled departments, provided union members were given the 295

opportunity to learn the operation. Even then, the unions recognized the potential that electronics offered to the newspaper business and opted to join rather than fight this progress. A researcher in newspaper automation said it in these terms: "Efficient machines could out 1ast an d outperf orm muc h of t h e rout1ne. prod uct1on. task s. 11163

Not everyone was totally thrilled with the new systems however.

Some critics claimed VDTs posed a serious health hazard by exposing operators to low levels of radiation during their workdays on the tube. (Several studies explored these claims but found nothing sub- stant1ve;. neverth e 1ess, t h e quest1on . rema1ns . unanswered • )164

Computerization Finds Acceptance. The 1970s represented the period of greatest growth·for computerized publishing and saw numerous articles and books appear supporting the new technology. Although specific authors cannot lay claim to having directly influenced Knight-Ridder to automate one of its thirty-three dailies, several factors were involved in this major decision. By now it was well known that computers reduced the manpower nee- essary in the traditionally labor-intensive newspaper environment.

Although the electronic newsroom was in its infancy, the concept was proved in limited locations, and computer manufacturers such as !BM and Information International, Inc. (Triple-!) found themselves sud denly competing with established publishing equipment suppliers such as Harris and Mergenthaler for a place in the emerging market. The interest in this new technology prompted the publication of several books by experts in the publishing field. 165

These books supported reports by trade journals that increasing 296 .

numbers of American and international newspapers were swi tchirig to electronic aids166 to stave off serious inflationary problems pre dicted for the print medium in the 1980s. Star-News management was prompted to look carefully at the potential benefits such an invest ment offered. Economists suggested equipment that provided savings in labor and energy, and the Pasadena daily turned toward computerization, which promised exactly that. Gibson wrote: "The equipment is expens1ve,. 1t . 1s . 1mper . f ect ••• , b u t newspapers are buy1ng . 1t. . 11167

Pagination Comes to the Star-News Following the lead of several predecessor newspapers, some in the Knight-Ridder group, the Star-News had partially automated its newsroom by replacing typewriters with an SDC system on which all articles were keyboarded, revised, and printed out before being set by compos

ing room personnel. As the 1980s introduced advanced computer tech nology and higher production costs, Star-News management began negoti ations with Triple-! for the computer company's Newspaper Pagination System. The $1.9 million system was a great expense for any newspaper with a daily circulation of under 50,000. But it promised a better quality product with lower labor costs, and by Saturday, January 2, 1982, the Star-News was on line permanently with its new system that had editors completely assemble, lay out, and compose the majority of pages for that and subsequent editions. 168

Pagination Proves Itself. Because of expressed interest and Knight Ridder' s desire to begin automation in earnest, the Star-News was selected to install the first fully computerized newsroom equipment in 297

the Knight-Ridder chain. Indeed, the Star-News was actually the first

Am er1can. newspaper to 1nsta. 11 a tota1 pag1nat1on . . system. 169 In 1979 Dineh Moghdam wrote that "a pagination system must allow for a maximum interaction between the user and the machine in the absolute positioning of all the elements of a newspaper page (graphics as well as text)." Further, the system "must be automated enough to relieve that user of routine tasks, yet subservient enough to let the user have the final word in composition and layout of a page."170 The Triple-! system did all this and more. In the spring of 1983 the prestigious Seybold Report reviewed eighteen months of pagination system operation in an actual newsroom environment at the Star-News and reported that it delivered pretty much as it promised. Seybold identified all parts of the electronic system and described how each functioned to assist the paper in publishing its daily issues. 171 When the Star-News proved newsroom automation a viable concept in routine usage, the Pasadena daily looked for further improvements, knowing the system it had installed was merely a step in the right direction, but not the ultimate answer to automated newspaper production. Although the Star-News had the backing of the parent corpora tion (Knight-Ridder had $93 million in net income for 1980, which grew to $144 million by 1984), the Pasadena newspaper was responsible for its own income statement. This included the nearly $2 million indebt edness it incurred for the Triple-! system. 172 Although its opinion is undoubtedly biased, the Information Inter national, Inc. 1985 annual report claimed that "the three-year produc tion track record of the NPS at the Pasadena Star-News became doubly impressive to the newspaper industry when competitor systems failed to 298

meet performance expectations." Based on this remarkable record, the newspaper added another makeup station in mid-1983 as it continued "to be at the forefront of electronic prepress technology. 11173 Mean- while, the corporate structure maintained a weather eye to ensure the continued economic feasibility of newsroom automation, with the Star- News as its test case. In January 1985 the Long Beach Press Telegram, another community daily in the Knight-Ridder stable and one having long-standing ties with the Star-News since the Frisks and Paddocks controlled operations, announced that it had contracted with Triple-! to install by April a similar but upgraded version of the Newspaper

Pagination System now at the Pasadena daily. 174 Knight-Ridder had entered the world of computerization and the Star-News was leading the way.

THE KNIGIIT-RIDDER HEIRARCHY

When the Ridders took over from the Frisk/Paddock family in 1956, they introduced numerous changes in staff at the newspaper. For eigh teen years Bernard Ridder guided the Star-News as its publisher and immersed himself in the local social and philanthropic affairs. By 1974 the reins of publisher shifted to Larry Collins, another

Knight-Ridder protege. Collins was responsible for directing the

Star-News through the early 1980s. Today, although retired from the newspaper business, Collins remains active in Pasadena affairs and follows the progress of his adopted city as one of its more pres- . . . . 175 t1g1ous c1t1zens. In 1979 the Star-News initiated another community-service pro gram called the Tournament of Toys. The charitable operation, which 299

paralleled the Marine Corps' annual Toys for Tots campaign, borrowed part of its name from the well-known Pasadena Tournament of Roses pageant. Under the auspices of the Star-News, which organized, under- wrote, and conducted the affair, money was collected from donors and then used to purchase Christmas toys for needy community children who might not otherwise receive such gifts. The Star-News Tournament of Toys became so successful that by 1982 it had the backing of UCLA and the full support of Pasadena businessmen. 176 The current Star-News publisher is William Applebee. It was under his leadership that the Pasadena paper became the innovator in automa tion in 1982 and celebrated its hundredth year of service to the com munity in April 1986. Both Applebee and Charles Cherniss, the present editor and a long-time Pasadena resident, were quite involved in the city's centennial celebration in June 1986. Although Applebee is not a resident of Pasadena (he lives in Arcadia, a neighboring San Gabriel Valley community), the publisher is active in Crown City affairs such as the Tournament of Toys. 177 lOOth ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION April 21, 1986, came and went quietly at the Star-News, despite the fact that this day represented the completion of a century of con tinuous publication by the Pasadena newspaper. Actually, an article with accompanying photo did address the anniversary--plus that of two Pasadena residents, Alta Mae White and William Gunther, who were ceie- brating their hundredth years too. 178 But, the real celebration had begun nearly ten months before when Pasadena Mayor William Bogaard kicked off the city centennial "big bash," which was to raise money 300

for the city's hundredth anniversary party on June 19, 1986. The City Hall street party hosted 1200 guests, each of whom paid $100 per per son for dinner and entertainment that included Can-Can dancers, which were featured in a photo of the avent. 179 The official kickoff of the Pasadena Centennial actually was wit nessed by millions of people in person and on television through the 1986 Tournament of Roses, which opened the six-month-long celebration. Local and national celebrities attended a Kiwanis luncheon following the New Year's Day parade. Included were such people as sportscasters Merlin Olsen and Dick Enberg, actress Angie Dickinson, State Attorney General John Van de Kamp, Secretary of State March Fong Eu, and humor ist Erma Bombeck. The Star-News itself entered into the spirit of the season by sponsoring the "Great Ideas Campaign," which solicited all thoughts on city improvement and was geared to make Pasadena an even better place to 1ive in the second century. "Take a step into the future!" the Star-News urged all readers. 180 Because of . its closeness to the city's birthday, the Star-News centennial was postponed to coincide with the weeklong ceremonies cel ebrating Pasadena incorporation. On June 11 the Star-News invited the community at large to attend its "birthday bash." In honor of the occasion, publisher William Applebee pledged "the Star-News [will] be the kind of newspaper this community needs to be well informed of the important events that occur in this circulation area." In addition, Applebee saw the newspaper playing an "even more important role in this community in the next 100 years."181 Parades and other community events were the order of the day for the next week, culminating in the headline: "Happy lOOth birthday 301

Pasadena!". Most of the June 19 front page was filled with news of the historic celebration and editor Charles Cherniss reminisced on "how a woman made Pasadena possible." In his column Cherniss recounted that Donna Incarnacion Abila had satisfied the homestead requirements of Spanish law and won the title to Rancho San Pasqua! for her son-in-law Don Manuel Garfias. Her actions paved the way for Judge Ben Eaton, John Griffin, and Benjamin D. Wilson to negotiate a future land sale to the Indiana Colony in 1873. Vying with Cherniss in reviewing the Pasadena of yesteryear for the Star-News were Jefferson Elementary School students who tried their hands at writing the city's history in both Spanish and English.182 On June 19 a reported 10,000 merrymakers sampled the huge birth day cake in the City Hall plaza, and the Star-News reminded all Pasa denans what their city represented: ''Working for what is necessary has never been enough for Pasadena. Striving for all that is possible has always been the touchstone of its 100-year-old character. May it continue to be so for at least the next hundred years. 11183

Throughout this chapter it has been shown repeatedly that the newspaper and its publishers have been thoroughly involved in Pasadena affairs. From the fifty-four-year dynasty of the Frisk/Paddock family through the relatively recent days of the Knight-Ridder association, the Star-News remains as the leading voice of Pasadena and continues to be a strong promoter of its home community. A1 though in earlier days the Star-News role was more avant garde--it was a trend setter- today's newspaper is more comfortable in supporting the status quo of the community. The one major deviation to this practice occurred when the Star-News opted to enter newsroom automation and earned a place in 302 Q •

journalism history as the first daily newspaper in the United . States

to install a fully computerized prepress system in its production cycle. With more than three years of automation experience behind it and

the hundredth anniversary celebration now history itself, the Star

News and the community it served reverted to their more mundane exis

tences. "And slowly, as Pasadena began its second century, life began

to return to normal. 11184 303 @ •

ENDNOTES !Pasadena Star-News, 10 December 1936, pp. 1, 10. 2Pasadena Star-News, 11 December 1936, pp. 1, 2; 12 December 1936, p. 4. 3Pasadena Star-News, 12 August 1937, pp. 1' 4. 4Pasadena Star-News, 16 June 1936, p. 4. Spasadena Star-News, 13 August 1937' p. 10. 6pasadena Star-News, 14 August 1937, p. 4. 7Pasadena Star-News, 16 June 1938, p. 4. 8pasadena Star-News, 14.January 1938, p. 4.

9Pasadena Star-News, 15 January 1938, p. 1. !ODonald Duke, ''Mount Lowe Railway," Pacific Railway Journal, October-November 1954, pp. 3-12. llPasadena Star-News, 22 March 1938, pp. 1, 13. 12Pasadena Star-News, 5 November 1940, p. 11; 13 December 1940, p. 17; 28 December 1940, p. 4; 30 December 1940, pp. 1, 11; Manuel Pineda and E. Caswell Perry, Pasadena Area History (Pasadena: Histori cal Publishing Co., 1972), p. 59. 13Pasadena Star-News, 18 September 1936, p. 1. 14Pasadena Star-News, 10 November 1936, p. 1; 18 November 1936, p. 1. lSPasadena Star-News, 18 November 1936, p. 4.

16Pasadena Star-News, 14 December 1936, p. 1. 17Pasadena Star-News, 15 December 1937, pp. 1, 4. 18Pasadena Star-News, 17 July 1937, p. 3. 19Pasadena Star-News, 12 October 1937, p. 4. 20Pasadena Star-News, 10 January 1938, p. 1; 12 January 1938, p. 4. 21Pasadena Star-News, 13 January 1938, p. 4. 22Pasadena Star-News, 15 September 1938, p. 4; 16 September 1938, p. 4. 304

23Pasadena Star-News, 13 December 1950, p. 1. 24Pasadena Star-News, 14 September 1938, p. 4. 25Pasadena Star-News, 10 November 1938, p. 1. 2.6Pasadena Star-News, 8 September 1939, pp. 1, 2, 11. 27Pasadena Star-News, 10 October 1939, p. 1; 12 October 1939, pp. 1, 28Pasadena Star-News, 13 November 1941, p. 1. 29Pasadena Star-News, 6 December 1941, p. 1. 30Pasadena Star-News, 8 December 1941, pp. 1-3, 10, 13. 31Pineda and Perry, p. 59.

32Ernest C. Hynds, American Newspapers in the 1970s (New York: Hastings House, 1975), p. 15; Pasadena Star-News, 8 December 1941, p. 13; 9 December 1941, p. 11. 33Pasadena Star-News, 10 December 1941' p. 16. 34Pasadena Star-News, 12 February 1942, pp. 1, 10. 3Spasadena Star-News, 5 March 1940, p. 1. 36Pasadena Star-News, 23 July 1943, p. 9. 37Pasadena Star-News, 22 July 1943, p. 3. 38Pasadena Star-News, 23 July 1943, p. 1; 16 March 1976, p. D-1; Pineda and Perry, p. 279. 39Pasadena Star-News, 3 August 1943, p. 11. 40Pasadena Star-News, 12 April 1945, p. 1; 13 April 1945, pp. 1-3, 8. 41Pasadena Star-News, 10 December 1941, p. 26. 42Pasadena Star-News, 1 May 1945, pp. 1, 2. 43Pasadena Star-News, 6 August 1945, p. 13. 44Pasadena Star-News, 6 August 1945, pp. 1, 4; 8 August 1945, pp. 1, 2, 4, 6. 45Pasadena Star-News, 6 August 1945, p. 4. 46Pasadena Star-News, 12 January 1949, p. 8. 305

47Pasadena Star-News, 15 January 1949, p. 1. 48Pasadena Star-News, 13 December 1950, pp. 1, 8. 49Pasadena Star-News, 23 December 1950, p. 1; 2 January 1951, pp. 1, 4. 50Pasadena Star-News, 13 December 1951, p. 1; 14 December 1951, p. 1. 51Pasadena Star-News, 16 November 1953, p. 2. 52Pasadena Star-News, 1 November 1948, p. 14. 53Pasadena Star-News, 2 November 1948, p. 1. 54Pasadena Star-News, 3 November 1948, pp. 1, 5. 55Pasadena Star-News, 10 January 1949, p. 1; 12 January 1949, p. 8; 10 August 1949, p. 8. 56Pasadena Star-News, 26 January 1950, p. 8. 57Pasadena Star-News, 13 December 1951, p. A-4. 58Pasadena Star-News, 17 July 1952, p. 8. 59Pasadena Star-News, 7 February 1950, p. 8; Remi Nadeau, Los eles: From Mission to Modern Cit (New York: Longmans, Green and Co., 19 0' p. 274. 60Pasadena Star-News, 12 February 1953, pp. A-1, A-2. 61Pasadena Star-News, 12 March 1952, p. 8. 62Pasadena Star-News, 11 July 1952, p. 6. 63Pasadena Star-News, 11 July 1952, pp. 1, 3, 6; 5 November 1952, p. 8. 64Pasadena Star-News, 15 January 1954, p. 6. 65Pasadena Star-News, 16 February 1955, p. 8.

66Pasadena Star-News, 10 September 1955, p. 1; 11 October 1956, pp. 14, 16. 67Pasadena Star-News, 7 November 1956, pp. 1, 18; 21 January 1957' p. 1. 68Pasadena Star-News, 13 March 1957, p. 10. 306

69Pasadena Star-News, 11 December 1957, p. 1; 17 December 1957, p. 1; 18 December 1957, p. 1. 70Pasadena Star-News, 15 July 1959, p. 1; 21 July 1959, p. 6. 71Pasadena Star-News, 10 November 1959, p. 1; 11 November 1959, p. 1; 19 November 1959, p. 1. 72Pasadena Star-News, 5 May 1960, p. 1; 6 May 1960, p. 1; 7 May 1960, p. 1. 73Pasadena Star-News, 11 May 1960, pp. 1, 17. 74Pasadena Star-News, 9 November 1960, pp. 1, 10, 14. 75Pasadena Star-News, 2 January 1961, p. A-18. 76Pasadena Star-News, 5 May 1961, pp. 1, 3, 9; 6 May 1961, p. 1; 8 t4ay 1961, p. 1. 77Pasadena Star-News, 5 May 1961, p. 1; 14 March 1962, p. 22. 78Pasadena Star-News, 11 October 1963, p. 1; 12 October 1963, p. 1; 14 October 1963, p. 14.

79Pasadena Star-News, 22 November 1963, p. 1; 23 November 1963, pp. 1-3, 9. 80Pasadena Star-News, 25 November 1963, pp. 1, 3, 18; 26 Novem- ber 1963, pp. 1, 2, 14. 81Pasadena Star-News, 11 February 1964, p. 1. 82Pasadena Star-News, 4 November 1964, pp. 1, 3, 18. 83Pasadena Star-News, 12 April 1965, p. 1. 84Pasadena Star-News, 15 September 1966, p. 1; 17 October 1967, p. 12 •. 85Pasadena Star-News, 5 June 1968, pp. 1, 14. 86Pasadena Star-News, 4 November 1968, p. 14; 6 November 1968, p. 1. 87Pasadena Star-News, 19 July 1969, p. 1; 20 July 1969, pp. 1, 6; 21 July 1969, pp. 1, 3. 88pasadena Star-News, 13 August 1969, pp. 1, 10; 14 August 1969, p. 1. 89Pasadena Star-News, 16 December 1969, p. 1; 17 December 1969, p. 18. 307

90Pasadena Star-News, 15 June 1971, p. 14; 13 July 1972, pp. 1, 12; 16 July 1972, p. 3; 6 November 1972, p. 12. 91Pasadena Star-News, 8 November 1972, p. 1. 92Pasadena Star-News, 8 November 1972, p. 12. 93Pasadena Star-News, 15 March 1973, p. A-1; 16 August 1973, p. A-1; 17 August 1973, p. A-8. 94Pasadena Star-News, 10 May 1974, p. A-1. 95Pasadena Star-News, 9 September 1974, p. A-1; 10 September 1974, p. A-8. 96Pasadena Star-News, 10 March 1976, p. A-1; 15 July 1976, p. A-1; 16 July 1976, p. A-1. 97Pasadena Star-News, 11 April 1977, p. A-4. 98Pasadena Star-News, 14 August 1977, p. A-10. 99Pasadena Star-News, 14 May 1978, p. A-8; 17 May 1978, p. B-1. lOOpasadena Star-News, 10 September 1978, p. A-14. 101Pasadena Star-News, 14 September 1978, p. A-1. 102Pasadena Star-News, 10 March 1980, p. A-1. 103Pasadena Star-News, 5 November 1980, p. A-1. 104Telephone interview with Larry Collins, former publisher, Pasadena Star-News, Pasadena, California, 23 April 1985; Pasadena Star-News, 5 November 1980, p. A-1. 105Pasadena Star-News, 14 July 1980, p. A-13. 106pasadena Star-News, 16 November 1980, p. A-8. 107Pasadena Star-News, 10 March 1981, p. A-1; 11 March 1981, p. A-10. 108Pasadena Star-News, 10 September 1981, p. A-1. 109Pasadena Star-News, 11 October 1982, p. A-6. 110Pasadena Star-News, 5 November 1984, p. A-1; 6 November 1984, pp. A-1, A-3. lllPasadena Star-News, 5 November 1984, p. A-6. 112Pasadena Star-News, 6 November 1984, pp. A-1, A-3, A-4. 308

113Pasadena Star-News, 8 November 1984, pp. A-1, A-3. 114Pasadena Star-News, 29 January 1986, pp. A-1, A-4. 115Pasadena Star-News, 10 April 1986, p. A-1; 11 April 1986, pp. A=l, A=4. 116Pasadena Star-News, 31 May 1951, p. 40. 117Pasadena Star-News, 12 September 1955, p. 1; 13 September 1955, p. 1; 14 September 1955, p. 1; 15 September 1955, pp. 1, A-1. 118Pasadena Star-News, 10 March 1958, p. 1; 10 November 1958, p. 10. 119Pasadena Star-News, 12 November 1958, p. 17; 13 November 1958, p. 1. 120Pasadena Star-News, 13 September 1970, p. 13; 15 December 1977, p. A-1; 13 October 1979, p. A-6. 121Pasadena Star-News, 13 March 1985, pp. A-1, A-3; 14 March 1985, p. A-4. 122Pasadena Star-News, 17 May 1954, p. 1. 123Pasadena Star-News, 11 November 1958, p. 3. 124Pasadena Star-News, 12 August 1965, p. 1; 13 August 1965, p. 1; 14 August 1965, pp. 1-2. 125Pasadena Star-News, 16 August 1965, p. 1. 126Pasadena Star-News, 17 August 1965, pp. 14, 17. 127Pasadena Star-News, 18 August 1965, p. 14. 128Pasadena Star-News, 7 September 1961, p. 1. 129Pasadena Star-News, 10 May 1961, p. 24; 15 May 1961, p. 14. 130Pasadena Star-News, 11 February 1964, p. 29; 11 May 1964, p. 17. 131Pasadena Star-News, 8 February 1967, p. 1; 11 July 1967, p. 1. 132Pasadena Star-News, 9 January 1970, p. 1; 10 January 1970, p. 1; 11 January 1970, pp. 1-2; 14 January 1970, p. 1; 17 January 1970, p. 1. 133Pasadena Star-News, 20 January 1970, p. 1. 134Pasadena Star-News, 5 March 1970, pp. 1, 10. 309

135Pasadena Star-News, 14 September 1970, pp. 1, 3; 15 September 1970, pp. 1' 3. 136Pasadena Star-News, 11 May 1974, p. 1.

137Pasadena Star-News, 15 October 1975, p. 1.

138Pasadena Star-News, 18 November 1976, p. 1; 10 August 1977, p. 1. 139Pasadena Star-News, 11 September 1978, p. A-1; 12 September 1978, p. A-1; 17 September 1978.

140Pasadena Star-News, 11 September 1978, p. A-1; 14 November 1980, p. 1.

141Pasadena Star-News, 12 March 1981, p. A-1; 14 March 1981, p. A-1; 16 March 1981, p. A-1; 18 March 1981, p. A-1.

142Pasadena Star-News, 16 June 1981, p. C-1.

143Pasadena Star-News, 4 November 1981, p. A-4; 16 September 1983, p. A-1.

144Pasadena Star-News, 12 February 1953; A. Neuharth, "Predicts Two-in-One Newspaper Package," Editor & Publisher, 12 December 1964, p. 24; J. Knight, "Community Newspapers can Wipe Out City Dailies," Advertising Age, 25 June 1965, p. 8.

145Pasadena Star-News, 7 May 1954, p. 6.

146Pasadena Star-News, 12 May 1954, p. A-1.

147Pasadena Star-News, 10 May 1954, p. A-1.

148Pasadena Star-News, 25 March 1956, p. A-1.

149J3en Bagdikian, "California's Version of the World," Califor nia Magazine, November 1984, p. 154.

lSOPasadena Star-News, 26 March 1956, p. A-6.

lSlv. J. Minahen, "Newspaper Groups; Threat or Benefit," Editor & Publisher, 7 January 1978, p. 48; Hynds, pp. 69, 78, 132; David Bruce Daugherty, "Group-OWned Newspapers vs. Independently-OWned News papers: An Analysis of the Differences and Similarities" (Ph.D. dis sertation, University of Texas at Austin, 1979), p. 13. 152Hynds, p. 78.

153Hynds, pp. 69, 127, 133; William A. Tillinghast, "Declining Newspaper Readership: Impact of Region and Urbanization," Journalism Quarterly 58 (Spring 1981): 19. 310

154Pasadena Star-News, 17 January 1957, p. 7; 11 February 1963, p. 17. 155Hynds, p. 69.

156Pasadena Star-News, 8 October 1963, p. A-1.

157Pasadena Star-News, 11 December 1961, p. 23.

158''Dynapure Systems Ordered for all Knight Newspapers," Editor &Publisher, 11 November 1967, p. 12.

159Gerald B. Healy, ·~avenport's All VDT System Set Newsroom Back 100 Years," Editor & Publisher, 30 March 1974, p. 14; Linda J. Shipley and James K. Gentry, "How Editing Equipment Affects Editing Performance," Journalism QuarterM 58 (Autumn 1981): 371-74; Starr D. Randall, "Effect of Electroniciting on Error Rate of Newspapers," Journalism Quarterly 56 (Spring 1979): 161-65.

160warren D. Francke and Douglas A. Anderson, "Expectations and Experience in Conversion to VDTs," Journalism Quarterly 57 (Winter 1980): 652-55; Anna Byrd Davis, "Pollster Finds Acceptance for Auto mation in South," Editor & Publisher, 9 February 1974, pp. 38-40; P. Brainerd, "Newspapers: The Electronic Revolution," Digest of Papers, Spring COMPCOM 81: 385-87.

161Nancy Lee Bassett, "Journalism and the Future: The Effect of Technology on Newspapers of the 1980s" (M.A. thesis, University of South Carolina, 1982), pp. 7-8.

162Dominique Wolton, ·~o You Love Your VDT?" trans. Victoria Ortiz, Columbia Journalism Review (July/August 1979): 36-39; Les Wiltse, "Pagination in Pasadena: The Waiting Period is Over," Editor & Publisher, 19 February 1983, p. 47; Craig La Grow, "The Printer's Nightmare," feed/back, Spring 1983, pp. 24-28.

163"New York Goes Modern," Time, 12 August 1974, pp. 57-58; Howard Collins interview; Dineh Moghdam, Computers in Newspaper Pub lishing: User-Oriented Systems, Books in Library and Information Science, vol. 22, with Foreword by Allen Kent (New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. 1978), p. 33.

164Jeff Sorenson and Jon Swan, "VDTs: The Overlooked Story Right in the Newsroom," Columbia Journalism Review (January /February 1981): 32-38.

165william Metz, Newswriting: From Lead to "30" (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1977), pp. 356-75; Harry Stone cipher, Edward C. Nicholls, and Douglas A. Anderson, Electronic Age News Editing (Chicago: Nelson Hall, 1981). 311

166''New York News Orders Pagination System," Newspaper Pro duct., vol. 6, no. 2 (February 1977): 2; "Harris Configures Five News paper Systems," Computerworld, vol. 11, no. 48 (November 1977): 43; E. Surden, "Dual Systems Meet Newspaper's Backup Need," Computerworld, vol. 12, no. 6 (February 1978): 54; H. Hashimoto, "The Computerized Newspaper Editing and Composing System," AEU (Japan)(February 1981): 155-59. 167"Economists Forecast Bleak for Newspapers," Editor & Pub lisher, 8 November 1980, p. 13; Howard Collins interview; Martin L. Gibson, Editing in the Electronic Era (Ames: the Iowa State Uni ver sity Press, 1979), p. 208. 168La Grow, p. 25; Wiltse, p. 47; "Triple I NPS Paginates at Star-News," Typeworld, February 1982, p. 9; Erik Estrin, ''What? No Dear Abby?" Los Angeles, August 1983, p. 135.

169J

17~oghdam, p. 159.

l71John Seybold, "Information International's 2000 Page Layout System," The Seybold Report of Publishing Systems, 14 March 1983, pp. 1, 9-18.

172nonald Paneth, The Encyclopedia of American Journalism (New York: Facts on File Publications, 1983); The 1984 Aiinual Report, Knight-Ridder Newspapers, Inc., p. 49. 173rnformation International, Inc., 1985 Annual Report, Information International, Inc. (Los Angeles: n.p., 1985), p. 4; "Star-News Adds Makeup Station," Typeworld, 28 October 1983, p. 19.

174"$2 million Triple-! newspaper pagination system," Typeworld, 25 January 1985, p. 2. 175Larry Collins interview.

176Pasadena Star-News, 17 October 1982, p. A-10.

177Cherniss interview.

178Pasadena Star-News, 21 April 1986, p. A-1.

179Pasadena Star-News, 13 June 1985, p. A-1; 18 September 1985, pp. A-1, A-3.

180Pasadena Star-News, 1 January 1986, pp. A-1, A-3; 28 January 1986, p. A-6.

181Pasadena Star-News, 11 June 1986, pp. A-1, A-2. 312

182Pasadena Star-News, 19 June 1986, pp. A-1, A-3; 10 June 1986, p. A-1. 183pasadena Star-News, 20 June 1986, pp. A-1, A-4, A-8, A-9. 184Pasadena Star-News, 21 June 1986, p. A-3. CHAPTER 11 CONCLUSIONS

Pasadena, from its early days as the Indiana Colony, has generally been a tight-knit community where a spirit of togetherness and cooper ation prevailed among its residents. This circumstance also was felt in the other surrounding settlements comprising the~ San Gabriel Val ley. That the Pasadena Star and its successors faithfully served the San Gabriel Valley and its citizens since April 1886 has been shown repeatedly in this study. The close ties of the newspaper's various owners with the community they called home have allowed them to become an integral part of Pasadena's daily activity and to affect the views of the residents by influencing public opinion. This chapter reviews these changes in terms of newspaper philoso phy, page makeup, economic stability, and community relations.

STAR-NEWS PHILOSOPHY During its hundred-year life, the Star-News has adopted many stands involving local and international politics, area boosterism, and social issues such as integration and community redevelopment.

Politics Since its founding, the newspaper has been essentially politically conservative. From its first issue in April 1886, the Star expressed a staunchly Republican view, which prompted John W. Wood, an early-day Pasadenan, to describe the newspaper as "rabidly Republican."1

313 314

Star-News support for the administrations that have controlled Washington during the newspaper's hundred-year existence traditionally 2 have favored the G.O.P. Whether it was Teddy Roosevelt, Calvin 4 Coolidge, 3 ~r Dwight D. Eisenhower, Star-News editorials gener ally praised the party line and promoted the course of action that the Republicans had charted. In the early 1920s, the Pasadena Star-News was an advocate of Warren G. Harding, who rose from Ohio newspaper publisher to chief executive. Even when the Teapot Dome scandal broke in 1924 following Harding's death the newspaper remained steadfastly loyal and defended the former president. Harding, said the Star-News, had the "respect, 5 confidence and affectionate esteem of the American people." In the midst of the Great Depression, when most of the country was condemning the policies of Herbert Hoover, the Star-News stood by the president, declaring that his actions were appropriate to renew confidence in a temporarily flagging economy that would prove Americans 6 in 1929 enjoyed "the highest standard of living in history." For most of its first century, the Star-News followed the general pattern that critic Ben Bagdikian ascribed to many American newspapers. Bagdikian' s 1984 research indicated that eighty-seven percent of America's newspapers endorsed Republicans if they carried any en- dorsement at all, and most were considerably more conservative than their readers. 7 Only in the 1980s has the Star-News altered its politics to more closely parallel the "independent" status attributed 8 to it by the Ayer Directory of Publications. In 1984, for example, Star-News politics moved toward the more liberal view, reflecting the 9 larger minority population in the San Gabriel Valley of this period. 315

Community Booster Regardless of its politics, however, the Star-News has always been a strong supporter of its home community. From the first issue when the Pasadena Star claimed that "no town in California has a better class of business men than are found right here in Pasadena, .,lO to the 1890s when it touted Pasadena as "the city of elegant homes, .,ll to the 1980s when it publicly urged the UCLA Bruins to move their home football games to the Rose Bowl, 12 the paper fought for its adopted city. (The Star-News stand on boosterism and Pasadena support became quite strong at times.) During the late 1800s the Star's editorials continued to prompt weal thy Easterners to relocate in Southern California: "There is no place like home when it happens to be established in Pasadena. "13 Even in these early periods the newspaper's publishers were developing a flair for such promotional activities. Many people obviously heard and believed the message, witness Pasadena's sixfold population increase from approximately 20,000 inhabitants in 1890 to nearly 120,000 permanent residents by 1980. 14

Social Issues During a period of one hundred years, tremendous changes are to be expected, and both the city of Pasadena and its newspapers experienced their share. The Star-News and its predecessors have tried, as "the voice of reason," to present the issues objectively and prompt readers toward what it considered the more beneficial viewpoint, usually one that reflected the publisher's beliefs. Yet the newspaper's trend was generally oriented to the "safer" 316 Q '

issues that were unlikely to damage its rep~tation regardless of which side it supported. For example, the Star-News felt secure in promoting school bonds on the premise that educational improvements were always in vogue. Even when voters turned down bonds at the polls, the rejection was not in opposition to the concept of better education, it merely showed that the voters chose not to increase their taxes at this time. Meanwhile, the Star-News remained community-minded in the eyes of Its. read ers. 15 However, the Star-News has never purposely avoided controversies, especially those involving Pasadena. When the Vails pressed the li quor issue in their city during the 1890s, they used the newspaper to demonstrate the conservative view in editorial statements, such as

"Pasadena is a saloonless city • • • let us keep it that way. 1116 The Frisks continued this tradition, supporting the Volstead Act in 1917 and lauding its passage as a Constitutional Amendment (Prohibition) in January 1919. 17

Relationship of the Star-News and Pasadena Prohibition was not the only controversial issue that the newspaper entertained. Integration and racial equality were points of discussion during the entire first century, with opinions sharply divided, depending on the ethnic group involved. While the early Pasa dena Star held Orientals in low regard--"The Chinese Must Go!" read one 1892 headline--the newspaper, during the same period, supported a convention in San Francisco enlisting sympathy for blacks lynched in the South. 18 (On this racial view the Star apparently was reflect ing community opinion rather than trying to modify it, as Pasadena and 317

@ '

San Gabriel Valley residents felt safe in patronizing selected minor ity populations in these early days, before they grew to substantial proport 1ons.. 19) Some seventy years later, however, the Star-News took a stand on an even more difficult racial question. By the 1970s, the minority population of Pasadena had increased significantly and a federal judge imposed mandatory busing to integrate the city's schools. Although the current Star-News owners were more liberal in their views and supportive of racial equality, to retain a modicum of objectivity they ran opposing viewpoints. In one such instance, David Lawrence, a syndicated columnist, called mandatory busing not only "totally unrealis tic but a step in the wrong direction."20 Interestingly, the paper took this stand despite the fact that it likely would offend the large number of blacks now living in Pasadena and further inflame an already heated issue. The racial question surfaced again during the 1980 city election when it was linked to the procedure used to choose city directors.

Rather than elect by citywide vote, which its critics claimed had been devised "to keep blacks from serving on the board," the revised City Charter mandated that directors be elected solely by the voters of the respect1ve. d"1str1cts . t ha t t h ey represented • 21 This unprecedented move substantially reduced whatever voter in fluence the Star-News may have enjoyed, because the newspaper's "per- suasive powers" were traditionally exerted on the entire electorate of the city, not a particular district. This loss of influence prompted the Star-News to oppose the charter revision, claiming it could result in the election of city directors who were less-than-qualified. The 318

paper even cited the previous Pasadena election as a case in point, but conceded that the measure should be placed on the ballot where it 22 could be "best settled by the people."

As Pasadena's population grew and the amount of undeveloped land diminished, local officials sought ways to increase the tax revenues without impacting on homeowners. With age, the city's buildings had deteriorated and shabbiness prevailed in Old Pasadena, west of the

Civic Center. Disrepair caused the city's businesses to move eastward from City Hall, leaving rundown, vacant shells as mute evidence of

Pasadena's faded glory. In late 1969 a movement began to refurbish the Old Town section, with the Star-News lending considerable support to the plan. A $25 million complex was proposed, which included a

288-room hotel and a science center. The Star-Ne\.;s immediately endorsed the plan as having "such great merit and financial benefit to the city, that it must be pursued. If Pasadena doesn't take advantage of the opportunity, some other city will--to the detriment of this 23 area. " Despite the tremendous enthusiasm expressed for the plan and the warning by the Star-News of what might occur if the project did not continue, it never materialized. Opponents posed convincing arguments such as increased traffic and the inability of current city services to cope as reasons to disapprove the plan.

Meanwhile, the exodus toward the eastern end of Colorado Boulevard continued and the Old Pasadena section to the west of City Hall grew progressively older and became even more rundown. In 1977, however, the city's directors introduced a radical concept to revitalize the deteriorating sections of the city, which began with ground breaking for the $ll0 million Pasadena Plaza shopping mall. In this instance 319

the Star-News appeared to take the lead in proposing new life for the city as it became a leading advocate of the project: "The Pasadena

Plaza must be esthetically the best such center ever built. We can hardly wait until the Plaza is finished in the Fall of 1979. 1124 (It should be recognized, however, that the newspaper's motives were not totally altruistic in nature. Whatever economic gains the city would realize from this project would also benefit the Star-News through in creased advertising revenues and greater circulation.)

Prompted by the newspaper, the city's directors agreed to estab lish controls over the growing movement to revitalize Old Pasadena.

These controls, rather than limiting progress, were designed to "pre 25 serve the architectural integrity of the area."

For years Pasadena had maintained a height ceiling on buildings within the city limits. At the peak of revitalization efforts in

1979, the Star-News reported that a concentrated move had begun to curb high-rise buildings, at least along Colorado Boulevard in the vicinity of the Civic Center. The rationale: City Hall should be the dominant feature of the Pasadena skyline. Proponents of height re striction won their point in 1981 after the city directors ordered an environmental report to assess the impact of twin nineteen-story ARCO towers to be erected on Colorado Boulevard, a few blocks southeast of the Civic Center. In September critics circulated petitions demand ing that a scaled-down plan be submitted to the voters in November; however, the 10,000 signatures the committee collected convinced the directors to accede to the petitioners. In the face of Star-News pre dictions of what the city would possibly lose should it fail to build, 26 the board quietly killed the project before it reached the ballot. 320

Nevertheless, the renovation of Old Pasadena remained a big local issue. The Star-News proudly reported the presentation of a Pasadena Beautiful Award to the Tanner Market operation for rebuilding an old service station into a new, modern multiple business structure while retaining the architectural flavor of the Pasadena of yesteryear. Using the basic outer form of the original building, the interior was redesigned to accommodate a restaurant with enclosed and outside patio dining areas, a confectionary shop, and a beauty salon. The recon- 27 struction of Old Pasadena was well under way.

STAR -NEWS PAGE MAKEUP Understandably, the page layout and look of the Pasadena Star-News have changed dramatically over the past century. Most of the change can be traced to evolution in journalistic practices, however, and not directly to the different publishers or the fact that the Star-News was an innovator. While the 1886 Star was a four-page weekly edition with only type and no illustrations or photos, it paralleled nearly all other American papers of the period. Martin L. Gibson described this era in newspapering as one in which practicing editors saw "no need for makeup. [Although] the type began to look gray and forbidding, full-size newspapers stuck with the no-makeup format." The technology allowing halftone and line art techniques was in its infancy and quite expensive to use, so most newspapers avoided the practice. f or economic . reasons. 28 A major difference in the Star's appearance that could be attri buted to a change in ownership occurred when the Prisks took over in December 1904. Whereas the Star traditionally featured advertising on 321

all four pages, the Prisks now relegated ads to the second and subsequent pages only. 29 Within a year equipment . changes permitted the newspaper to print more color items, including a color comics section on Saturdays and color headlines whenever the additional emphasis was

JUStl. "f" 1e d • 30 Around the turn of the century, the newspaper began to feature banner headlines to highlight the more sensational news stories. At the same time, engravings surfaced, but like large headlines they were used quite sparingly. The election of William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt was one event that warranted the use of both. On November 6, 1900, the Star ran a banner head proclaiming the Republican win, accompanied by engravings of the two winners. The front page that day departed dramatically from the paper's usually austere appearance. 31 During World War II the Star-News created a photo essay page as a regular weekly feature to keep its readers informed of events in the different theaters of war. The special victory edition with the "V'' overprinted on the front page not only showed the paper's patriotism but also a flash of creativity by the Star-News in the 1940s. 32 For more than fifty years the Pasadena paper was a Monday-through Saturday publication. With World War II, the reading public clamored for greater coverage, especially of war. news, and the Star-News responded by publishing seven days a week. In the 1950s the paper had joined the practice of its metropolitan big sisters by featuring a four-color magazine section on Sundays. 33

GROUP OWNERSHIP AND ECONOMIC STABILITY In 1963 the Star-News installed a new $650,000 press, allowing the 322

newspaper to insert more color in its normal weekday editions as well as in the Sunday issue. 34 While the new press was significant, it could not compare with the technological achievement that the Star- News introduced nineteen years later, when it became fully automated.

The acquisition of the Triple-! Newspaper Pagination System in 1Y81 placed the Star-News on the leading edge of technology and gave it international recognition for being at the forefront of automation, an honor seldom afforded a community newspaper. 35 Although the finan cial base of the Knight-Ridder organization would appear to have given impetus to the purchase of the $1.9 million system, Howard Collins, former Star-News editorial director, indicated that the burden of re- tiring the debt remained with the Pasadena paper. While the Knight- Ridder assets provided the collateral needed for such an expensive acquisition, the Star-News agreed to repay the loan out of its indi- 36 Vl"d ua 1 prof" 1ts. One attempt by the Star-News to make its new automated system pay off sooner was the ill-fated All Sports daily. As its name suggests, All Sports was oriented exclusively to sports-related material, which may indicate why its circulation was limited and economic considera- tions forced it to cease publication several months after its birth in

1982. Nevertheless, the short-lived daily enjoys the distinction of being the first newspaper to begin publication using a computer-driven prepress pag1nat1on. . system f rom t h e start. 37 Ironically, the Star-News showed little outward sign of change with the new computerized system in its newsroom. What it did exhi- bit, however, was more efficient operation and better typography. A comparison of the pre- and post-automated Pasadena Star-News revealed 323 Q ' very little difference in the overall appearance, and, if not for the trade journal articles about the changeover, the modifications might have gone unnoticed by the public. As Howard Collins, former editorial director, remarked during one interview: "The readers don 1 t care 38 how we do it, as long as they get their newspaper on time." In prior years, the Star-News had tried to remain technologically current with the most up-to-date equipment available in the industry. Whether it was the installation of several new presses over the years, the construction of its new permanent home in 1925, or its entrance into broadcasting with the opening of radio station KPSN, every suc cessive publisher has improved the Star-News operation. 39 There fore, it was only a matter of time before the newspaper took the next logical step, entering the computer age.

THE STAR-NEWS AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS From W. J. Vail in 1886, to William Applebee in 1986, all Star News publishers have had very close ties with the San Gabriel Valley, and most were heavily involved in community affairs. Prior chapters of this study have shown the intimate relationships of the newspaper and its publishers and editors with Pasadena. From George Kernaghan and the new Pasadena Star Publishing Company in the 1880s, 40 to Charles A. Gardner and J. P Baumgartner/Lyman King in the 1890 to late 1904 time frame, 41 to the Prisk/Paddock families between 1904 and 1956, 42 and Twin Coast Newspapers since 1956, 43 every Star-News publisher has associated closely with the community. This support ranged from local prohibition, to Pasadena 1 s World War I volunteer ambulance corps, to the Civic Center building projects in the 1920s, 324

to school integration during the 1970s, to the Pasadena Centennial celebration in 1986. Despite several somewhat unsuccessful attempts to enter the metro politan newspaper marketplace, the Star-News has shown repeatedly that its forte is in the community arena, where it renders a valuable ser vice to Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley. The Star-News has chosen to support the status quo in the community over the years rather than act as a trend-setter. This role, which is typical of most newspapers surviving to the current day, partially explains the longevity of the Pasadena daily. The numerous Star-News publishers during the paper's hundred-year history have developed more moderate political views and learned to recognize the community's moods. They have applied these skills to reflect the majority opinion of the area's residents instead of assuming the role of a standard bearer. The Star-News has been successful in these endeavors for the past hundred years and its current publisher looks forward expectantly to a continuation of this well-established relationship as the newspaper enters its second century. 325

ENDNOTFS lJ. W. Wood, Pasadena, California: Historical and Personal--A Corn lete Histo of the Or anization of the Indiana Colon (Pasadena: J. W. Wood, 1917 , p. 238. 2Pasadena Star, 14 October 1901, p. 4. 3Pasadena Star-News, 15 :March 1926, p. 4. 4Pasadena Star-News, 3 November 1952, p. A-4. 5Pasadena Star-News, 15 February 1924, p. 4. 6Pasadena Star-News, 11 December 1929, p. 4.

7Ben Bagdikian, "California 1 s Version of the World," California Magazine, November 1984, p. 154.

8The IMS 1 84 Ayer Directory of Publications (Fort Washington, PA: ]MS Press, 1984), p. 179. 9Pasadena Star-News, 8 November 1984, pp. A-1, A-3. lOPasadena Star, 21 April 1886, p. 3. llPasadena Star, 25 September 1890, p. 1. 1.2Pasadena Star-News, 18 July 1982, p. B-6; 23 July 1982, p. A-1. 13Pasadena Star, 28 March 1890, p. 1. 14Pasadena Star, 25 February 1890, p. 2; Ayer Directory, p. 179. 15Pasadena Star-News, 11 April 1910, p. 4; 14 February 1911, p. 4. 16Pasadena Star, 13 February 1890, p. 3. 17Pasadena Star, 18 December 1917, p. 4; 18 January 1919, p. 4. 18Pasadena Star, 21 April 1892, p. 1; 4 May 1892, p. 1. 19Pasadena Star-News, 16 June 1981, p. C-1. 20Pasadena Star-News, 17 December 1969, pp. 1, 3; 5 March 1970, pp. 1, 10. 21Pasadena Star-News, 14 July 1980, p. A-13. 22Telephone interview with Larry Collins, former publisher, Pasadena Star-News, Pasadena, CA, 23 April 1985; Pasadena Star-News, 17 July 1980, p. A-10. 326

23Pasadena Star-News, 10 December 1969, p. A-1; 12 December 1969, p. A-14. 24Pasadena Star-News, 10 December 1977, p. A-1; 11 December 1977, p. A-5; 13 December 1977, p. A-1; 14 December 1977, p. A-10. 25Pasadena Star-News, 14 February 1979, p. C-1. 26Pasadena Star-News, 16 November 1980, pp. A-1, A-6; 13 March 1981, p. B-12; 13 September 1981, p. A-10; 17 September 1981, p. A-1. 27Pasadena Star-News, 15 March 1984, p. A-3. 28Ernest C. Hynds, American Newspapers in the 1970s (New York: Hastings House, 1975), p. 236; Martin L. Gibson, Editing in the Elec tronic Era (Ames: the Iowa State University Press, 1979), p. 209. 29Pasadena Star, 2 December 1904, pp. 1-4. 30Pasadena Star, 12 August 1905, p. 1; Hynds, p. 236. 31Pasadena Star, 6 November 1900, p. 1. 32Pasadena Star-News, 12 February 1942, p. 1. 33Pasadena Star-News, 12 February 1953. 34Pasadena Star-News, 8 October 1963, p. A-1. 35Information International, Inc., 1983 Annual Report, Informa tion International, Inc. (Los Angeles: n.p., 1983), p. 2. 36Interview with Howard Collins, former editorial director, Pasadena Star-News, Pasadena, CA, January-March 1984. 37Eric Estrin, "What? No Dear Abby?" Los Angeles, August 1983, p. 135. 38L. Wiltse, "Pagination in Pasadena: The Waiting Period is Over," Editor & Publisher, 19 February 1983, p. 47; Howard Collins interviews. 39Pasadena Star, 14 July 1905, p. 1; Pasadena Star-News, 10 August 1925, p. 13; 15 August 1925, p. 9; 12 November 1925, p. 1.

4~efer to Chapter 5, p. 78, this thesis. 41Refer to Chapter 5, pp. 84, 99, this thesis. 42Refer to Chapter 6, p. 111, Chapter 9, p. 195, this thesis. 43Refer to Chapter 10, p. 268, this thesis. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

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NEWSPAPFRS

Pasadena Star, 21 April 1886; 2 September-31 December 1889.

Pasadena Evening Star and Daily Union, 2 January-31 December 1890.

Pasadena Daily Evening Star, 2 January-31 October 1891; 1 February-31 December 1892; 4 January-30 December 1893; 2 January-31 December 1894; 2 January-31 December 1895; 2 January-31 December 1896; 2 January-31 December 1897; 13 February-30 December 1899; 2 January- 31 December 1900; 2 January-31 December 1901; 10-18 January~arch 1902; 10-18 May-December 1902; 10-18 January-December 1903; 10-18 January-October 1904; 10 November-31 December 1904; 10-18 Febru ary-November 1905; 10-18 March-August 1906; 1-18 December 1906; 11-18 February-December 1907.

Pasadena Star, 10-18 January-December 1908; 10-18 January-December 1909; 10-18 January-December 1910; 10-18 January-December 1911; 10-18 January-December 1912; 10-18 January-September 1910; 1-18 October, 8-18 November, 10-17 December 1910; 2-18 January, 10-18 February-December 1911; 10-18 January-December 1912; 10-18 Jan uary-December 1913; 10-18 January-December 1914; 10-18 January December 1915; 10-18 January, 10-29 February 1916.

Pasadena Star-News, 1-18 March, 10-18 April-October, 7-18 November, 10-18 December 1916; 10-18 January, 10-27 February, 10-18 March, 2-17 April, 10-18 May-December 1917; 1-18 January, 11-18 February, 11 March, 14-18 June, 10-18 July-September, 10-31 October, 1-18 November-December 1918; 10-18 January-December 1919; 10-18 Jan uary-October, 2-18 November, 10-18 December 1920; 10-18 January September, 10-28 October, 10-18 November-December 1921; 10-18 January-September, 10-30 October, 10-18 November-December 1922; 10-18 January-July, 1-18 August, 10-18 September-November, 10-31 December 1923; 1-18 January, 10-18 February-December 1924; 10-18 334

January-February, 10-21 March, 10-18 April-May, 10-19 June, 10-21 July, 1-19 August, 10-18 September-October, 10-23 November, 10-18 December 1925; 11-19 January, 6-18 February, 10-18 March-July, 10- 31 August, 1-18 September, 10-18 October, 1-18 November, 10-17 December 1926; 10-18 January-April, 10-23 May, 10-18 June, 4-18 July, 1-18 August-September, 10-31 October, 2-18 November, 10-18 December 1927; 10-18 January, 9-18 February, 10-18 March-July, 10- 28 August, 10-18 September-October, 6-18 November, 10-18 December· 1928; 1-18 January, 11-18 February, 4-18 March, 10-18 April-Sep tember, 1-30 October, 2-18 November, 11-18 December 1929; 10-18 January-December 1930; 10-18 January-August, 10-25 September, 10- 18 October-December 1931; 11-18 January, 10-18 February-June, 10- 30 July, 10-18 August-October, 7-18 November, 10-18 December 1932; 10-18 January-December 1933; 8-18 January, 10-18 February-June, 9-18 July, 10-18 August-October, 6-18 November, 10-18 December 1934; 10-18 January-June, 10-19 July, 10-22 August, 10-18 Septem ber-December 1935; 6-18 January, 10-19 February, 11-18 March, 11- 21 April, 11-18 May- June, 10-19 July, 1-18 August, 10-18 Septem ber-October, 4-18 November, 10-17 December 1936; 10-20 January, 10-18 February-April, 7-18 May, 1-18 June, 2-17 July, 10-18 August-December 1937; 10-18 January-February, 3-22 March, 11-18 .April, 10-18 May-November 1938; 8-18 July, 10-18 August-October 1939; 10-23 March, 10-18 April, 5-18 November, 13-3- December 1940; 7-10 January, 5-18 November, 6-18 December 1941; 7-18 Jan uary, 11-18 .February 1942; 1-19 January, 3-18 August 1943; 10-18 April, 1-18 May, 10-18 June-July, 6-18 August 1945; 1-18 November 1948; 10-18 June, 10-28 July, 10-18 August 1949; 10-18 January, 7-18 February, 10-30 June, 10-30 December 1950; 1-18 January, 10- 18 May, 11-18 December 1951; 10-18 March, 10-17 July, 3-10 Novem ber 1952; 1-12 February, 11-18 November 1953; 10-18 January, 7-17 May, 11-18 September 1954; 10-18 February, 10-18 May, 10-18 Sep tember, 11-17 December 1955; 2-18 January, 9-18 February, 10-26 March, 10-18 October, 6-18 November 1956; 1-18 January, 10-18 March, 6-18 December 1957; 10-17 March, 3-15 November 1958; 10-18 March, 13-21 July, 10-19 November 1959; 10-19 February, 2-11 May, 1-11 November 1960; 2-11 January, 5-17 May, 7-18 September, 7-18 December 1961; 10-18 March, 10-17 July, 10-21 November 1962; 11-18 February, 10-18 April, 10-19 June, 8-18 October, 22-26 November 1963; 10-18 February, 11-18 May, 2-18 November 1964; 10-17 April, 11-18 August, 10-18 December 1965; 10-18 May, 10-18 September, 2- 18 November 1966; 8-18 February, 11-18 July, 10-18 October 1967; 11-18 March, 5-6 June, 10-17 July, 4-18 November 1968; 10-23 April, 19-21 July, 10-16 August, 10-17 December 1969; 9-20 Jan uary, 13-19 February, 7-16 .May, 10-17 September 1970; 4-19 Jan uary, 11-15 June, 10-18 October 1971; 10-17 March, 11-16 July, 6- 18 November 1972; 10-18 March, 10-17 August, 10-19 December 1973; 10-17 May, 9-18 September 1974; 11-18 February, 10-17 June, 9-18 October 1975; 10-18 March, 10-18 July, 2-18 November 1976; 11-20 April, 10-18 August, 10-18 December 1977; 10-18 May, 10-18 Sep tember 1978; 10-18 February, 10-18 June, 10-18 October, 4 November 1979; 10-18 March, 10-18 May, 10-18 July, 5-18 November 1980; 10- 18 March, 10-18 June, 10-18 September, 4 November, 10-18 December 1981; 10-18 April, 10-24 July, 10-18 October 1982, 10-18 May, 10- 335

18 September 1983; 10-18 February, 9-18 June, 15-30 July, 5-18 November 1984; 10-18 March, 10-18 June, 10-18 September 1985; 1-31 January, 10-26 April, 10-21 June 1986.

THFSFS AND DISSFRTATIONS

Bassett, Nancy Lee. "Journalism and the Future: The Effect of Tech nology on Newspapers of the 1980s." M.A. thesis, University of South Carolina, 1982.

Beckham, Raymond Earle. "One Hundred Years of Journalism in Provo, Utah: A History of the Daily Herald and its Predecessors from 1872-1972." Ph.D. dissertation, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 1972.

Berryhill, Susan Burclunore. "An Oral History of Wes Gallagher." M.A. thesis, California State University, Northridge, May 1984.

Bethel, Cedri th Ann. "Cornelia Wells Walter, First American Woman to Edit a Daily Newspaper." M.A. thesis, California State Univer sity, Northridge, August 1978.

Daugherty, David Bruce. "Group-Owned Newspapers vs. Independently Owned Newspapers: An Analysis of the Differences and Similari ties." Ph.D. dissertation, University of Texas at Austin, 1979.

Hazlett, Sheila Marie. "Valley News and Green Sheet, 1911-1974." M.A. thesis, California State University, Northridge, May 1975.

Schroth, Raymond Augustini. "The Brooklyn Eagle: 1841-1955. A Com munity Newspaper." Ph. D. dissertation, The George Washington Uni versi ty, 1971.