The Newspaper Feud of 1877
A Snohomish editor accuses a local county official of petty corruption and personal vendettas, exposing the raw tensions of early frontier governance.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
In September 1877, the editor of the Northern Star addressed a public inquiry regarding why the proceedings of the Snohomish County Commissioners had not been published. The editor explained that public officials are meant to provide the public with knowledge of their proceedings and pay for the publication of those records. However, the editor charged that a specific County Commissioner—a man of 'limited experience' and 'contemptible' character—had used his position as a tool for personal vendetta. According to the editorial, this official, who also held a post as deputy sheriff, systematically misrepresented the paper’s business and cut official printing bills to spite the editor. The editor further alleged that the commissioner acted out of jealousy because the newspaper would not be bullied into silence. Despite the refusal of the board to pay the agreed-upon rates for public printing, the editor insisted that the paper would continue to advocate for the public interest, though it would refuse to perform further official printing until past debts were settled and a fair contract was established.
“No progress can be made in any community without arousing the jealousy and hatred of a certain non-progressive element.”
This 1877 feud over the transparency of local government and the compensation of a local press mirrors the modern struggle to keep small-town journalism alive in an era of polarized politics and dwindling public notice budgets. It is a reminder that the tension between 'servants of the people' and the media documenting their actions has been a core friction point in Snohomish since the very beginning.
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