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George
Putnam
The adventures of George Putnam
Nickell Sells Out.
Charles Nickell, who since 1873 has been engaged in
the newspaper business in Jackson County, this week entered into an
agreement of sale of his newspaper plant for a consideration of $4250.The purchasers of the plant are Dr. C. R. Ray, of the Condor Water & Power Co., Kelley, the man who is endeavoring to get a gas franchise from the city, Dr J. F. Reddy, J. M. Keene and some others who were interested in the Tribune, Possession to be given next week, and G. Putnam, of Portland, is to be in charge. The Southern Oregonian and Tribune are to be consolidated. Whether the breath of life can be restored to the almost inanimate Tribune by the fusion with the Southern Oregonian remains to be seen, but such is the apparent object of the coalition. Medford Mail, August 16, 1907, page 5 BEST INVESTMENT FOR THE MONEY.
The Medford Publishing Company, publishers of the Medford Tribune and Southern Oregonian,
offers the people of Medford and Jackson County the safest and surest
of investments, namely, first mortgage five-year bonds, bearing 6
percent interest, payable semiannually. The bonds are in small
denominations and a negotiable security. Checks on any Medford bank
taken in payment.What the Bonds Are.
These gold bonds are in denominations of $5, $10 and $25. They are in
the form of a popular loan for $4000. They are secured by a first
mortgage upon the property and plant of the Medford Publishing Company,
comprisinga daily newspaper, the Tribune, a semi-weekly newspaper, the Southern Oregonian and Jacksonville Times,
with the largest circulations in Southern Oregon; and an up-to-date
newspaper and job printing plant. The bonds are a safe investment at a
higher rate of interest than any bank will pay and better security.
They are negotiable and recommended by leading business men of Medford
as a good investment. They draw interest at the rate of 6 percent per
annum, payable the first of June and the first of December. They mature
in five years. Each bond has coupons attached, on presentation of which
upon the dates on which it matures calls for the interest due, which
will be paid by the trustee, the Jackson County Bank.Why the Bonds Are Issued.
These gold bonds are issued to raise money to enlarge and improve the
printing plant and to continue the publication in a better form of the Daily Tribune and the Semi-Weekly Southern Oregonian. It
is desired to make it still better. It is proving inadequate to handle
the volume of business which the rapid growth of the city ensures. It
is desired to make the daily cover all the towns of the Rogue River
Valley and make it in every way a newspaper that the entire valley will
be proud of. All of the money secured by the sale of these bonds will
be invested in the property, all of which will be subject to the
mortgage given as security for the bonds. Medford is destined to be a
large city, its daily a great newspaper worth many times the original
investment.Medford Publishing Company.
The Medford Publishing Company is composed of reputable business men of
Medford, who have backed their judgment with their money. It is
incorporated for $10,000 capital stock, of which only part has been
subscribed. The balance is treasury stock. Of the stock already issued,
a majority is in the name of G. Putnam, editor and manager. There is no
"water" in the stock; it all represents money actually paid in. The
bylaws of the company provide that the editor and manager alone is
responsible for the editorial and business policy of the paper. The
directors of the concern are the following well-known business men of
Medford: W. I. Vawter, F. Osenbrugge, J. F. Reddy, H. C. Stoddard, C.
R. Ray, G. Putnam, R. G. Smith and J. D. Olwell. All of these
gentlemen, with the exception of Putnam, took stock merely from a
public-spirited standpoint, to secure for Medford a good daily
newspaper. None of them exercises any control over the policy of thepaper. Not a Speculation.
If you are looking for speculation, don't buy these
gold bonds. They are not a speculation. They are an investment.These gold bonds will not make you rich, but they will give you a good return upon the money invested. You will not put in a dollar expecting to get out ten dollars, for you won't do it. But you can put in your dollar and be sure of getting it out again with good interest also. Again, these gold bonds beat any scheme of hiding coin in tin boxes or stowing it away in safety deposit vaults. It keeps the money in circulation and helps make times better, as well as encouraging a praiseworthy enterprise. It is to the investing, not the speculating, public that these bonds are offered. The best financiers in the city recommend them. The Paper's Future.
A great future lies before this country, and before this newspaper. The
property is built upon business lines and run upon business principles.
Its policy is progressive, forceful and independent. Its manager has
had many years' experience in practical newspaper work. The newspaper
properties owned are bound to be great newspapers, because they
represent the whole people and standing for the people, will be
supported by the people. The daily has grown wonderfully since the
present manager took charge. He found a bankrupt institution with
nothing but debts, ill-will and prepaid circulation. It was out of
favor with the public and with the advertiser. Look at its columns
today. It is in favor with both the public and the advertiser. The
change has been wrought with but little money, in a very short space of
time. A still greater change will be wrought in the next few months.A Heart-to-Heart Talk.
"Regarding the policy of the Tribune and Southern Oregonian:
They will always be run as independent, politically and commercially. I
have no personal or corporate interests to protect--no one to serve,
except the general public. As long as I am connected with the papers,
and I intend to be continuously, they will be newspapers in the
strictest sense of the word, and not organs of any person, corporation
or clique.''Because a person is a stockholder or bondholder in this concern does not entitle him to special favors when the interests of the public clash with his; or to immunity from criticism. "I desire to enlarge the scope of the daily, to make it the newspaper of the valley, instead of one city in the valley, and to quadruple its circulation and business. To this end I ask your cooperation, and in no way can you cooperate better than by buying our securities. "G. PUTNAM,
Editor and Manager." Are Good Investment.
These gold bonds pay higher interest than banks, and are amply secured
by mortgage. They are on a growing property in a growing city. They not
only offer you a chance for a safe and legitimate investment, but aid
materially in the promotion of a praiseworthy enterprise that means
more to the country than any other single enterprise in it, more for
its development and progress. Send your subscription toMEDFORD PUBLISHING CO.,
Medford Daily Tribune, December 18, 1907, page 3Medford, Or.
Friday councilman [Ferdinand] Osenbrugge and G. Putnam, editor of the Tribune, had
a personal altercation over the publication by Putnam of an item
stating that Mr. Osenbrugge was having a petition circulated for the
nomination of himself for mayor. This Mr. Osenbrugge vigorously denied,
and after a short exchange of words lost his temper and struck the
editor. Mr. Putnam made no attempt to resent [sic]
the blow, and Mr. Osenbrugge did not follow it up. The latter went
before [City] Recorder Collins and contributed $10 to the city funds.
"City Happenings," Medford Mail, January 3, 1908, page 5
 W. S. Barnum, left, Mayor J. F. Reddy, right. Medford Daily Tribune, January 16, 1908. The Putnam Case.
G. Putnam of the Medford Tribune, on
trial last week at Jacksonville for alleged criminal libel in having
criticized the grand jury and deputy district attorney Reames for their
failure to indict W. S. Barnum for an alleged attack on Dr. Reddy with
an ax, was found guilty by the jury and fined $150 by Judge Hanna.
Putnam endeavored to show by witnesses that the assault alleged in the
complaint against Barnum was actually committed and that the grand jury
should in justice have indicted him and that therefore the Tribune
article was not libelous. This, under a plain provision of the statute,
he claimed a perfect right to do, but Judge Hanna practically set aside
the statute and would not permit any evidence from the defense.Under this decision, any newspaper having the temerity to attack, expose and criticize wrongdoing of any kind will be liable to arrest and punishment, because it will not be permitted to prove the truth of the charges. Putnam's trouble probably dates back from the time he criticized the sheriff and district attorney last summer when they closed the saloons on Sunday and put the slot machines out of business, and while he was no doubt in the wrong at that time, his being railroaded to jail and denied apparent statutory rights since then savors something of petty spite and peanut politics. Has Jackson County a political dynasty which no newspaper dare question? The Putnam case is an attempt to throttle the freedom of the press, but, if we are to judge from comment from all parts of the state, the people of Oregon will not "stand for it." Central Point Herald, January 16, 1908, page 1
Putnam Found Guilty.
The
jury in the Putnam libel case, after being out three hours Saturday
evening, returned a verdict of guilty. Judge Hanna imposed a fine of
$150, and a notice of appeal to the supreme court was immediately filed.
The jury consisted of George Hoffman, A. B. Chapman, W. A. Patrick, J. C. Wilson, S. F. Hathaway, F. M. Amy, Geo. L. Davis, S. L. Bennett, T. A. Merriman, John H. Bellinger and N. W. Kime. Medford Mail, January 17, 1908, page 1 Editor Putnam Assaulted.
While walking down West Seventh Street in front of Hussey's cash store, near the Moore Hotel, George Putnam, editor of The Medford Tribune, was Tuesday morning assaulted by Earl Jackson, son of ex-sheriff Jackson, and a former deputy under his father.
Young Jackson has a reputation as a thug and a bruiser, and won fame for himself while deputy sheriff by stringing one of the prisoners up by his wrists in a cell of the county jail until his shrieks for mercy caused outsiders to break into the jail and release the tortured man. It was the publication of this story some months ago in The Tribune which evidently aroused young Jackson to revenge. Putnam's account of the assault is as follows: "I left the office of the Condor Water and Power Company about 10 o'clock on my way downtown when, opposite Hussey's cash store, I was accosted by a young man, who asked me if my name was Putnam. I told him that it was. He asked if I was the editor of The Tribune. I replied yes. He said I had printed some stories about him, and I asked him what his name was, for I had never seen him before. With that he struck me in the face and the blow dazed me. Evidently a rain of blows followed, for I only remember staggering into Hussey's store and asking for a basin to wash the blood from my face.  Medford Daily Tribune, May 25, 1908, page 1 "Sheriff Jackson had me thrown in jail at Roseburg on a trumped-up charge last winter in the evident hope of forcing me to leave the country. The son's vicious assault is along the same lines as his father's actions in throwing me in jail. "People ought to know by this time, for this makes several times that I have been assaulted, that other than gratifying the innate brutal lust of the thug, there is nothing gained by physical violence. The assault will not affect the police of The Tribune one way or the other. When officials are delinquent in their duties to the public The Tribune will print the news. It is not afraid to tell the truth."--Tribune. Central Point Herald, September 24, 1908, page 1 EDITOR PUTNAM ASSAULTED
George Putnam, publisher of the Tribune, was
assaulted on the streets of Medford about 10 o'clock yesterday forenoon
by E. E. Jackson, son of ex-Sheriff Jackson. The assault took place in
front of Hussey's cash store, on West Seventh Street, and was witnessed
by a number of persons.
The trouble was the result of articles published in the Tribune during the recent campaign. Jackson struck Putnam two or three times in the face with his fists and inflicted injuries which, while not serious, will require several days to heal. A complaint was sworn out against Jackson by Chief of Police Shearer, and he was arrested, charged with assault and battery, and upon being brought before Recorder Collins he pleaded guilty and was fined $20, which he paid. The Morning Mail does not believe there is an occasion which will justify a street assault such as this one, and we do not believe our people approve of this method of settling differences. Medford Mail, September 25, 1908, page 1 EDITOR PUTNAM ASSAULTED AGAIN
On
Seventh Street in Medford, Tuesday morning, George Putnam was assaulted
and given an "editorial thrashing" at the hands of E. E. Jackson,
ex-deputy sheriff. Evidently the fighting editor was off on a vacation,
and Mr. Putnam was not able to defend his campaign editorials in the
fistic argument before Mr. Jackson.
Chief of Police Shearer arrested Mr. Jackson and placed a charge of assault and battery on the docket. Mr. Jackson pleaded guilty before Recorder Collins, who placed the fine at $20. The trouble started over an article published in the Medford Tribune during the recent campaign, when the Tribune accused the deputy with inhuman treatment to the inmates of the county bastille. A jailbreak occurred, and Mr. Jackson captured one of the prisoners and fastened him to one of the grates in the jail while he went in pursuit of the rest of the gang. This scene was pictured in the Tribune and commented on editorially which irritated Mr. Jackson, hence the assault. The Post does not uphold this system of justice, nor do we uphold the vicious attacks made by the Tribune against the sheriff's office. Jacksonville Post, September 26, 1908, page 1 Putnam Case Reversed;
Editor Will Not Hang for Criticizing Grand Jury The case of George Putnam, editor of the Medford Tribune, appealed
from the circuit court, was reversed by that body at Salem Tuesday
morning. Mr. Putnam was charged with criminal libel because of
criticisms of the grand jury in the procedure of that body in the case
in which [Rogue River Valley Railway] president Barnum was charged with
an assault with a dangerous weapon against J. F. Reddy. Mr. Putnam was
a witness in the case, and while the grand jury was still in session he
charged in his paper that the body refused to hear witnesses who, it
was expected, would testify against Barnum.
Later Mr. Putnam took the train from Medford for Portland to spend Christmas with his mother, not knowing that a warrant had been issued for his arrest. It is alleged that an officer was in Medford when he left there, armed with the warrant, but allowed the editor to leave town and then had him hauled from his berth in the sleeper at midnight and thrown in the county jail at Roseburg, where he was held 24 hours without an opportunity to secure bail. Later his trial came on and he was promptly convicted and sentenced to pay a fine of $150. Before appealing the case Mr. Putnam was offered a pardon by Governor Chamberlain, who was convinced that his prosecution was more in the nature of persecution than it was in the interests of real justice. He refused to accept the pardon, however, and in that enjoys the distinction of being the only man who declined a pardon from the governor during Governor Chamberlain's incumbency in office, if not in the entire history of Oregon. Central Point Herald, March 11, 1909, page 1  NEW PRESIDENT OF OREGON EDITORS
WELL-KNOWN NEWSPAPER MAN.
George W. Putnam, newly elected president of the Oregon State Editorial
Association, is a well-known Oregon newspaper man. After having been
engaged actively in the business in different parts of the state for
several years, he came to Portland four years ago and accepted the
position of assistant telegraph editor of a local paper. Later he was
promoted to the position of telegraph editor, from which he resigned
about two years ago and went to Medford, where he established the Medford Tribune, a daily publication.
Morning Oregonian, Portland, April 12, 1909, page 8 PUTNAM LIBEL CASE ENDS
MEDFORD, Or., Sept.
8.--(Special.)--Upon motion of District Attorney B. F. Mulkey, Judge H.
K. Hanna Wednesday dismissed the case of the State vs. George Putnam,
editor of the Medford Tribune,
who was charged with criminal libel. The Supreme Court ordered a new
trial on appeal, but owing to the lapse of time between the return of
the indictment and the probability of securing a conviction, the
District Attorney offered a motion to dismiss. Putnam's case aroused
much interest throughout the state two years ago on account of his
sensational arrest on the indictment for libel returned by a
Jackson County jury Christmas eve a year ago. He was pulled from his
berth in a Pullman at Roseburg while on his way to Portland to
spend the holidays, denied the privilege of communicating with his
friends either by telephone or telegraph, refused all courtesies and
thrown into a cell in the Douglas County Jail and confined until the
afternoon of the next day. He was released upon his friends hearing of
his condition.Case Against Medford Editor Is Dismissed by Prosecutor. Putnam was tried and convicted of libel a week later and fined $160. From the judgment and sentence he appealed, claiming that the court erred at the trial in receiving and refusing certain instructions. Oregonian, Portland, September 9, 1909, page 2 MAIL TRIBUNE BOYS AT BANQUET BOARD
Elaborate Menu Discussed at Christmas Dinner Given by the Management to Employees. A special edition of Christmas good cheer was issued last evening when the employees of the Medford Mail Tribune gathered
at the banquet board as the guests of the management of the paper.
Barring French words the "copy" was easy to read and the compositors,
as is their custom, verily "ate it up." For two hours editors, copy
boys, reporters, compositors, pressmen and others labored before the
last form was locked and run off.
During the course of the evening brief remarks were made in which the growth of the Mail Tribune, from a little six-column, four-page daily, with patent insides, to its present size--eight pages, seven columns, every evening with from 16 to 28 pages Sunday, was discussed. The transformation, in two years, is truly marvelous. The boys were the guests of G. Putnam, publisher and proprietor of the Mail Tribune, and that they appreciated it goes without saying. Nothing to be desired was neglected. He was thanked in a few words by Harry H. Hicks on behalf of the boys. Those present were: George Putnam, publisher and proprietor; L. E. Whiting, superintendent of the mechanical department; A. E. Powell, foreman of the composing room; L. E. McDaniels, advertising manager; H. N. Sloane, foreman of the press room; Harry H. Hicks, managing editor; James D. Fay, city editor; H. A. McLellan, Earl Ralston, A. F. Stennett, W. C. Moore, C. H. Lawson, Harry Childs, Paul Schuler and Edwin D. Root. Medford Mail Tribune, December 26, 1909, page 3 EARL JACKSON WORSTED WITH FISTS USES GUN
G. W. Mathes of Ashland was shot three
days ago by Earl Jackson on the former Mathes ranch, near Phoenix, now
owned by Campbell & Jackson. The shooting followed a quarrel
between young Jackson and Mathes, in which Jackson was worsted in a
fistic encounter. Mathes had been acting as foreman during the haying operations. A quarrel ensued, and he was attacked by young Jackson. After the fight Mathes returned to get his blankets. Jackson went into the house and secured a revolver, shooting Mathes through the thigh. The wound is not a serious one. No complaint has been filed as yet against Jackson, and it is understood that a truce has been patched up with Mathes. Jackson won considerable notoriety while deputy sheriff two years ago by cruelty to prisoners and afterwards by brutally assaulting an editor who printed an account of the affair. Medford Mail Tribune, June 14, 1910, page 1 Putnam's Refrain
Old George Put was a slick old nut;
A slick old nut was he. He fixed a machine that was worked by his team To wreck the treasury. So he proposed to build good roads, And a third really went that way; But the balance, I fear, for four long year, Went to Put and his gang for their fee, he, he; Went to Put and his gang for their fee. Said Old George Put, the slick old nut, "Just give us four years more. I have pledged my crew who are tried and true, They'll finish the job with a roar. When the county's cash has gone to smash, And we've fixed ourselves right well, If the voters kick we'll give them the stick, And tell them to go to--well, well, well, We'll tell them to go to--well." "So, bring out the shovel, fill up the sack; Trot out the jimmy and the old blackjack; Kill off credit and blow up the vault Strangle the voters that dares call a halt-- Defy the taxpayer as never before, For we are the pirates of modern lore, Then, be up and doing, let none of us lag, For we are the gentry that are needing the swag." Ashland Tidings, April 15, 1912, page 1  Mr. George Putnam, take the stand.
During the past four years you have dominated the county court [of commissioners] of Jackson County. Five hundred thousand dollars besides the tax moneys collected during that time has been expended. Most of that has been squandered under your administration. George Dunn built more roads and better roads within thirty-five thousand dollars a year than the Neil-Davis regime, under your control, built with two hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars, during the past year. Now you have picked out one Merrick, a banker and orchard speculator, as your special representative in Jackson County affairs. You prate about your progressiveness. Do you and Mr. Merrick propose to give such another "progressive" administration as you have just handed Jackson County through Neil and Davis? The people of Jackson County now have their pockets bulging with worthless county warrants floated at your dictation. Last year you built tin bridges without specifications. You built roads without plans. You constructed a jail out of tissue paper and paid for it at the rate of steel cages. You entrenched Harmon within the law and shoveled out county warrants to him to be cashed and expended in his own sweet way. County road accounts have been padded. Straw men have been paid. And all of this during an administration dictated and absolutely dominated by you. Now you want to do it again, do you? Which shall it be, Putnam's man Merrick, or the true representative of the taxpayer, Dunn? Editorial, Ashland Tidings, April 18, 1912, page 2 Medford is the home of the majority of the steelhead fly fishermen, and they are a most enthusiastic lot. They think they have the finest fly fishing river in the United States, and I am inclined to agree with them. George Putnam and Judge E. E. Kelly are two of Medford's most persistent fishermen, and manage to visit the river at least three evenings a week during the season. They have the reputation of being the most venturesome waders on the river, and it is worthwhile to see them in action. Putnam is about 5 feet 6, while the Judge must be at least 6 feet 5, and built like a bull moose. They will tackle any riffle on the river, going out hand in hand, and have been known to ford it in seemingly impossible places. One of their favorite haunts is on the Rogue, just at the mouth of Little Butte Creek. Right here is a particularly nasty bit of water, full of reefs and big boulders, through which the river fairly churns its way, but in spots it is also mighty good steelhead fishing. Here these two cronies gave an exhibition of Rogue River fishing that I won't forget for some time. Joining hands, they waded right into the teeth of the swirling water. Several times one was obliged to brace himself hard and pull the other back to a secure footing, while a number of steps brought the water clear up to Putnam's shoulders. Finally they reached a ledge somewhere in midstream, and Kelly worked his way down some distance. Both began casting and in a few minutes Putnam gave a whoop, and the next instant a silvery steelhead of enormous size leaped into the air 100 feet away. Going ashore to land him was out of the question, so the two anglers performed what they call "double team work." Putnam worked the big fish to a standstill, playing him until he floated on his side, utterly exhausted. Then the swung his road around so the fish floated down to where Kelly was waiting. The Judge carefully slipped a finger under the gills of the tired fish, then held him fast while his long knife blade severed the spine. In another minute the fish was hanging from a stringer attached to Kelly's waist, and both men were ready for the next strike. A little later, when Kelly hooked a big one, Putnam fairly swam down the rapid to help him land the fish. Walter F. Backus, "Steelhead Trout Gamest of Fish," Morning Oregonian, Portland, August 19, 1912, page 8 'IMMUNITY FOR THE GANG'
SUCH FOUL SLANDER IN THE MAIL TRIBUNE. THIS COMES FROM MEDFORD TOO. The Mail Tribune Lays Itself Wide Open to the Charge of "Criminal Libel" Against the Dignity of the State. Horrors! Horrors! The Mail Tribune,
full of peace and virtue--the backer of TouVelle for county judge; he
who is making a gumshoe campaign without slinging mud--has fallen.
Possibly Putnam was out of town when it happened, for certainly he
never would have permitted such vile slander--criminal libel, if you
please--to have appeared in the Mail Tribune. This
is what it said: "Immunity for gang is given--," and how it happened
that such foul slander slipped into that pious, metropolitan periodical
is beyond comprehension. "Immunity for GANG is given." Whe-oh! Somebody
gram Put for criminal libel, for he printed it in big headline type and
published it to the world, "all against the peace and dignity of the
state." TouVelle, Put ought to go to jail for it, and as you already
have your hand in, we suggest that you swear to the complaint. Be sure
to make it CRIMINAL libel, for then if you lose the COUNTY COURT will
have to pay the costs. Don't forget the CRIMINAL, or the COSTS, for Put
is as slippery as an eel and may wiggle out. If you make it CRIMINAL
LIBEL, and he does, what's the old dif? Jackson County collects some
quarter million dollars each year in taxes, and she will have plenty of
coin--she will have to pay the bill. Sic 'em, Brother TOWOEYVELLE! Go
after him; get his goat.
Let us suggest: If it doesn't look strong enough the way he printed it, just take the words "Immunity for the gang" and place them in that other article printed in the same issue headed "Listen to the Truth." For instance: Where you say in your "Listen to the Truth" tale, "I pledge myself to give the people of Jackson County a business administration," strike out all that part of the sentence after the words "I pledge myself," and add in their stead "Immunity for the gang." That will make it good, strong "criminal libel" against the peace and dignity of the state, and you may be able to grab Put; if you fail, why, the county will have to pay the costs. Anyhow, what's the dif? Let 'er go. Put has certainly strained the "dignity," etc. Ashland Tidings, October 21, 1912, page 8 The complete headline referred to was "Immunity for Gang Is Given by Whitman," on page one of the issue of October 19, 1912. It referred to an offer by New York District Attorney Charles S. Whitman to the murderers of one Herman Rosenthal. The headline had nothing to do with Jackson County politics. An Answer to Ananias
Because
a lie travels faster and further than the truth, I answer slanderous
and libelous accusations that have been repeatedly printed and
industriously circulated for months past. The charges in themselves are
so absurd and ridiculous that they do not merit a reply.
It has been charged that I am the "ringleader" in "the Medford gang," that I have dominated the county court for the past four years and helped to "loot" half a million dollars of the taxpayers' money. Cartoons have been printed depicting "the gang" shoveling out the shekels and doggerel rhymes that conveyed the same idea, while editorials so heavy that they dropped of their own weight spilled the spleen of the snarling scribbler over the community. My life record is an open book. Neither in the five years that I have lived in Medford, nor in the years previous, has it been tainted with dishonor or corruption. I have never been consulted by the county court regarding policy or work. I have never proffered any suggestions to the county court. I am not responsible in any way for its actions. I am not, and never have been, directly or indirectly, interested in any contract, nor do I own any property that has been benefited by work done--except as all property in the county has been benefited. No one has ever been given employment upon my request, for I never made such request. In five years, I have been before the court about half a dozen times. These appearances were as a public-spirited citizen, nearly all in connection with the Crater Lake Highway, with the turning over to the county for completion the Flounce Rock grade built by public subscription (for which I helped raise the money) and with the establishment of the [Westville] convict camp (which I was instrumental in securing). One appearance was in behalf of the Ashland armory. I did not appear in behalf of the Medford bridge. The Mail Tribune's relations with the county consist in being the official paper and printing the court proceedings and delinquent tax list, as provided by law for the paper of largest circulation. The delinquent tax list was also published in 1911 in the Ashland Tidings and in 1912 in the Medford Sun. No matter who comprised the county court, the Mail Tribune would have had to have the work, as the paper of largest circulation. Full detailed account of county expenditures was printed this year--the first time the law has been complied with. Whether the money was wisely spent is a matter of opinion. It shows that all parts of the county have been benefited. However, I had nothing to do with it. As a newspaper man, I ran down every rumor of graft, without being able to find any. The contractor who built the Rogue River bridges became bankrupt constructing them. An expert examined the county books and found them straight. Could this have been the case if half a million dollars had been looted? Two grand juries, one with Ira Shoudy of Ashland as foreman and one with R. J. Edwards of Ashland foreman, inspected the expenditures and found vouchers for everything questioned, spent time in running down complaints and reported affairs O.K. If the treasury had been looted, wouldn't they have reported it? None of the money spent was spent in Medford. None of the public-spirited citizens assigned to membership in this mythical "gang" got any of it. I have been maligned as the archenemy of Ashland. I have given freely time, energy, money and newspaper space in Ashland's behalf whenever called upon. When through the inefficiency and helplessness of State Senator L. L. Mulit of Ashland, who was supposed to look after local interests in the legislature, Ben Selling and others were needlessly permitted to kill the Ashland Normal School, at the request of the Ashland Commercial Club, I and other Medford citizens spent a week at Portland and Salem at the special session of 1909, paying our own expense, lobbying and working for the resuscitation of the normal school. That we were not successful was no fault of ours--the damage had been done when Senator Mulit was asleep at the switch. In recognition, the Ashland Commercial Club passed the following:
"Resolved, that the thanks of the Ashland Commercial Club be and hereby
are tendered to those who assisted us in our efforts to induce the
legislature to make appropriation to maintain the normal school of the
state and that we are especially grateful to George Putnam, Dr. J. M.
Keene and J. D. Heard of Medford, who so willfully gave their services
in behalf of the schools.
(signed)
E. T. STAPLES,
When the initiative
bill to re-establish the Ashland Normal was before the people, I
championed the measure vigorously in the editorial columns of the Mail Tribune
and did what I could for the bill's success.The almost unanimous vote
of Medford and this portion of the county showed the effect.President, Ashland Commercial Club. H. F. POHLAND, Secretary." When Ashland wanted a county appropriation for its armory, I signed the petition, championed it editorially, and as a member of the executive committee of the Medford Commercial Club endorsed it and appeared before the county court in its behalf. I also signed the petition, and gave editorial support to the request that the county purchase or acquire by condemnation and abolish the toll road over the Siskiyous above Ashland. Does this look as if I was an enemy of Ashland? This "looting" of the county treasury of half a million dollars is alleged to have been done during the past four years. Four years ago the county court was composed of Judge G. W. Dunn, Joshua Patterson and the late George Brown. These men, then, must have been parties to the "looting." In January 1909, Judge Dunn and Mr. Brown retired and were succeeded by Judge Neil and James Owen. For the next two years, or until January 1911, the court was dominated by Joshua Patterson, with whom Mr. Owens always voted. These men must then have also been parties to the "looting." In January 1911, Mr. Patterson retired. George L. Davis, the first Medford man ever on the board, took his place. In the "looting" that occurred in that year, Judge Neil and Commissioners Owen and Davis must have been parties. In January 1912, Mr. Davis was succeeded by Frank Brown of Eagle Point, who is also thereby made a party to the "looting." This year, with no Medford representation on the board, the first appropriation voted in ten years for Medford, the bridge, was allowed and [subsequently] enjoined by Benton Bowers. The truth is that all this talk of the "Medford gang" and "treasury loot" and all this outrageous slander is campaign claptrap, sounding brass and tinkling cymbal to arouse prejudice and enable the coterie of Ashland politicians--who for so many years controlled county politics and did nothing for Ashland or any other section--to sit around the pie counter and vegetate. To this end, men who have labored unselfishly for the progress of the valley, and who are in no small degree responsible for the rapid growth and development of the past few years, are sacrificed to slander. The billingsgate is sluiced through an Ashland paper [the Ashland Tidings], whose editor [Bert Greer] had not been a month in the valley before he began the appeal to prejudice and discord. Upon his arrest for criminal libel he brags of having been arrested 23 times for libeling people, and the admission stamps him as a mere scandal monger--a professional purveyor of slander--fit instrument to accomplish the purification of Jackson County by attempted assassination of character. GEORGE PUTNAM.
Medford Mail Tribune, October 23, 1912, page 4
Another of Medford's dauntless sons is George Putnam. Mr. Putnam has established a metropolitan paper that is a credit to the town. When George was young he went to Ireland, where he kissed the Blarney Stone, first indulging freely in Tabasco sauce, hence the pungent quality of his editorials. Minnie (Mrs. Harry C.) Stoddard, "Medford's Hall of Fame," Medford Mail Tribune, December 18, 1912, page 4 LOST--Postcard size 3-A camera. Reward for return to Mail Tribune office. G. Putnam. "Local and Personal," Medford Mail Tribune, October 6, 1915, page 2 Editor Putnam of the Medford Mail Tribune has severed his connection with that publication after a service of about eleven years. Mr. Putnam was a ready writer who was not afraid to speak his mind on any subject. His editorials were widely read and given more attention by the readers than those of any other paper in the valley. Robert Ruhl will succeed Mr. Putnam as editor of the Tribune, and we hope that he will give us as good a paper as Mr. Putnam did. In this connection, the writer desires to publicly express his appreciation of the many courtesies extended to the Post by Mr. Putnam during the past ten years. "Local News," Jacksonville Post, April 5, 1919, page 3 G. PUTNAM BUYS SALEM JOURNAL
SALEM, Sept. 8.--(Special to Mail Tribune). George Putnam, formerly editor of the Medford Mail Tribune, today purchased the Capital Journal from Chas. H. Fisher, who has been editor and publisher for the past five years. The Capital Journal has
the largest circulation and business of any Oregon newspaper outside of
Portland. Mr. Putnam, who has been in Salem for several days, formally
took charge of the paper today.
Medford Mail Tribune, September 8, 1919, page 4 George Putnam, formerly editor of the Mail Tribune, has purchased the control of the Salem Capital Journal. "Local News," Jacksonville Post, September 13, 1919, page 3 EX-MEDFORD EDITOR BUYS A MOTOR BOAT
With the beautiful Willamette River available, there is practically no
use made of the stream for pleasure purposes above the locks at Oregon
City. George Putnam, Salem editor and champion fisherman, has been to
Portland to buy a speed boat to be used on the upper Willamette. This
is the first unit of what may eventually be the Salem flotilla. In
casting about for a name for the craft, the editor decided on
"Mariane." There is a Marion Sunday school, Bible class or ministerial
association in Salem which has been passing resolutions criticizing the
attitude of Mr. Putnam's paper on the prohibition question, so the
newspaper man decided to call his boat "Mariane," in honor of his
critics, "because," explained George with a grin, as he rolled his
cigar from the starboard to port corner of his mouth, "because the
Mariane lives and gets its support from water." Mr. Putnam says he
cannot understand why the Willamette is not more popular, and declares
that in the East, where there are rivers not nearly so pleasant, the
streams are alive with pleasure craft of all sorts. He intends using
the "Mariane" chiefly for fishing expeditions up the Santiam and
elsewhere.--Portland Oregonian.
Medford Mail Tribune, July 27, 1921, page 3
TOMLIN PURCHASES BOWNE HOME
John R. Tomlin, owner of the Tomlin box factory, has purchased the
Walter Bowne residence on the Old Stage Road for a consideration said
to involve approximately $25,000. The sale involved the trading in of
Mr. Tomlin's residence on Siskiyou Heights, which Mr. Bowne and family
are now occupying. The Bowne residence s one of the most attractive
places in the valley, the property including several acres of alfalfa
land under irrigation. The Tomlin residence now owned by Mr. Bowne was
built and occupied by George Putnam, former editor of the Mail Tribune, now editor and publisher of the Salem Capital Journal.Medford Mail Tribune, September 14, 1927, page 5 GEORGE PUTNAM'S MOTHER DIES AT A RIPE OLD AGE
SALEM, Ore., May 14.--(AP)--Mrs. Mary M. Putnam, mother of George Putnam, publisher of the Capital-Journal, and
Arthur Putnam, the California sculptor, died at the family residence in
this city this morning, aged 85. She was born at Charleston, Vermont,
was married at St. Johnsbury in 1870 to Oramel H. Putnam, a Civil War
veteran, going to New Orleans, where her children were born.
After her husband's death in San Francisco in 1880 she resided in Omaha, Nebraska, returning to California in 1892, residing in San Diego and San Francisco. For the past 25 years she has been a resident of Medford and Salem, Oregon. Besides her two sons, she is survived by a daughter, Elizabeth Putnam of Salem, and two grandchildren: Mrs. M. E. V. Howe of New Orleans, and George Storey Putnam of Oakland, Cal. The funeral will be held Thursday. ----
For over ten years Mrs. Putnam made her home in Medford with her two
children George and Elizabeth, the former being the editor of the Mail Tribune. Mrs.
Putnam's death will be mourned by a host of friends in Medford and
Southern Oregon, particularly among the older residents, who recognized
her as the finest example of that fast-disappearing type, the pioneer
mother.Left a widow ten years after her marriage with three young children, she attacked the problem with the most gallant courage, and by hard work and uncomplaining sacrifice gave her family the best education available, and as a result her eldest son George was at an early age able to assume the double role of helpful son and family provider; her next son, Arthur, became one of the most distinguished animal sculptors in the country, while the daughter, Elizabeth, while in Medford took a leading part in all the progressive activities of the community and the state. Medford Mail Tribune, May 14, 1930, page 2 EDITOR GEO. PUTNAM RETURNS FROM HILLS
George Putnam, editor of the Salem Capital-Journal, and former editor and publisher of the Mail Tribune, was
a visitor in Medford today after spending a week in the hills near
Prospect with Justice Belt of the state supreme court and John S. Orth
of this city. A skillful steelhead fisherman, George didn't tackle
Rogue River this trip, but spent his time casting a fly for small brook
trout. He expects to return later when the steelhead fishing is in full
swing. He leaves tonight by train for Salem.
Medford Mail Tribune, June 25, 1930, page 2
PUTNAM RETURNS TO ENJOY FISHING
George Putnam, editor of the Capital Journal,
Salem, and one of Oregon's foremost newspapermen, arrived in Medford,
his former home city, this morning for a fishing trip with his old pal,
Colonel E. E. Kelly. The two sportsmen left for the upper reaches of
the Rogue and are expected back this afternoon with a steelhead to fry.They will return to Kelly Island this evening, accompanied by John Orth. Mr. Putnam plans to spend the weekend here. He is remembered in Southern Oregon as former editor of the Mail Tribune and equally well known today for his editorials in the Capital Journal, which are frequently copied by the local press. Medford Mail Tribune, August 26, 1932, page 5 Editor Putnam Dies in Fire
SALEM, Ore., Aug. 18--(UPI)--The body of George Putnam, 88-year-old editor emeritus of the Salem Capital Journal and
onetime editor of the old Scripps-MacRae Press Association, was found
early today in the burning ruins of his home on fashionable Fairmont
Hill here.
Firemen said Putnam apparently died of smoke poisoning in the blaze. His sister, Elizabeth Putnam, about 85, escaped the flames. Putnam at one time was personal secretary to E. W. Scripps, and published Scripps' papers before World War I. The career of the Oregon editor and publisher began in California in the late 1800s with the San Diego Tribune. In Medford, where he established the Medford Mail Tribune in 1910, a crusade for freedom of the press landed him in jail. [Putnam merged his Medford Tribune with the Mail in 1909.] The case went to the Oregon Supreme Court and he was upheld. Next came a successful attack on the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s when the KKK made a bid for political control of Oregon. Later, in Salem, he put editorial pressure on labor "goons" following burning of a Salem box factory. Oakland Tribune, August 18, 1961, page 28 Last revised August 15, 2023 |
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