Thurston, whose parents lived at Chicopee. Visiting there during of Congress, Thurston came in touch with young Asahel Bush, a law student who was making his way by editing the Standard at Westfield, 13 miles from Chicopee. Bush had learned the printing trade as a lad of 15, and now at 26 he had a pretty fair journalistic background. He was, Mr. Thurston was convinced, "a gentleman of high integrity and of the first order of ability. He is competent," according to Thurston in his diary, "to carry out with great success the object he has in view. . ." Bush's long career in Oregon, by common consent, amply justified the delegate's early estimate. Thurston, incidentally, was not without journalistic knowledge and experience, having edited a paper in "the states" before going out to Oregon.[1] Thurston's diary for June 22, 1850, said:
This day I wrote letters of introduction to Bush, letters to Blain, etc. . .
On the fly leaf of the diary was written:
If I buy the office at Chicopee I will want to buy the same heading, Oregon Statesman, fifty pounds of ink, hundred pounds glue, roller mould, 30 bundles paper, and ten reams common writing paper, 1.50 cts. per ream.
At a conference in Washington Thurston persuaded Bush to sever his relations with the Westfield Standard and go west to Oregon City to be the editor of the new paper. Prior to the appearance of the Statesman the situation had been a little involved so far as ownership of the paper and responsibility for it were concerned.[2]
But Bush arrived in Oregon City September 30, 1850, with pretty definite ideas as to who was to be the real voice and power of the Statesman. His correspondence with Thurston is not exactly filled with encomiums for his supposed coadjutors. Of Blain he said:[3]
My dear Thurston: Blain told Caufield and one other friend that you owned the Statesman press. Caufield has since told Buck, who is also strongly opposed to you, and to one or two others. . . As soon as I heard of it, I went to see Buck (of the council) and endeavored to keep the matter from traveling any further, as it would cause the paper to be prejudiced and injure both the paper and yourself. . .
Bush went on in the same letter (which, of course, never reached Thurston, whose death occurred on board a westbound ship off Acapulco, Mexico, April 9, 1851) to refer to Russell's being on hand ready to take part in publishing the Statesman, and makes clear
