which Mr. Snowden had to contend was a strike, the result of which was the establishing of a rival sheet. For many months the strike and the rivalry continued, and when at last the Ledger won out, the owner had all the newspaper ardor taken out of him.
The Ledger, in July, 1889, passed to C. M. Shultz, a newspaper man who had been identified with publications at St. Joseph, St. Paul and Chicago. In the morning field it was without a competitor, but it was feeling the presence of the Evening News, which had been acquired by S. A. Perkins. Mr. Perkins had been without newspaper training, but was a shrewd business man. He built the News into an influential and profitable concern, and in the end
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S. A. PERKINS,
Proprietor and Manager, The Tacoma Ledger.
secured an interest in the Ledger. This was the beginning of his complete
domination of the morning paper. Today he owns it absolutely, retaining the
News as well, and having added to his
holdings the Everett Daily Herald and
the Olympia Daily Recorder. He is
also proprietor of the Tacoma Engraving Company, which does all the art work for these several publications, as
well as a general business of magnitude. In a certain sense the Ledger is a one-man paper, for the personality of
the proprietor permeates every department, and Mr. Perkins has shown a desire to hire competent assistants. While these do the actual work, they do it with the knowledge that their duty is to carry out the ideas of the head of the concern, and this
they are content to do.
There was a period during which the Ledger
was not deemed valuable, when it had no
especial standing, when
its news facilities were
meagre and its editorial
without force. This was
because, under some of
its ownerships, it had
been used to forward
individual interests. It
was not for the advancement of the community, and politically
it was without weight.
Mr. Perkins saw the
opportunity, and took
it. Three years ago,
when he came into complete control of the
Ledger, he was taking
what others deemed a
precarious chance. The
outcome has been his
vindication. Perhaps it
has been in part through
the editorial department that the paper has
acquired a standing that
is unquestioned. It is
frank and fearless, and
when it makes a mistake is not above acknowledging the fact.
