The Waukesha Freeman, October 23, 1860
Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA
The San Francisco correspondent of
the New York Times writes of the
compositors
in a newspaper office in that city.
In little offices where they employ but fourteen men, I paused the other day, while the foreman, himself an ex-publisher of a fine family of dailies, pointed out his famous men.
"That stout man was a Lieutenant in Stevenson's regiment. He was a printer of a paper in this town before the gold discovery was made and used to go fishing with Gen. Vallejo.
"That one owns a fine rancho on the Sacramento river, on which there is this year a moble crop of squatters. He was formerly a partner on one of our papers here, for which Broderick offered $60,000. He is fabulously old, but he made twenty-six hour work and wages, not long since, in twenty four consecutive hours.
"There is one who was partner in the State printing when for setting Spanish copy the Legislature allowed double price; and never discovered tha tth eState printers took double wages for Spanish press-work also.
"The next man is the worthy brother of a member of Congress from close by New York City, who has made a good deal of noise during the last four years. He was formerly engaged in publishing a daily that still lives here.
"The next is a doctor, and was a partner on tho Chronicle when it was worth §75,000.
"The next is a judge from one of the Western States. He has a shingle up and does some law, but likes type setting better, and suits his fancy either, as either business presses most and pays best.
"And so they go. I expect you to reach this conclusion: that with such men to set type, and forty-two papers to be suported, and no news to put in them, ours must be a reading people, from long and irrepressible habit."
