Ripsaw (newspaper)
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''Ripsaw'' (sometimes called ''Rip-Saw'', ''RipSaw'' or ''The Duluth Rip-Saw'') was a
Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...
,
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
newspaper published from 1917 to 1926 and relaunched from 1999 to 2005. The paper was a scandal sheet during the first years of publication, with a reputation for
muckraking The muckrakers were reform-minded journalists, writers, and photographers in the Progressive Era in the United States (1890s–1920s) who claimed to expose corruption and wrongdoing in established institutions, often through sensationalist publ ...
,
sensationalism In journalism and mass media, sensationalism is a type of editorial tactic. Events and topics in news stories are selected and worded to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers. This style of news reporting encourages biased or emoti ...
and criminal
libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
. The revival was similar in tone, though the publishers changed.


The Great Family Journal

The original Duluth ''Ripsaw'' was founded by John L. Morrison, a fundamentalist Christian who abhorred alcohol, gambling and prostitution. The paper debuted on March 24, 1917. Issues were published every other Saturday, with copies sold at newsstands for five cents. The newspaper's offices were originally in downtown Duluth's Fargusson Building, and later moved to the Phoenix Building. Morrison produced the ''Ripsaw'' almost entirely by himself. Three known helpers were stenographer Alice B. Bartlett, a cartoonist who signed his work "Webster," and Isadore Cohen, a pre-teenaged newsboy who hawked papers in front of the old St. Louis County State Bank. Other writers were also periodically featured, but the vast majority of the work was always done by Morrison, who called himself the "head sawyer" of the "Great Family Journal." The ''Ripsaw'' began shortly after St. Louis County outlawed the sale of alcohol. When Superior,
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
, followed a few months later with its own voter-instituted prohibition, the
Twin Ports The Duluth MN–WI Metropolitan Area, commonly called the Twin Ports, is a small metropolitan area centered around the cities of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. The Twin Ports are located at the western part of Lake Superior (the we ...
were nominally dry, but alcohol was available at bootleg outlets and in townships nearby. Local politicians and police did little to enforce the prohibition, and Morrison ridiculed them for it in the ''Ripsaw''. He also editorialized in favor of streetcars, public toilets and higher pay for policemen. During the ''Ripsaw'''s first year, Duluth Chief of Police Robert McKercher and City Auditor "King" Odin Halden were both ousted from their positions after being labeled crooked in the ''Ripsaw''. Microfilm copies of the ''Ripsaw'' are located in the Duluth Public Library and in the Library of the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul, for researchers interested in reading specific articles from the paper.


Morrison's demise

The ''Ripsaws decline began with the October 25, 1924 issue. Morrison accused
State Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...
Mike Boylan of threatening him with mayhem and death, Cass County Probate Judge Bert Jamison of having acquired
syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...
at a brothel and Victor L. Power, a former mayor of Hibbing, of corrupt legal practices and a weakness for women and whiskey. All three retaliated. Morrison was arrested by a sheriff from
Walker, Minnesota Walker is a city in Cass County, Minnesota, Cass County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 966 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Cass County. Walker is part of the Brainerd, Minnesota, Brainerd B ...
(the county seat of Cass County) on charges of criminal
libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
brought by Jamison. Morrison was sentenced to 90 days in the Cass County jail, but raised bail and returned to Duluth pending appeal. While Morrison was held in Cass County, Power instigated criminal and civil libel actions, claiming the October 25 ''Ripsaw'' article was written for the sole purpose of injuring him politically. The Duluth police held a warrant for Morrison's arrest pending his release from the Cass County jail. A jury in
Hibbing, Minnesota Hibbing is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range an ...
, found him guilty, and he was sentenced to 90 days in the county workhouse. He immediately appealed. Later, Morrison was ordered to make a public apology to Power. The charges against him were dropped and his sentence rescinded. Later that month, Morrison pleaded guilty to the charges of criminal libel brought by Jamison. The most powerful blow to the "Great Family Journal" came in the summer of 1925. Senator Boylan, who, according to the Oct. 25, 1924 ''Ripsaw'', had threatened to kill Morrison, was trying to have the paper shut down. He worked with Rep. George Lommen to draft several bills allowing suppression of scandalous newspapers. Sen. Freyling Stevens, a powerful lawyer, introduced the senate version of what would become known as the "Minnesota gag law," for which he is credited with authorship. The Public Nuisance Bill of 1925 was approved by the Minnesota Senate and
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
. It allowed a single judge, without jury, to stop a newspaper or magazine from publishing, forever.
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Theodore Christianson signed the Public Nuisance Law, but Morrison was unaware of this change. On April 6, 1926, the ''Ripsaw'' attacked Minneapolis Mayor George Emerson Leach: "Minnesotans do not want loose-love governor." In the next issue, Duluth Commissioner of Public Utilities W. Harlow Tischer was the target: "Tischer and his gang fail to establish graft plan." Morrison was served with a warrant for his arrest based on a complaint from Leach under an obscene-literature ordinance recently rushed through the
Minneapolis City Council The Minneapolis City Council is the Legislature, legislative branch of the city of Minneapolis in Minnesota, United States. Comprising 13 members, the council holds the authority to create and modify laws, policies, and ordinances that govern the ...
. The next day, a temporary restraining order was placed on the ''Ripsaw'' by State District Judge H. J. Grannis of Duluth. Tischer claimed that the charges of graft were untrue and he demanded that the ''Ripsaw'' be stopped. The Finnish Publishing Company, which printed the ''Ripsaw'', was also named in the injunction, and news dealers and newsboys were barred from distributing the paper. Morrison's trial was set for May 15, 1926. Morrison did not appear in court, as he had fallen ill. On May 18, 1926, Morrison was rushed to St. Francis Hospital in Superior at around 1 a.m. Nine hours later, he was pronounced dead. The cause was reported in the '' Duluth Herald'' to be an
embolism An embolism is the lodging of an embolus, a blockage-causing piece of material, inside a blood vessel. The embolus may be a blood clot (thrombus), a fat globule (fat embolism), a bubble of air or other gas (air embolism, gas embolism), amniotic ...
, a blood clot on the brain. The Herald reported that Morrison "had been ill for 10 days, suffering from
pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (Pulmonary pleurae, pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant d ...
following an attack of
influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...
, a general breakdown and attacks of syncope." Tischer continued to insist the injunction against the ''Ripsaw'' be maintained, even after Morrison's death. Judge E. J. Kenney, however, allowed a continuation of the ''Ripsaw'' "without the articles objected to by Commissioner Tischer." On June 1, 1931, the "gag law" was found to be unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, in what is considered to be the first and most important
freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic Media (communication), media, especially publication, published materials, shoul ...
decision in U.S. history.


Rebirth

The ''Ripsaw'' returned in January 1999. Brad Nelson and Cord R. Dada published a monthly scandal sheet similar to Morrison's original ''Ripsaw''. Its first lead story, "Dotygate," accused Duluth Mayor Gary Doty and his administration of various crimes associated with the demolition of buildings on East First Street to make way for construction of the Duluth Technology Village. The ''Ripsaw'' became a weekly publication on April 5, 2000. Paul Lundgren was hired as managing editor and the paper was transformed into an alternative news, arts and entertainment source. One year later, it was accepted into the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. While Morrison's original ''Ripsaw'' fought for temperance, the new ''Ripsaw'' reveled in the exploits of Slim Goodbuzz, who wrote a "Barfly on the Wall" column. The comic strip "Violet Days," by Chris Monroe, which is now featured in the '' Minneapolis Star Tribune'' and '' Duluth News Tribune'', first appeared in the ''Ripsaw'' reincarnation. Co-publisher Cord R. Dada sold the majority of his ownership in the paper to Brad Nelson's brother Tim Nelson in April 2001, relieving himself of all duties at the ''Ripsaw'' and leaving Brad Nelson as the majority owner and sole publisher of the paper. Within a few months, Lundgren was dismissed and Nelson became editor/publisher. The last weekly issue was published on Dec. 31, 2003. Three months later, the ''Ripsaw'' returned to monthly status, this time as a full-color magazine edited by Tony Dierckins. It lasted 10 issues before reverting to newsprint for its final three issues, which were published every other month, ending in September 2005.


Spinoffs

Barrett Chase and Scott Lunt founded the website ''Perfect Duluth Day'' in 2003. Chase was a cartoonist and copy editor for the ''Ripsaw'', and Lunt helped deliver the paper. Former ''Ripsaw'' Managing Editor Paul Lundgren became a part-owner of ''Perfect Duluth Day'' in 2009, as did freelance illustrator Brian Barber. The ''Ripsaws former "Web Jërk" and Assistant Art Director Adam Guggemos went on to found Duluth's weekly ''Transistor'' in 2004, which featured columns and comic strips by former ''Ripsaw'' contributors.


See also

* Defunct newspapers of Minnesota * List of newspapers in Minnesota


References

*"AAN's smallest paper publishes in rock 'n' roll time," by Whitney Joiner. Oct. 30, 2003 ''AAN News''. *"Boylan threatens murder." Oct. 25, 1924 Ripsaw. *Friendly, Fred W. "Minnesota Rag: The Dramatic Story of the Landmark Supreme Court Case That Gave New Meaning to Freedom of the Press," May 1981. Random House (). Reprinted May 2003.
University of Minnesota Press The University of Minnesota Press is a university press that is part of the University of Minnesota. It had annual revenues of just over $8 million in fiscal year 2018. Founded in 1925, the University of Minnesota Press is best known for its book ...
() *"The Great Family Journal grows like a Green Bay tree." Feb. 21, 1920 ''Ripsaw''. *"Presenting John Morrison's Duluth," by John Ramos. Spring 2005 ''Cheerleader''. *"Ripsaw magazine suspends publication," by Peter Passi. Feb. 4, 2005 ''Duluth News Tribune''. *"Ripsaw News makes cuts," by V. Paul Virtucio. Dec. 31, 2003 ''Duluth News Tribune''. *"The Ripsaw's Phenomenal Record," Oct. 4, 1919 ''Ripsaw''. *"Ripsaw returns next week," April 22, 2005 ''Duluth News Tribune''. *"Ripsaw to suspend publication and retool as a monthly," by Don Jacobson. Dec. 19, 2003 ''Business North''. *"Ripsaw turns 85," by Paul Lundgren. March 13, 2002 ''Ripsaw''. *"R.I.P. Ripsaw," by Julia Durst. Jan. 26, 2006 MNArtists.org. *"Tabloid attacks draw fire from city officials," by Jason Skog. Feb. 14, 1999 ''Duluth News Tribune''.


External links

{{Official website, https://theripsaw.net Newspapers established in 1917 Publications disestablished in 1926 Newspapers established in 1999 Newspapers disestablished in 2005 Defunct newspapers published in Minnesota Mass media in Duluth, Minnesota Re-established companies 1917 establishments in Minnesota 1926 disestablishments in Minnesota 1999 establishments in Minnesota 2005 disestablishments in Minnesota 2001 mergers and acquisitions