The Capital Times

1917 William T. Evjue quits the WSJ and starts The Capital Times because he still supports Robert La Follette.

The first edition of The Capital Times rolled off the press on Dec. 13, 1917, and the paper has been an integral part of Madison history ever since.

A young newspaperman named William T. Evjue only a few months before had quit his job at the Wisconsin State Journal to protest that newspaper's villification of Sen. Robert M. "Fighting Bob" La Follette for opposing U.S. entry into World War I. The outspoken La Follette had irritated many business and governmental leaders over his opposition to sending U.S. troops to a war where we had no interest.

Evjue raised about $30,000 by selling shares at $1 each to Dane County farmers, small-business people and laborers in Madison's industrial district to get the paper started. In less than 10 years, the new paper was read in more homes than any other in the city. Evjue's motto was "Give the people the truth, the freedom to discuss it and all will go well." He was a staunch promoter of La Follette's progressive causes and eventually played a big role in the downfall of infamous Sen. Joseph McCarthy.