Denver Labor Bulletin Archive

Established in 1905, the United Labor Bulletin was the official publication of the United Label League, No.1, and "the only official organ endorsed and owned by organized labor in Denver." The newspaper was not listed in N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory until 1914, under the editorship of James A. Conkle, who appears to have taken the position as early as 1910. In July 1913, Conkle sold the Bulletin to the United Labor Bulletin Printing and Publishing Company, a corporation founded by Clint C. Houston, F.R. Bishop, and Fred Wessel.

Clint Houston acted as editor under the new direction of the paper. Houston was once a member of the Georgia legislature, organized the American Federation of Labor, and served as president of the Trades and Labor Assembly. He also wrote for the Colorado Industrial Review, was a syndicate writer for the International Labor News Service, and was a temperance supporter and advocate. In 1914, former state senator Harvey E. Garman purchased an interest in the United Labor Bulletin and became the paper's general manager, as well as an editor. Under Garman's management, the Morgan County Republican reported, "The United Labor Bulletin... is about the only labor paper in the west that is edited properly and is readable. Garman has sidetracked the socialistic features and gives the labor news in good form while his 'GM' [General Manager] column is well written."

The paper was renamed the Denver Labor Bulletin in February 1915, "for the purpose of giving the West's leading labor paper a more distinctive and local character." Houston and Edward J. Hines assumed full ownership, control, and management of the paper in December 1915, buying out Garman's interest upon his retirement from the Bulletin.

Houston published a 120-page edition of the Bulletin in September 1917, consisting of fifteen sections of eight pages each. The special publication gave "particular mention to every union in the state of Colorado and also covered the industrial world generally. It was a fine piece of printing and Editor Houston deserves much praise" (Missouri Trades Unionist reprinted in the Denver Labor Bulletin, September 1, 1917). Houston continued editing the Bulletin until 1923, leaving the paper with a subscription list of 11,450 when Hines took over. Hines established the Hines Frey Press in 1925, under which the paper continued publication. It is not known when the Denver Labor Bulletin ceased publication.