An unofficial part of «Tomsk Provincial Sheets» during the editorship of Ye.V. Korsh (1882-1883): an abortive flight

Development of private press in Siberialed Tomsk Provincial Sheets, as well as other official newspapers, to loose its monopoly and influence. Private newspapers in Siberia,as well as in Russia, acquired a character of parallel official authorities of public force, presenting and directing national interestsin accordance with their own world-view and political goals. In these conditions, governor of Tomsk region V.I. Mercalov invited acriminal (not political) exiled lawyer Ye.V. Korsh as an editor of the unofficial part of Tomsk Provincial Sheets. He worked as aneditor in 1882-83 and changed the form and the content of the newspaper, involved to work correspondents from all over Siberia, increasedthe number of readers, intensified the value of newspaper as a local governmental body. The unofficial part continued to publishmaterials typical for Tomsk Provincial Sheets - official reports, ethnographic articles, statistical information and other urgent problemsfor Siberia - opening of new educational institutions, charities activity, construction of the Siberian university, questions on workingday and banishment, judicial reform, economic position of Siberia. New subjects and columns appeared - the activity of TomskMunicipal Duma, resettlement in Siberia and in the Far East, internal position of China and Russian-Chinese relations, theatrical critiques,current events from Tomsk people and Siberian cities, telegrams of the North Telegraph News Agency. Issues gained a new constantstructure; its materials were equally shared between Siberia and European Russia to make the newspaper of a universal type. Materialswere distributed among separate columns, divided on articles and short messages. Аn average issue contained 35-40 articles ondifferent topics. Comments and letters from readers became a cause of debates on pages of the unofficial part of newspaper. Thereby,the updated unofficial part of Tomsk Provincial Sheets occupied a certain sector in the Siberian press. The evaluation ofYe.V. Korshs activity given by N.M. Yadrintsev, editor and publisher of East Review, as a miserable attempt to compete with privatenewspapers is not true. The irreconcilable position of East Review to Korsh as a criminal exile at the head of a Siberian newspaperled to the end of issuing of the unofficial part of Tomsk Provincial Sheets as a separate edition.

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