USA > Iowa > Linn County > History of Linn County Iowa : from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume I > Part 17
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Mr. Hollis also tells us how newspapers were made in that awful period of the nation's history :
"We were not sensationalists in those days. The events that we had to ehroniele needed no trickery of headlines or large type to command attention. Here are the lists of dead and wounded in an lowa regiment at the battle of Winchester," and the old editor opened a file of the Times for 1864-65. "Do you think it needed a flaming poster effect to secure reading of that column, There are the names of friends and neighbors. To some of the readers of that paper those names represented their dearest ones. Those who had brothers or fathers, or sons or sweethearts in that regiment read over the battle lists with a fearful anxiety. We were giving weekly chronicle of facts - they have not yet been arranged into the order of definite history. When we wrote editorials it was not pretended that we understood all there was to the struggle. Only when and where we caught the partial views or grasped the immediate meaning of some development we gave our opinions. These may have been prejudiced by our personal sentiments or our political affiliations, but I believe, as a rule, the edi- torial utterances of those years were from the souls of the writers and had the ring of sincerity. And, with but few exceptions, the newspapers of Iowa were loyal. They directed or seconded loyal sentiment on all occasions. Few of the editors of those weeklies gained wealth or distinction, but they deserve to be remembered for a splendid work. They, too, are among 'the forgotten worth- ies.' It cost money to run even a weekly paper during the war years. When I began as publisher of the Times print paper cost $6 a bundle; before the war was over I was paying $16 for the same quality and amount. And wages ran up and up, as printers were more difficult to seeure; until I was paying double what I had first found necessary."
At the close of the war the newspapers of the county began to turn their atten- tion to other evils. A wave of temperance sentiment swept the county. and some of the editors were foremost among the fighters. The county was aroused by the great amount of crime. Much of it emanated from Cedar Rapids. "Can we expect," asked one writer in Cedar Rapids, "peace and quiet in a place of 3,000
ALEXANDER LAURANCE Long Prominent in Cedar Rapids
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inhabitants which supports not fewer than nineteen liquor establishments and several houses of ill fame and does not support a single reading room nor a publie library ?"
Then, as now, the newspapers were the best "boosters" of their respective communities. They were the first to point ont the advantages in each community and to suggest ways in which natural advantages might lead to commercial growth and eivic prosperity. Thus a writer in a Cedar Rapids paper, after enumerating and commending the progress made by the town since its organization, dwelt upon the value of the water power, pointed out how the woolen mills then in oper- ation might be made more effective. There was an abundance of timber around Cedar Rapids at that time and he advocated the establishment of saw mills in the city. He saw no reason why staves should be brought all the way from Michigan to Cedar Rapids, when they might as well be manufactured here at home. He advocated that a packing house be established in this city, instead of shipping the hogs from Cedar Rapids to Chicago and then shipping the meat back. "This is only one item that would keep thousands of dollars in our town that now go out, " he argued. He wanted a hub and a spoke factory, a fanning mill fae- tory, and as for a "paper mill there is no better point in the state."
Ifistory moves in ever repeating eyeles and some of the things for which this old editor fought are still needed today in Cedar Rapids and in other towns of Linn county. But each cycle is better than the last. Proof of this is seen in the dispute which was waged over freight rates less than a decade after the Chicago, fowa & Nebraska Railway had been built into this city. The grain rates from Cedar Rapids to Chieago were thirty cents a hundred pounds and the noise of protest which was made then was quite similar to the noise which is sometimes
THE NEWSPAPER GRAVEYARD
The newspaper graveyard was established very early in the history of the county and it is still claiming its victims. Among its early victims was the Cedar Rapids Democrat. It was issued by W. W. Perkins & Co. Somehow or other, democracy never flourished greatly in the Linn county newspaper field, and the early democratie editors had not learned the art of switching to a "pro- gressive" side. So their papers died. The Democrat lived a year and a half. It deserved a better fate, for it was well edited and printed.
In 1853 a monthly agricultural paper ealled the Cedar Valley Farmer was com- meneed by James L. Enos. It lived through the first volume, but a grave was opened for it before it had reached the tender age of two years.
The Voice of Iowa was commenced in January, 1857, under the auspices of the Iowa Teachers and Phonetie associations, James L. Enos editor-in-chief, assisted by a board of corresponding editors. It was continued through two volumes and was then merged with another journal.
In the autumn of 1864 A. G. Lucas & Co. commenced the publication of the Cedar Rapids Atlas. In January, 1865, it was changed to a weekly. Then it was enlarged. Its place in the newspaper graveyard was prepared a few weeks later. The editor and publisher had gone to study the geography of other fields, but he did not take his debts with him. The office was sold to satisfy them. This so weakened the shoulders of the Atlas that it was not strong enough to hold up.
The Western World was born into a cold and unresponsive world, and soon it joined the ranks of the dear departed.
Then came the Linn County Signal which its anthors hoped would be a signal snecess. But its signals became tangled and it failed to kiek over the goal of success. It kieked the bucket instead. T. G. Newman, the father of A. H. New- man of the Cedar Rapids Candy Company, purchased the remains. From them
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he made the office of the Daily Observer, with J. L. Enos as editor. From the Observer came the Cedar Rapids Republican. This was in 1870. In 1902 there was re-born the Cedar Rapids Times. The father Republican and the strong and Insty son Times are both in the full vigor of their powers, and this evolution of the two powerful dailies from the amcha-like weakly Signal is the most conspienous example of newspaper evolution and the survival of the fittest on record.
The present Cedar Rapids Times is not to be confounded with the Cedar Rapids Weekly Times which had such a long and prosperons growth under the manage- ment of Editor Hollis, and later of the good Doctor MeClelland. The Weekly Times lived until the death of Doctor MeClelland, and it was a power for good. Then came two gentlemen from Milwaukee who converted it into a daily. They had a great run as long as their cash and their credit held out. And they were good newspaper men, too. But they drew nearer and nearer the gateway to the great and yawning newspaper graveyard. There were many mourners in Cedar Rapids when the Times was buried. It had been purified before its death by its conspienons work in a great tent revival condneted by an evangelist, M. B. Wil- liams. This revival the other dailies refused even to mention. The Times had a great deal of broadeloth endorsement. But the eulogies proved to be its pre- mature obituaries. Cash eame slowly. Advertising was eoy. With the fall of the leaves came the death of the Times. The Gazette bought up the household furnishings, the subseription lists and the good will. But the Times was buried, and the ghost of competition which had haunted the Gazette office was laid until the owners of the present Evening Times resurrected the name amid a riot of red ink during the strennous municipal campaign of 1902.
STANDARD HAD A LONG LIFE
The Cedar Rapids Standard, like the Cedar Valley Times, had a long life. It was first established in Marion in 1868, as the Linn County Signal, by F. II. Wil- liams. The following year it was removed to Cedar Rapids, and Thomas G. New- man became the owner. In 1872 the name was changed to the Linn County Liberal, and the office was moved back to Marion. In 1873 James T. Simpkins beeame editor. The following year the plant made a final trip to Cedar Rapids and was changed to the Standard. For a long time it flourished, having a number of owners and editors. Among them were Thomas G. Newman. C. E. Ileath, A. II. Newman, D. H. Ogden, H. A. Cook, Frank L. Millar, and in June. 1880, Charles H. Playter, of the Des Moines Daily Leader, came to town and bought a half inter- est of Mr. Millar. The firm name became Millar & Playter. This partnership eontinned until the fall of 1885. when Mr. Playter bought out his partner and became the sole owner. In the fall of 1886 Mr. Playter sold the Standard to S. B. Ayers, who conducted it through the triumphal period of Iowa democracy. when Horace Boies sat in the gubernatorial chair. It was a strong democratic paper and had a large patronage in Linn county at that time. Later L. S. Saner became the editor. But the hard times came. Rightly or wrongly they were blamed on the democratie party. Republicanism triumphed; MeKinley was elected. The Standard of the democratic party was trailed in the dust. It. soon died and took its place in the Cedar Rapids journalistie graveyard.
The Marion Pilot was established in 1871 at Mt. Vernon, as the Linn County Pilot. and C. W. Kepler was editor In 1874 the office was removed to Marion and the paper was owned by Beatty & Whittits. It eontinned under this manage- ment for several years and was one of the strong republican papers of the county. In 1884 it was purchased by the Rev. J. W. Chaffee and its name was changed to the Marion Pilot. He built up a good paper, putting it in the front rank of the weekly papers of the state. But with his passing from the editorial chair and the rapid rise of the daily press in Cedar Rapids and its rival county seat
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newspapers its power and prestige waned. In 1906 it yielded up the ghost and was assigned to an honored place among those that have passed on.
The Good Ones Which Remain
THE DAILY REPUBLICAN AND THE EVENING TIMES
As narrated above, the Daily Republican is the outgrowth of the daily Observer. In 1872 the Observer was transferred to the Republican Printing Company, and the name, which at first was the Cedar Rapids Republican, was changed to the Daily Republican, the present name of the paper.
A daily and weekly issue was published and the paper grew rapidly. For a time it was edited by William B. Leach. In 1877 it passed into the hands of the Republican Printing Company, who put in a great amount of capital and en- larged the office. There were many editors during this period. In Mareh, 1881, the office was leased to J. R. Sage and D. G. Goodrich, with an option of sale within a year. During this period the paper was changed from an evening to a morning issue and an Associated Press franchise was seeured, giving the paper full news serviee.
Before the lease had expired Messrs. Sage and Goodrich had exercised their right to purchase the plant. On March 1, 1882, it was transferred to J. R. Sage, Johnson Brigham, Fred Benzinger, and H. P. Keyes. This quartette reorgan- ized the old Republican Printing Company, with J. R. Sage as president. Nearly two years later Mr. Sage transferred his interest to Mr. Brigham, and later on Messrs. Keyes and Benzinger transferred their interest to L. S. Merchant. Messrs. Brigham and Merchant condueted the paper, Mr. Merehant as business manager and Mr. Brigham as editor, until 1892, when Mr. Brigham sold his interest and went to Des Moines to start the first Iowa literary magazine, the Midland. Monthly. Mr. Sage had previously gone to Des Moines to become the director of the Iowa weather and erop service.
Mr. Brigham's interest was purchased by Luther A. Brewer, who had been assistant business manager, W. R. Boyd, who had done some editorial work for the paper while living at home in Cedar county, and by L. S Merchant. The paper was at the beginning of what seemed to be an uninterrupted period of ownership and prosperity when death suddenly elaimed Mr. Merchant in 1894. Mrs. Merchant retained her husband's interest and the paper went on as before and waged a fight against free silver in the campaign of 1896 which made it nationally prominent. Mr. Brewer in the meantime had built up a very large job printing and book binding department.
In 1898 the entire plant was sold to H. G. MeMillan, of Roek Rapids, at that time United States distriet attorney, and Cyrenus Cole, who had for many years been associate editor of the Iowa State Regisler. Mr. Boyd beeame postmaster at Cedar Rapids, but Mr. Brewer remained with the paper as its business manager for some time. An evening edition. the Evening Times, was started in 1902. and made a rapid growth. It now has the largest cireulation of any daily paper in Cedar Rapids.
In 1907 Mr. Brewer left the business and opened up a big book-making plant of his own known as The Toreh Press. In July of the same year however, The Torch Press bought out the interest of Mr. McMillan and the Daily Republican and the Evening Times have since been owned and published by Messrs. Brewer and Cole. The substantial building on Second avenue which had been erected during the regime of Messrs. Brigham and Merchant proved far too small and the property was sold. A large and modern newspaper and book-making building, four stories high, was erected at the corner of Fourth avenue and Third street, the present home of the Daily Republican, the Evening Times, The Torch Press
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Printery and Bindery, and The Torch Press Book-shop. which latter is managed by William Harvey Miner and is the biggest and most largely patronized book shop west of Chicago.
THE EVENING GAZETTE
There is not a great deal of "history" concerning the Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, which has been one of the conspienous successes among Iowa daily news- papers sinee it was started in 1883. On June 10 of that year. the daily Gazette was founded by Messrs. Otis and Post. A weekly issue of the paper was started at the same time. In March. 1884, the Gazette Company was organized. and in July of that year the entire stock was purchased by Messrs. Fred W. Faulkes and Clarence L. Miller. The paper has had the same ownership ever since that time. The late editor Fanlkes was a pungent and versatile writer, and under his edi- torial management the Gazette rapidly rose to a commanding position in the Iowa newspaper field. It began as a republican newspaper. But after the memorable Frank D. Jackson campaign in 1893 Editor Fanlkes became estranged from Gov- ernor Jackson and some of the other leaders of the republican party. Thereafter he was inelined to espouse the cause of democracy and the Gazette came to be re- garded as the democratie newspaper of Linn county. Still later it grew more independent, in matters of polities.
Since the death of Fred Faulkes the Gazette has been published under the supervision of its business manager Clarence L. Miller. Like the other dailies of the city it has abandoned the weekly field.
THE SATURDAY RECORD
The Saturday Record is the outgrowth of a little amateur paper started away back in 1879 by Ralph Van Vechten, at present vice-president of the Continental and Commercial National Bank of Chicago. lle was then a student with a taste for printer's ink and he started a little literary paper, known as the Stylus. Soon after that he was joined by Arthur J. Huss, and the two of them ran the Stylus. In the spring of 1882 Mr. Van Veehten went into his uncle's bank. The paper passed into the hands of A. J. Mallahan, and after a little time was temporarily discontinued. But Mr. Huss gained new courage and perhaps new capital. Sep- tember 10, 1882, he started the Cedar Rapids People. It continued as a seven column folio until March, 1884, when it was bought by Fred Benzinger and R. Baer and its name changed to the Saturday Evening Chat. July 1. 1887, Fred Benzinger bought ont Mr. Baer's interest and ran the paper for a number of years until he went to Chicago, where for a time he was one of the prominent figures on the old Chicago Times-Herald. Then the paper was acquired by B. R. Hat- maker, forever famous because of the sobriquet for Cedar Rapids which Hashed into his mind one dreamful day - "The Parlor City."
In 1889 Ernest A. Sherman came to this city and was city editor of the morn- ing Republican for a while. In February, 1891, he started Town Topics. He ran it until late in the spring of that year and then he consolidated with llat- maker's Saturday Record. He became the editor, and Hatmaker was business manager until 1892 when Mr. Sherman bought the whole business. Since that time the Record has been a permanent feature in Cedar Rapids, the largest and neatest of the weeklies, being printed in quarto form on book paper with many illustrations and spicy comment on "mentionable matters" of Cedar Rapids. with all the local news well edited.
THE IOWA POST
The Iowa Post was founded in April. 1881, at Iowa City. After passing through the hands of several owners, it was purchased in March, 1902, by Henry
OLD M. E. CHURCH, MT. VERNON
STREET SCENE IN LISBON
٠٩
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THE NEWSPAPERS OF THE COUNTY
Gundling of Chicago and brought to this city. Mr. Gundling changed the paper from a weekly to a semi-weekly and in an incredibly short time he had trebled the number of his subscribers. Mr. Gundling had a high school education in Germany, followed by an apprenticeship there of three years. He had sixteen years experience in Chicago and he has travelled extensively on three continents. He is, therefore, thoroughly equipped as an editor and this accounts for the high standard of his paper which is eagerly read by a very large constitueney in this and adjoining counties and especially at the colony of Amana.
THE WEST SIDE ENTERPRISE
The West Side Enterprise is one of the latest newspapers in the Linn eounty field, having been started December 30, 1909. But it is one of the liveliest as well as one of the latest. W. I. Endicott is the owner and publisher, and he is a whole newspaper foree in himself. Every issue of the Enterprise contains something which makes somebody sit up and take notice. It is a paper devoted to the work of booming the west side; but it is read on both sides of the river by an ever in- ereasing number of readers.
IOWA STAATS-ZEITUNG
The Iowa Staats-Zeitung was established in the year 1879 by A. Hunt, who continued as publisher and editor for many years - until he retired from the newspaper business. The paper was then bought by John Young and afterwards sold to the Charles Stoudt Printing Company, who came from Des Moines to Cedar Rapids to make their home. The company consists of Charles Stoudt, the publisher, and E. J. Stoudt, editor. The paper is one of the largest German weeklies in the state, publishing from twelve to twenty-four pages each issue and going all over the state. It guarantees to have the largest circulation of any German paper published in Iowa.
OTHER CEDAR RAPIDS PAPERS
Several other Cedar Rapids newspapers ought to be mentioned. The Cedar Rapids Listy, a Bohemian humorous paper, was established in 1906. Fr. Hradecky is its editor and publisher. The Optimus is a republican weekly edited by E. C. Barber, and is a most uncompromising foe of democracy in all its form. It was established in 1906. The Slovan-Ameriky is a democratic Bohemian paper, one of the oldest, for it was established in 1869 and has held the even tenor of its way since that time through the sunshine and storm of democracy. John B. Letovsky & Sons are the editors and publishers, and they have been putting out a good paper week in and week out. year after year.
The Tribune is the organ of the Federation of Labor in Cedar Rapids. It was started in 1903 and has had a remarkable success. Its first editor was G. F. Taylor who gave the paper a great start and it is now edited by R. G. Stewart. who fills its columns full of gingery stuff week after week and shines best when there is a big political serap on hand.
THE MARION REGISTER
In 1852 one A. Hoyt came all the way from New York to blaze the way of modern journalism on the prairies of Iowa. He established a paper called the Prairie Star. But the Star didn't shine long. Mr. Hoyt found Iowa so differ- ent from old New York. Like the wise men of the east, after he had let go of most of the treasures he brought with him he retraced his steps to the east and
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the paper passed into the hands of J. II. and G. Il. Jennison. They were Whigs with a big W and they renamed the Star as the Linn County Register.
When the republican party was organized, the Linn County Register became one of its most able and enthusiastie advocates in the county. The late Judge N. M. Ilubbard was in active polities at that time and during that memorable campaign he condneted the Register. Ah, "thim were the days." The judge was a past master in the art of "skinning" an opponent. That was the method of politieal fighting in those days and no editor ever had a sharper knife than Judge Hubbard. He used to say in later years that it was one of the most enjoy- able periods of his whole life.
"I made the paper grow," he said. "Everybody wanted to get it to see whose hide was put on the fenee that week."
The judge lived to tell the tale. but after the fun was all over and the battle had been won he decided that railroad law practice was more profitable than editing a newspaper. The Register passed back into the editorship of J. H. Jen- nison. The next year Robert Holmes became its editor and subsequently its proprietor. He held this position for five years and it was five years of the most important period in the history of the county. Mr. Holmes successfully con- dueted the paper through the great struggle of the Civil war, and up till 1863 when he sold it to A. G. Lueas. Its name was then changed to the Linn County Patriot.
In September, 1864, there came from Cedar county, a young soldier-lawyer, S. W. Rathbun. He purchased the plant and changed the name of the paper to the Marion Register. He has been editor of the Register ever since that time. He has a few more gray hairs, a few more wrinkles, and a bit more avordupois than he had them, but he still wields a trenchant pen, still makes the Register a readable and interesting paper. It has been one of the most influential papers among the weekly press of Linn county, and has always been firmly republican.
THE MARION SENTINEL
The Marion Sentinel was originally called the Springville Independent, being established at Springville in the year 1879 by Fred Chamberlain, who afterwards served as county superintendent of the schools of Linn county. It was a seven- column folio, independent in polities, the forerunner of the independent papers of the county. It grew rapidly, and by 1884 had increased to a twelve-page paper. An edition was also published for Prairieburg, and one for Central City. In 1885 it had a circulation of 1600. It met with some reverses in 1886 and on July I of that year it was moved to Marion and its name changed to the Linn County Independent. Mr. Chamberlain made a big success of it in Marion. The name of the paper was then changed to the Marion Sentinel. Later O. M. Smith was taken into partnership. The paper then changed from an independent to a democratie paper, and has remained democratie until the present time, the only simon pure democratie paper in Linn county at the present time.
In July, 1891, Mr. Smith sold the paper to Mr. J. J. Galliven, at that time employed as train dispatcher for the Milwaukee railroad. He eondneted it for less than three months, selling it on September 19, 1891, to its present owner, T. T. Williams. During the greater part of the time since then C. S. Shanklin, one of the ablest political writers of the state, has been in charge of the Sentinel's editorial page. The paper is one of the brightest and newsiest in the county.
THE MT. VERNON HAWKEYE
That splendid Linn county paper, the Mt. Vernon Hawkeye, was established January 1, 1869, by J. T. Rice, as the Linn County Hawk-Eye. Mr. Rice was .
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well known in the early history of the county, and in late years was a resident of Denver, Colorado, where he died within the past year.
The Hawk-Eye was bought by S. H. Bauman on June 1, 1869, within five months after the paper was established, and its name was changed to the Mount Vernon Hawk-Eye. Mr. S. H. Bauman continued the business and was joined in partnership by his son, A. A. Banman, January 1, 1892. On July 1, 1899, S. H. Bauman retired entirely, and the paper was then conducted by his sons, A. A. and Fred A. Bauman. This partnership was dissolved November 17, 1909, since which time the paper has been published by A. A. Bauman.
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