USA > Iowa > Appanoose County > Past and present of Appanoose County, Iowa : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. I > Part 31
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43
THE MODERN WAY OF RUNNING A PAPER
The shift of ground from that occupied at first to the manner of conducting a paper today was not made of a sudden, but came as all evolutionary movements do come, gradually and by degrees each step in advance the outgrowth of some other that had preceded. The local current history was solely expanded to a full column, then two, and then occasionally as upon some momentous occurrence to perhaps a full page. Along in war days, under the impetus of some stirring political campaign, it even bloomed with illustrations, ancient woodcuts. the stock of the office for the illustration of advertisements, or the remnants of some other enterprise, being interwoven into a lampoon at the expense of the other party. The same woodcuts did duty in much the same way at least several times, decently separated by sufficient interval to be partially forgotten. At the same time the editorial began to be more fairly critical and less bitterly partisan, and the clipped matter began to acquire some element of pertinence and time- liness ; qualities which it had hitherto lacked; and the telegraph, or general news. began to expand. After the Atlantic cable was fairly set to working and the telegraph had begun to tie remote sections of our country closer together. the expansion of the department of telegraph news became much more evident. The Associated Press was then in but a crudely formative state, compared with its organization of today, and the news that came by wire was frequently con- tradicted a day or so after, and was an endless subject of revilement with the editor in his own columns, but it was the best there was in those days, and the people appeared to hold no grudges against the papers on these scores. The younger generation, acquainted only with newspapers that handle general news of such accuracy that error is an infrequent incident, have no conception of the jumible of fact, fancy, and fiction that was handed to the reader in the days of the war, and before, by the best editors in the land, simply because there was no way of doing any better. To relate the various steps through which this shift to higher ground has been made would be to tell a story of endless length. It is enough to say that the change came steadily along-better print, more news, better editing, better writing sometimes and a better filling of the newspaper's mission in life in general, just as the same changes are going forward now, from day to day and year to year.
The Citizen, as one of the papers that has survived the vicissitudes of the past half century, is a plain example of the evolutionary forces that have been work- ing through that period to make the newspapers of today what they are. There is so little parallel between the Citizen of today and the Citizen as it began its existence that comparison is a matter of difficulty. It is worth while to mention this evolution here, because, in the files of the Citizen, which can be read at will by those who are interested, may be found cpitomized the development of American journalism from the primitive and almost childish beginning of fifty years ago.
And still, with all the crudeness of those days in many things, there were
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giants then, and the press contained within itself those stirrings and workings of fermentive force that would come to nothing less than tremendous growth and power. The Greeleys, and the Prentices, and the Bennetts of that time led the way, but they were followed by a host of humbler knights of the quill, and the word all along the line was "forward."
THE APPANOOSE CHIEFTAIN
The Chieftain was the first newspaper to be launched in Appanoose county and the initial issue was published in May, 1856. Its projectors were two venturesome young men by the name of Fairbrother, who, having secured material assistance in the way of a bonus and advanced subscriptions for the oncoming disseminator of news, established the paper in Centerville. The Chieftain was a seven-column folio and had several columns of advertising, but it is fair to presume that space in the paper did not have the value in the day of the Chieftain as it commands today in its successor, The Citizen. However that may have been, it is certain that the founders of the Chieftain soon tired of the field in which they had cast their lot and within six months had turned over the paper. its paraphernalia, hereditaments, hazards and emoluments to .W. and George Binckley, who continued the paper for two years, as a democratic organ, when W. P'. Gill bought the outfit. Mr. Gill took in with him J. T. Place, who was assisted in the editorial department for a time by Livingston G. Parker. Finally Gill failed and sold his material to G. N. U'dell, who published the paper from January, 1863. till some time in 1864, when David L. Strickler secured all that was left of the plant and the Chieftain became the Loyal Citizen.
THE CITIZEN
The Citizen is the only daily paper published in Centerville or AAppanoose county. While the daily edition has been issued only eighteen years, the Weekly Citizen, which was merged with it a number of years ago, was one of the pioneers, and the Citizen can therefore claim to be the oldest paper in the county. This paper also enjoys the distinction of having been the first to install linotype machines, of which it has two, and to install electrical power and a Webb per- fecting press. The plant stands today modernly equipped, with facilities which even larger cities do not always afford for the rapid printing and dissemination of the current news of the day.
This paper was first known as The Loyal Citizen, having been started by the late David 1 .. Strickler, in 1804, one of the critical periods of the nation's history, to champion the cause of the Union and the republican party. . After merging with it the Chieftain, founded in 1857, Mr. Strickler soll it to the late Lieutenant Governor Matthew M. Walden, a veteran of Company D, Sixth Iowa Infantry, and the Union having been preserved by the issue of the Civil war, the word "Loyal" was dropped, and Governor Walden continued the publication of the paper until 1874, when it became the property of W. O. Crosby & Com- pany, who had in the same year started the Centerville Times, so that the two publications were merged. Always aggressive and independent, the Citizen had been a potent factor in the life and politics of city and county, and had its
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financial ups and downs. In 1886 when the present owner, George W. Needels. took the property, it had been under several managements but was not on a paying basis. Mr. Needels soon put it on a sound financial footing and has since kept it so.
Various attempts were made to establish daily newspapers in Centerville but none succeeded until December 22, 1894, Mr. Needels associated with himself . Jo R. Day, in the publication of The Daily Citizen. Mr. Day was the first editor and Charles D. Reimers was assistant. Later, Mr. Day retired and Mr. Reimers became editor and business manager. The early years were a struggle for self- preservation but slowly and surely the new enterprise was built up. Unlike the weekly edition, the daily was started as independent in politics but, in 1896, when the soundness of the nation's money was threatened, a stand was taken for repub- lican principles and never since has the paper wavered in the support of the party of its choice. In 1898 J. K. Huston succeeded Mr. Reimers as a partner in the business and the paper attained much .prestige and the business grew to large proportions. Mr. Huston went west two years ago, severing his connec- tion with the paper and taking a position as advertising manager of the Pasadena News. Several years ago the weekly edition was dropped and the energy of the publishers concentrated on the daily, the influence of which on the life and progress of the city has been potent. For the past two years Mr. Needels has been sole owner and proprietor and his son, Otis C. Needels, has been in active charge as editor and business manager.
While the Citizen has tried to be safe and sanely conservative, nevertheless it has been found advocating the newer ideas in politics, whenever it has feh that they were good and that the needs of the times demanded their adoption. Its rule is the familiar adage. "Be not the first to lay the okl aside, nor yet the first by which the new is tried." So conserving the time-tried principles of the past and applying the test of good common sense reasoning to the solution of the problems of the troublous present, it looks forward to the new age with hope and confidence.
THE JOURNAL
The first effort to establish a democratic newspaper was by John Gharkey. who came to Centerville in the spring of 1865 with the material of the Fayette County Pioneer, a paper he had established in 1853. John was an eccentric newspaper man and his politics during the war did not fit the community in which he lived, though he had one gleam of good luck, May 25. 1803. Seven returned soldiers broke into his office that night, pied a lot of type and injured his press. The next afternoon the angry democracy of Fayette county held a meeting at the courthouse in West Union, which lasted until late in the evening. Resolutions denunciatory of the lawless act were adopted and a big contribu- tion made to repair the damage, and said one who attended. "I never saw money offered so freely in my life." But Gharkey found, after nearly two years, that he could not maintain his "grip" in Fayette county and so came to Centerville. His paper was called the South Iowa Times and was continued nearly a year. when he removed to Memphis, Missouri. The Centerville Clipper was estab- lished in 1870 by the Hickman Brothers, who continued its publication about a year, when they sold to a Mr. Holcomb, in whose hands it suspended toward the
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end of 1872. In 1874 H. S. Ehrman restored the paper to life and continued its publication quite successfully until 1877, when he sold to S. L. Harvey, who changed the heading of the paper to the Journal, and which, by the peculiar mutations of politics now is in the enjoyment of a fine business.
In January, 1892, the property passed into the hands of P. G. Swigart, of Chicago, who in August of the same year relinquished control of it to J. W. and D. H. Rinehart, who, under the firm name of Rinehart Brothers, conducted the publication of the Journal until August, 1911. They then transferred the property to Noah Ressler & Son, who, in October of the same year, disposed of the property to its present publishers, Walter H. Dewey and William K. Currie. the latter having charge of the business and editorial interests of the Journal, the former making his home in Chariton, Iowa, where he is engaged in other pursuits.
The Journal has been a democratic paper from its establishment, and under the editor hip of Mr. Currie it has met great favor among democrats of Appa- noose county, although not without its critics. Indeed, its editor seems to think he would have made a complete failure if he had made for his publication all friends and no enemies.
THE JOWEGLIN
The early history of The lowegian can be best told by the one who saw it come into existence and nurtured it through that trying period in the life of a newspaper when it is attaining circulation and influence and developing business patronage. Charles E. Vrooman, now occupying a responsible government posi- tion at Washington, D. C., furnishes the following data :
"The material for The lowegian was shipped to Centerville from Lancaster. Missouri, where it was previously used in publishing the Peoples Sentinel-a greenback paper. It was moved in March, 1883. The first issue of the paper was April 7. 1883, and it was named by my wife, Mrs. Julia F. Vrooman, who was associate editor. The Industrial Jowegian. The name was afterwards changed to The Appanosse Towegian. It was a straight greenback and labor paper.
"The lowegian hung out a sign which was a large square, two-inch board. 2×3 feet, hung on a frame, on one side of which was painted a bee hive and on the other an anvil, with the arm of a muscular man, in whose hand was a sledge hammer. The office was first located over D. M. Breazeale's store on the south side of the public square, near Henry Gioss's shoe store; the material proper consisted of a Washington hand press, a Golding jobber. and such other para- phernalia as would go with such an outfit. I paid $1,500 all told for the material which was all new and bought in St. Louis. The office, composing and ware- rooms were in the second story, while the jobber was in the wareroom of the store. I was the sole owner and proprietor. No other human being outside of my wife had a dollar in it. It was by the solicitation of Messrs, George D. Porter. (. 11. Law, John C. Caldwell, W. 11. Young, "Archie" Thompson, J. J. Wall. and several other leading spirits, whose names I do not now recall, that the Towegaan was established in Centerville as a straight greenback and labor paper. and it always pursued the course, and was never anything else, until the fall of 1884. when it was deserted by its so-called friends, who thought more of office and fusion than they did of principle. Then it became a republican paper, but never forsook the principles and tenet- which gave it birth-"The Fatherhood -
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of God and the brotherhood of man." In the month of May, 1884, Mr. Brea- zeale sold out the stock of goods and fixtures situate in the storeroom below, and when removed the walls were so weakened that on the first Sunday in June (by reason of the heavy weight above) the walls collapsed, the second story went down, and did not stop till the office material, brick, mortar, and all, found the bottom of the cellar. This collapse occurred about 3 p. m. of that day. After we had surveyed the wreck of the office and taken "account of stock," we imme- diately, the next morning, telegraphed to Messrs. Schneidwend & Lee, of Chicago, to send a man out to help extricate all that was left of the greenback party. The man came. In a few hours we had made a deal by which they took the wreck off my hands, and sent me an entire new outfit, including a Campbell power press, which was run by hand. When the new material came ( we did not go back there any more) it was installed in the basement of the Bradley National Bank, on the north side of the square, where the lowegian was located for some two years or more. In our extremity and misfortune we were and I am now, indebted to S. L. Harvey, editor and publisher of the Journal, for courtesies and the use of material in the publication of the Jowegian. By reason of the kind- ness of Mr. Harvey the lowegian, in limited size, came out without a break in any volume.
"Successfully I turned the tide of opposition and disaster. The lowegian pushed forward till the fall, at which time it performed a feat unknown to journalism in Iowa or anywhere else. The editor and publisher entered into a contract with Chairman Wolfe, of the republican state central committee, to publish, mail, and circulate from the Centerville office to all parts of the state, a list furnished by the committee and certified to by Colonel E. C. Haynes, post- master, 72,000 copies of the lowegian, or 12,000 each week for six weeks, be- sides our own local edition for the same time-84,000 copies in all-and this done on a Campbell power press turned by hand, four men, each turning fifteen minutes at a time, in all twelve people in the office. Not an article or an editorial was written or furnished or even suggested by any one except the editor and his wife, the only stipulation being that I should follow my own lines in publishing a straight greenback paper. Just as soon as this contract was completed the Iowegian became a republican paper, which course it has pursued now for twenty-eight years.
"The Iowegian, by reason of having the largest circulation, exceeding that of either the Citizen or Journal-received the county printing, shutting out the Citizen entirely. In the year 1886 or 1887, the lowegian removed from the bank building to the Wooden store, northwest corner of the square, where it remained as the Appanoose County lowegian till the writer hereof sold the same to J. C. Barrows in June, 1889.
"From the time of its first publication I had associated with me as foreman of the mechanical department, Grant Potter, who came with me from Missouri. John Steel, M. H. Louther, and M. L. Hensley, until J. C. Barrows associated with me, in the publication of the lowegian, and mechanical work, but not as owner or proprietor. In less than eight years the Iowegian grew from noth- ing, in material, circulation and influence ; from a greenback-labor paper, to a stanch, influential, useful and powerful republican party journal, with the largest circulation of any in the county. The editor and proprietor thereof being a
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lawyer and not a journalist, disposed of the same to J. C. Barrows, returning to his profession until called to Washington to take the position of chief clerk in the department of justice under AAttorney General Miller, President Harrison's administration, September, 1890."
Taking up the narrative of the history of the lowegian from the time where Mr. Vrooman leaves off, it can be said that the paper has continued to enjoy a prosperous and influential career. J. C. Barrows later became associated with his son, Earl Barrows, in the publication of the paper. During their proprietorship the movement in the republican party along "progressive" lines began to assert itself and the paper allied itself editorially with the movement. In February. 1903. Barrows & Son sold the paper to J. M. Beck and J. R. Needham, the present proprietors. Mr. Barrows became interested in Texas real-estate investments and now spends most of his time in that state. The son continued in a line of newspaper work, being successful in buying plants that were in need of some new life and improvement and after putting them on their feet making profitable sales.
The present proprietors of the lowegian, Beck & Needham, took possession on March 1, 1903. J. M. Beck became the editor. He had had previous news- paper experience as managing editor of the Muscatine Journal, then a daily of 4,000 circulation. J. R. Needham became manager. He, too, had had news- paper experience, being of a family of newspaper people. His father, Wm. H. Needham, has been proprietor of the Keokuk County News, at Sigourney, for many years. The oldest brother, Charles K., was until recently owner of the Washington Press, and is now owner of the Montezuma Republican. Sherman W., a younger brother, is manager and editor of the Sigourney News after the elder Mr. Needham was retired from active newspaper work. The youngest son, Will, has a position on the Los Angeles Herald.
Under the management of Beck & Needham the business has been conducted under the name of The lowegian Printing Company. The paper has grown in circulation till it now has a list of 3.600, of which fully 3.000 are in the county. It has become a very popular advertising medium. A job work department is conducted. \ linotype machine has been installed and other modern machinery. The quarters becoming too small in the building owned by J. C. Barrows on the east side of the square the office was moved in 1905 to the building now owned by Dr. 11. W. Blachley, on Main street, between the square and postoffice. There it occupies the entire upper floor, 40x80 feet.
Editorially, under the present management, the paper is a stalwart republican in its policy, standing loyally by the party, believing that it is the party to solve present day problems just as well as it has solved them in the past, and having a future that will redound to its credit and to the country's honor. It stands for clean local government, for suppression of the liquor traffic, and for those things that elevate the life of the community.
CENTERVILLE WELKLY SUN
The Centerville Weekly Sun was established February 17, 1911. In politics it is neutral. T. W. Killion is the editor and proprietor and has succeeded in
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building up an enviable circulation. In fact on account of its large circulation. it is one of the official papers of Appanoose county. It is issued every Friday.
THE MOULTON INDEPENDENT
This paper was started in 1870, by J. B. King, who continued its publication about three years, when he sold it to Edwards & Porter. At the expiration of a year the paper was in the hands of a Mr. Bolster and after running it about a year he transferred his interest to Post Atkinson. The paper continued in a precarious condition until 1877. when the outfit was packed in boxes and shipped to Kansas.
THE MOULTON TRIBUNE
The Moulton Tribune was established about 1884, by William D. Powell, who looked after the destinies of the publication for some time, sold the plant to W. Platt Smith and then going to Glenwood, Missouri, started The Criterion at that place. After Smith had tired of running a newspaper, he sold the Tribune to John Craig who, in 1896, sold to Robert R. Wilson, the present editor and proprietor, who prints a six-column quarto paper that is well patronized. The Tribune is now in its twenty-ninth year and its makeup and well-edited columns are evidences of the fitness of Mr. Wilson for the enviable place he occupies in the community and Appanoose newspaperdom.
MOULTON SEMI-WEEKLY SUN
The Moulton Semi-Weekly Sun was established by T. W. Killion, March 1, 1808, and has continued at that place until February, 1911, when it was moved to Centerville, where it is still published as a weekly and now has a circulation of over 1.500. It was democratic in politics until it was moved to Centerville, when it became neutral, politically. In 1906 an office was built at Moulton by the proprietor and this was burned in 1910. The publication became quite prominent in newspaper circles and is often quoted by the city papers. Although being established as a second paper in a town that was only large enough for one, it soon took the lead and the office has acquired a wide fame for neat and correct job printing.
CINCINNATI LOCAL
Perhaps the first paper published at Cincinnati was the Cincinnati Local. An attempt was made in 1877 to found a newspaper in that old and flourishing little village. One W. W. Yarham, in the year above mentioned, secured the interests of a number of the citizens, who paid in advance for a year's subscrip- tion and then joined in making a "jackpot" of $75, with which Yarham purchased a plant (?) and soon gave to the waiting and eager world a new purveyor of local and current events. It is said the sheet was quite creditable in appearance. But the field at that time was too limited for Mr. Yarham's ambitions and after he had circulated a few issues he concluded the "game was not worth the
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RAZERY
RESTAURANT.
REVIEW BUILDING, CINCINNATI
I. O. O. F. BUILDING, CINCINNATI
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candle," and unceremoniously departed for other scenes of activity. The paper died, for want of the proper sustenance, after having been printed at the office of the Moulton Tribune a few weeks.
CINCINNATI REVIEW
The Review was founded by W. A. Martin and his son. D. R. Martin, under the firm name of Martin & Son, in 1892. They conducted the paper but a short time and then, on July 18, 1893. the present editor and publisher, John 11. May, purchased the plant and has made of it a success. His paper is "clean," both from the printer's standard and that of a high-toned community, and it is well patronized. In make-up the Review is a five-column quarto, patent inside, and is published weekly. Although independent in politics the paper has a republican leaning.
THE ENLINE MESSENGER
The Messenger was established by John H. May, on the 3d day of May. 1907, and until May, 1911, it was published at the plant of the Review. Since that time the Messenger has had an office of its own at Exline and has been printed there. The paper is a five-column folio and non-partisan.
THE MORAVIA UNION
The Union is the local paper published at Moravia, but when the paper was established could not be ascertained by the writer. It is known, however, that J. 11. Allred was engaged in newspaper work at this place and was connected with the Union. The present editor and proprietor. C. E. Nieukirk, purchased the plant of Allred in February, 1912, after Mr. Allred had owned it eight years. The Union has a good patronage and bids fair to attain continued prosperity. The Weekly Messenger, however, was published at Moravia as early as 1869, by one Savacool, who did not remain long. At one time and for about four years, the paper was edited by Captain E. Cummins.
UNIONVILLE CHRONICLE
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