USA > Kansas > Wyandotte County > Kansas City > History of Kansas City illustrated in three decades : being a chronicle wherein is set forth the true account of the founding, rise, and present position occupied by Kansas City in municipal America > Part 5
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The rapid growth of the city brought a large addition to the
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school population, but not a corresponding increase in the val- uation of taxable property, and hence the advancement in the finances for school purposes did not keep pace with its neces- sities. The number of school children in 1868 was 3,287, an increase of fifty-three per cent over the enumeration of 1867. But, notwithstanding these discouragements, the zeal of the school board was unabated. Sites were purchased, bonds issued, and school-houses erected as rapidly as possible. Be- fore the close of 1868 three school-houses were ready for occupancy and schools were opened in all of them.
The school year of 1868-69, with the exception of improve- ments in buildings and the purely business proceedings of the board, is not statistically recorded, the superintendent ha ving made no report; but it is known that the schools were taught and they progressed in a general way. The Central School was provided with a house purchased in 1869, and Lincoln School was opened (on Ninth Street) in November of that year. The organization of the board September, 1869, was as follows: W. E. Sheffield, president; A. A. Bainbridge, secretary; James Craig, treasurer; T. B. Lester, Patrick Shannon, J. V. C Karnes. Prior to the organization in September, Prof. John R. Phillips was elected superintendent, and he served contin- uously until August, 1874.
The work of the schools was now moulded into definite form. Classification and grading, which had been sadly neg- lected, were enforced at the beginning of the first term, and teachers were required to adhere as closely as possible to the tabulated courses of study. The history of the United States and the elements of physiology were now taught for the first
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time since the organization of the schools; the number of pu- pils was larger, the attendance more regular and punctual, the discipline more healthy and judicious, and the instruction more exact and thorough than during any preceding year. The Lathrop school-house was completed in March, 1870. The Morse and Benton school-houses were erected in 1870 and enlarged in 1871, the Woodland school-house was finished and opened in November, 1871.
No report of the schools was published from 1872 to 1874, but the superintendent preserved enough statistics to indicate that public sentiment in favor of the schools was gaining ground, and opposition was rapidly dying out, and that prog- ress in both the quantity and quality of educational work was continuous.
In 1873-74 the board was changed by the retirement of Messrs. W. E. Sheffield and Joseph Field and the election of Major Henry A. White and Mr. C. A. Chace, the first named of whom was chosen president.
In July, 1874, Superintendent John R. Phillips resigned, and four months later he died. He had found the schools unorganized, ungraded, and each independent of the others. During his five years' superintendency he addressed himself diligently to their improvement and the reformation of abuses that had crept into them. A course of study, such as had the endorsement of the foremost educators, was adopted, embrac- ing seven years for the ward schools, and four years for the high school department. At the beginning of his term of service there was no unity in the work. As an organizer, he planned and executed well, and his administration was emi-
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nently successful. Mr. J. M. Greenwood was at once elected superintendent, to succeed Mr. Phillips, and has served contin- uously to the present time. Upon assuming the duties of the position he arranged a syllabus of the course of study to be employed, as a guide to the teachers, by the use of which the work was systematized in all the grades. Special attention was given to language and composition exercises, and teachers were given special drill in phonic analysis, as a means of reme- dying the defects in reading. At the monthly meeting of the teachers, how to teach each branch in the ward schools, and how to adapt the instruction to the capacity of the pupils, were fully explained. A plan which had previously prevailed, of pro- moting upon the final examination only, was discontinued, and promotions were made upon the mean average of the written examinations, the daily work and the daily deportment record, and self-control became an important factor in the school management.
The library now contained 3,000 volumes, and the appoint- ment of a librarian, in the person of Mrs. Carrie W. Judson, was found necessary, The total number of graduates to date had been 136. A tax was voted to be expended in making additions to the Benton, Morse, and Lincoln schools, and in erecting a new building, to be known as the Chace School, and the purchase of ground for a new school-building in the south- western part of the city, and the erection of a house thereon should the fund voted be sufficient. The school term was shortened from forty to thirty-six weeks, it being deemed injur- ious to the health of young children to compel them to attend school during such a protracted term.
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The Board of Education was organized in April, 1882, with R. L. Yeager as president, Henry C. Kumpf as secretary, and E. L. Martin as treasurer. The other members were Frank Askew, C. A. Chace, and Gardiner Lathrop, who succeeded Mr. Karnes, who retired voluntarily after long and efficient ser- vice with the good wishes of all friends of public education.
In 1884 J. C. James succeeded C. A. Chace on the board. There were no other changes, officially or otherwise. Mr. Chace resigned on account of ill health, after having faithfully served on the board for twelve years. The total number of children of the school age was 22,570. Of these, 10,347 were enrolled, and the average daily attendance was 6,242.
The library at this time contained about 15,000 volumes, and the number was constantly increasing. The value of school property was estimated at $1,062,620.
In 1890 the old question arose, how to accommodate the rapidly increasing host of school-children. Every school-house in the city was filled to overflowing, and new ones must be built at once.
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JOURNAL BUILDING, Sixth and Delaware.
CHAPTER XII.
Journalism in Kansas City from 1865 to 1890.
When the reconstruction and upbuilding of the city began, in 1865, no agency was more potent in infusing courage and hopefulness among the people than the public press. With its population reduced to less than 4,000 inhabitants in 1865, Kansas City had but one daily, two weekly English newspapers, one German weekly, and a bi-monthly medical journal, and with the support of an impoverished community they relatively con- trasted in character and vigor with their more pretentious suc- cessors of to-day. The wonderful progress Kansas City made from 1865 to 1887, in wealth, population, and commercial impor- tance, revealed a corresponding progress in its public press, which already occupied a conspicuous and honorable position in Ameri- can journalism. Its influence, especially in late years, has been felt in an effective and gratifying way, not only as a great fac- tor in the accomplishment of the results which have made Kansas City one of the foremost of American cities, but in political policy and the counsels of the nation. The conductors of the leading newspapers of Kansas City have in such capacity won wide reputation as able journalists, and their efforts have been rewarded with a degree of liberal support which has made it possible to give to the city a public press unexcelled by any city of the same size in the United States. During the period of the war, the Kansas City Journal was published by T. Dwight
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Thacher, for many years editor of the Lawrence, Kansas, Journal. March 23, 1865, Mr. Thacher sold the paper to Colonel R. T. Van Horn and A. H. Hallowell. Under the edi- torial charge of Colonel Van Horn, the Journal, with renewed vigor, threw all its power and influence in behalf of the upbuild- ing of Kansas City. In August, 1865, it said: "The present is bright; we can, if we wish to, be the architects of our own fortunes. To be so we must be earnest, industrious, and enter- prising." It immediately took up the old strain of 1860 about railroads and improvements, and rallied the people about the old enterprises in which the city had been engaged before the war. It urged the reorganization of the Chamber of Commerce, of which it had been the organ and advocate. "It did more," says W. H. Miller, in his history of Kansas City, "at this partic- ular time, to arouse the people than all other agencies combined, and re-marshaled them to the struggle for commercial develop- ment as potently as ever trumpet or drum-beat marshaled soldiers to the fray."
In March, 1867, Colonel Van Horn, having been elected to Congress, retired from the paper, and in April following Mr. Hallowell sold it to Foster, Wilder & Co. On the 9th of March, 1870, Colonel John Wilder, then editor of the Journal, was shot and killed by James Hutchinson, at the city court-house, in a personal altercation. Colonel Wilder was a very popular man and an able editor, and his loss was greatly deplored by the people. Hutchinson afterwards died, before the date set for his trial. In May of the same year, Colonel Van Horn, at the end of his third term in Congress, again became connected with the paper by the purchase of the interest of Colonel Wilder.
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In a few days D. K. Abeel joined his old partner by the pur- chase of other interests, and the firm of R. T. Van Horn & Co. was formed, C. G. Foster retaining his interest and remaining with the paper. In the fall of 1867 the Journal was moved from its location on Main Street and Commercial Alley and placed in a building on the east side of Main Street just south of Second Street. This was the first move made by the Jour- nal in ten years, and the period covered by its residence on Commercial Alley was in many respects the most eventful in its history. In 1871 the Journal removed from Main Street to No. 6 West Fifth Street. Each move was made necessary by the continued growth of the paper, and each time increased facilities were added to the plant and better quarters sought. In August, 1871, Colonel Van Horn purchased the interest of C. G. Foster, and on February 15, 1872, the Journal Company was organized and incorporated under the State laws. In mak- ing the announcement of the change the Journal stated that it was for the purpose of giving employees an opportunity to take stock in the business. Colonel Van Horn remained editor-in- chief and D. K. Abeel continued as business manager until August, 1872, when he sold his stock in the company to Isaac P. Moore, who took the business management of the paper. In August, 1877, D. K. Abeel, Charles N. Brooks, M. H. Stevens, and W. A. Bunker purchased a controlling interest in the paper, Colonel Van Horn continuing as president of the company and editor-in-chief of the paper, while D. K. Abeel became vice-president and business manager, and M. H. Stevens managing editor. About the close of 1877 the Jour- nal moved to 529 Delaware Street, and a few months after a
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double-cylinder Hoe, the first press of its kind in Kansas City, was purchased. In the mean time the necessity for larger and better quarters was constantly pressed on the attention of the stockholders by the increasing business of the paper. To meet this want the property on the southwest corner of Sixth and Delaware streets was purchased, upon which was erected what was at that time one of the finest and most commodious news- paper offices in the Missouri Valley. The building was com- pleted in December, 1879. After moving into the new build- ing, the prosperity of the paper was so rapid that the old press was unequal to the task of printing the Journal. It was a tedious process, and any attempt to publish more than an eight-page paper was accompanied by large preparations and involved great labor. To overcome this difficulty a Scott perfecting press was purchased, and in January, 1881, was put into operation, the first of its kind used in a newspaper office in the Missouri Valley. On January 1, 1886, a second Scott perfecting press was placed in the Journal office, and was first used in con- nection with the other press, in printing the annual review edi- tion. In 1886 the Journal had outgrown its quarters on the corner of Delaware and Sixth streets, and the stockholders de- termined upon the erection of a new building especially designed for its use. A site was secured upon the corner of Walnut and Tenth streets, and work upon the new structure was begun in the latter part of 1886 and completed in October, 1887. In politics the paper had been steadily Democratic until the close of the presidential campaign of 1860, in which it supported Douglas as the representative of the Union element in the Democratic party. The secession schemes which came to the
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surface after this campaign found no support in the Journal, and its editor, Colonel Van Horn, could not be induced to espouse the cause of the South. The position of the Journal was made known immediately after the close of the campaign of 1860. There was no hesitation. It was for Union uncon- ditionally. Fruitless attempts were made to secure the influence of the Journal in behalf of secession, but Colonel Van Horn fearlessly refused to be dictated into defending rebellion. Thus, in behalf of the Union, the Journal became a Republican paper in 1861, and has since been one of the leading advocates of the principles of the Republican party in the State of Missouri.
The only other newspaper besides the Journal in existence in Kansas City at the close of the war, and which has been continuously published since, was the Daily Kansas City Post (German). It was founded in the latter part of 1858, under the name of the Missouri Post, and its first issue appeared on Jan- uary 1, 1859. Its first editor was August Wuerz, Sr., who con- ducted it for several years.
The first Democratic daily established after the war was the Advertiser, which appeared in 1865, edited by a gentleman named Simpson. It struggled heroically for four years, but failed to find the path to success, and was discontinued.
The early history of the Kansas City Times was fraught with difficulties, such as most attempts to establish a new paper en- counter. The first issue appeared September 8, 1868. It was an eight-column folio sheet, twenty-six and one-half by forty- four inches in size. At this time there was no Democratic paper of influence in Kansas City, and the need for a party organ was the main reason for bringing it into existence. R.
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B. Drury & Co. were the proprietors. For some time after its first issue, the venture did not prove a success, financially. On December 22, 1868, the paper changed hands, and a com- pany was organized under the name of the Kansas City Times Publishing Company, of which William E. Dunscombe, Charles Durfee, J. D. Williams, and R. B. Drury were elected di- rectors. Mr. Williams served as business manager, and John C. Moore and John N. Edwards as editors. In April, 1869, James E. McHenry became business manager, and held the position until June 28th of the same year, when he was succeeded by C. E. Chichester. On September 29, 1869, the office was removed to the corner of Main and Fifth streets, and in February of the following year the company was dis- solved and the paper sold at public sale. The purchasers were Charles Dougherty, of Independence, John C. Moore and John N. Edwards. Varying fortune marked the course of the Times, until August 20, 1871, when it again changed hands and came under the control of efficient managers. The officers of the new company were Amos Green, president; Thomas H. Mastin, treasurer; and Dr. Morrison Munford, secretary and general manager. The success of the Times, under its new manage- ment, was rapid, From the date of their purchase it was start- ed on a fixed and definite course, both in a business and edi- torial way, which has resulted in building it up to its present standard of excellence and greatness. In September, 1871, the office of the Times was removed to commodious quarters on Fourth Street, between Main and Delaware streets. January 3, 1872, the paper appeared in a new dress and enlarged to a nine-column folio. With that issue an extensive review of
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Kansas City was given, in a supplement. Through the finan- cial depression of 1873 the Times was safely carried, and dur- ing those dark days lent every energy toward the re-establish- ment of business enterprises, and the infusing of confidence among Kansas City's business men. In April, 1872, Mr. Mastin transferred his interest to Messrs. Green and M. Mun- ford, and later J. E. Munford acquired an interest. In May, 1875, Mr. Green sold his interest to the Messrs. Munford. The old Times Publishing Company was then dissolved, and No- vember 29, 1875, the property was transferred to the present organization, "The Kansas City Times Company," which Messrs. Munford, in connection with Samuel Williams, had organized. The latter retired in 1878, when his stock was purchased by the company. In 1878 the plant was removed to Fifth Street, between Main and Delaware streets, where it remained until 1885, growing steadily and rapidly in influence and financial value. When the Times moved into its new quarters an entire new mechanical outfit was secured, and it is safe to say that at this time no paper west of Chicago had more complete facilities for the publication of a metropolitan daily newspaper. The success of the Times in latter years has been one of the remarkable achievements of Western journal- ism. In a marvelously brief time it has been transformed from a struggling concern to an establishment which ranks high among the best class of metropolitan newspapers. It was the originator of the great Oklahoma movement, for the purpose of opening up the Indian Territory.
Contemporary with the Times, a Republican daily, called the Kansas City Evening Bulletin, was established in March, 1868,
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with an office on the east side of the Public Square. G. W. Householder and J. D. Williams were its proprietors and editors. It met with a fair degree of success, but was unable to withstand the financial panic of 1873, and in consequence suspended publication.
The Kansas City News, an evening independent paper, was established by a co-operative company of printers, in 1870. Frank Barnum was the manager of the enterprise until 1873, when he was succeeded by E. A. Siceluff. Lack of proper support caused its suspension in 1874.
The next daily newspaper enterprise of importance was the establishment in May, 1875, of the Evening Mail, an evening Democratic paper, by a stock company composed of a few prominent men of Kansas City. E. L. Martin was president of the company, and John C. Gage treasurer. The primary object of the Mail was to have a journal which could be the exponent of those opposed to the "water-works clique," as it then existed. Colonel John C. Moore was selected as editor-in- chief. In April, 1876, E. L. Martin resigned his official con- nection with the company, and James T. Kelley was elected in his stead. In the winter of 1878-79 the Mail suffered severel; from the effects of fire, all of its printing material, presses, etc., being destroyed. The publication of the Mail was discontinued in January, 1882, when it was purchased by the present pro- prietor of the Kansas City Star, and consolidated with that journal.
Kansas City Star. Recognizing that Kansas City had be- come a metropolis and should have metropolitan adjuncts, W. R. Nelson and S. E. Morse, formerly proprietors of the Fort
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Wayne Sentinel, Indiana, came to the city in the fall of 1880 and established the Kansas City Star, a low-priced evening paper, similar in size and style to those which have proved so popular and profitable in all the other large cities of the country. The first issue of the paper appeared September 18, 1880. The paper was a success from the beginning, and at once secured a large- circulation. In 1882 Mr. Morse sold his interest to Mr. Nelson, who has since been the sole proprietor. January, 1882, the Evening Mail was consolidated with the Star, at which time the latter was removed from No. 14 West Fifth Street to more commodious and convenient quarters, No. 115 West Sixth Street, formerly occupied by the Mail. The Star has achieved a remarkable success, which can be ascribed to the fact that it is enterprising, thoroughly independent in politics, and furnished at a low price. Its circulation has steadily grown from year to year, and it has gained for itself a fine hold upon the support of the people of this section. Three editions are published .. daily, and on special occasions extra editions are issued. Colonel W. R. Nelson is proprietor and manager.
The Evening News, a daily afternoon and evening paper, was. established March 19, 1885, by the Evening News Association, of which J. S. Reber, George F. Meyer, H. N. Hasckman, and I. F. Guiwits were the incorporators. The first officers were J. S. Reber, president, and I. F. Guiwits, secretary. The editorial staff of the News was composed of Willis J. Abbott, managing editor, R. B. Gelatt, editor, and Nathan Eisenlord, business manager. This paper was eventually discontinued.
The Illustrated World was founded in 1888 by J. S. Reber, who, in 1883, had established the Sunday Graphic, and in 1885
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the Evening News. Under his management the new paper has successfully weathered several financial storms and has been firmly established as a business enterprise having a very large circulation throughout the West. It is devoted to politics, literature, and the drama, in addition to interesting comments on current events, and is profusely illustrated.
The German weekly, Vorwaerts, was founded by Charles Lengel in 1884. It is now published by Ferdinand Schubert, with Bernard Schubert as editor.
The Kansas City Presse, a German daily paper, was started in 1883 by the Kansas City Presse Publishing Company, of which Philip Doppler, Henry W. Zurn, Henry Stubenrauch, Curt Thiersch, and Carl Beck were the first directors. Henry W. Zurn has been the business manager of the company ever since its formation, while the editorial management of the paper has devolved upon Curt Thiersch. With the exception of Mr. Doppler, who sold his interest to the other members of the company, no change has occurred among the original stock- holders. Henry Stubenrauch is president of the company, and Henry W. Zurn secretary and treasurer. The Presse has be- come one of the leading German daily papers of Western Mis- souri, has an extended publication, and exerts a wide influence.
The Kansas City Live Stock Indicator and Farmer's Gazette, a weekly paper, was established in April, 1878, by Etue, Holmes & Simons. It was originally a six-column folio sheet. In December, 1878, Etue & Simons bought out Mr. Holmes. In June, 1882, a stock company was formed, composed of P. D. Etue and A. D. Simons, who own all the stock. The editor of the Indicator, F. D. Coburn, was formerly secretary of the
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Kansas City Board of Agriculture. This journal gives special attention to the grain, live stock, and produce markets of Kansas City, and the live stock and agricultural interests of the country commercially tributary thereto.
The Kansas City Medical Record, a monthly journal of medi- cine and surgery, has been published and edited by Dr. A. L. Fulton and Prof. George Halley since 1884. It is carefully edited, and has received the warmest endorsement from mem- bers of the medical profession. From the success it has already attained, its future prosperity seems secure.
The Western Dental Journal is a monthly periodical devoted to the dissemination of dental knowledge in the West. It was established in January, 1886, by R. I. Pearson & Co., and has been received with marked favor by members of the dental profession. Its editorial staff is composed of J. D. Patterson, D.D.S., A. H. Thompson, D.D.S., and C. L. Hungerford, D.D.S.
CHAPTER XIII.
An Unparalleled Railway System .- How It was Projected .- How It Developed .- How It has Influenced the Commercial Prosperity of the City .- A Comparison.
In those pages of this work devoted to the history of Kansas City before and during the War of the Rebellion, an account is given of the inception and subsequent progress or failure of railway projects during that period. The war prostrated most enterprises, and shattered Kansas City's hopes for speedy com- mercial supremacy; but her citizens took heart from the knowl- edge that her natural advantages had already been amply demon- strated, and that the main line of the Union Pacific started within her limits and was in operation as far as Lawrence, while the Missouri Pacific was nearly completed.
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