USA > Mississippi > Newton County > History of Newton County, Mississippi from 1834 to 1894 > Part 14
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The useful State and national paper stands as a sentinel to warn of danger and commend the good, reprove the bad which public men are trying to enact
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for the people. The useful county paper also acts as a faithful watchman, to do all the good possible for the constituency whom it represents, advocating the good and condemning the bad in party or people.
The religious paper is a power in the circulation of that kind of literature so much needed in christianizing the country. It also acts as a censor upon the con- duct and lives of professed christians and others with whom it may come in contact; and is often the source from whence the most wholesome advice, as well as the promulgation and defense of the particular doc- trines which it advocates. And then it is a great and good literary and christian journal. Aside from the advocacy of the great political and religious tenets and principles of the various parties and sects to which these papers belong, it is the duty of the great and small journals of the country to give the very best reading matter, of history and current news; to edu- cate up to a higher plane of civilization and right- doing ; to wield the pen, "mightier than the sword," for the good of all concerned.
There is another class of newspapers-and their name is legion-which appear only to pander to a vitiated taste ; to write and print only those things that cater to the gratification of depraved, licentious, perverted appetites ; to publish only that which would excite ; to gratify only that which is sensational, and by their adroit and spicy publications manage to capture a large number of readers, and reap rich re- wards for their labor.
NEWSPAPERS OF THE COUNTY.
There were very few newspapers in the State before the year 1860, probably not more than 40. Now there are probably 162. There was no newspaper in Newton
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county until after the war. An attempt had been made to establish one at Decatur in 1861, but there was probably not a copy issued. The paper that had the circulation in this county for about twenty years before the war, was the Eastern Clarion published at Paulding, in Jasper county, about twenty miles from the railroad. This paper was owned and edited by Simeon R. Adams, who was a man of marked abil- ity as a journalist. The Clarion was the largest paper in the State, had the largest circulation of any other journal in the State and an advertising patronage worth much more than any other State paper. It em- ployed a steam power press and was said to have a net income of $10,000 per annum. The price was $2.50 cash, $3.00 at the end of the year. This paper was established in the year 1837, by Need & Duncan, who, during the next year, sold it to Jno. J. McRae, after- wards Gov. McRae. It is now published at Jackson as the Clarion-Ledger, and has never suspended since its first appearance.
In the year 1871, R. H. Henry, now editor of the Clarion-Ledger, came to the town of Newton, a very young man, not having reached his majority. With him he brought a newspaper outfit and commenced the publication of the Newton Ledger. This was the first paper ever printed in the county.
It is a little remarkable that the first paper ever pub- lished in Jasper county, established in 1837, and the first one ever published in Newton county in 1871, both adjoining counties in East Mississippi, should be blended as the Clarion-Ledger, and form one of the ·strongest newspaper firms in the South, and published at the capital, yet it is so.
The Newton Ledger was a paper of good size, fine print, and in every way a good county and family
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paper. Mr. Henry was a , practical printer, of good morals and sober, and well understood everything in connection with the printing business, having mas- tered all details during an apprenticeship of four years.
The tone of the paper was high; the politics Demo- cratic ; its news fresh and reliable ; it had a good cir- culation and was well patronized as an advertising medium in the towns and county, to say nothing of its foreign business, which was large.
Mr. Henry moved the Ledger to Brookhaven in 1875, where it remained several years, absorbing the Citizen during the time, and in the year 1883, the paper was removed to Jackson, and published as the State Ledger till 1888, when it was merged with the Clarion, and has since been published as the Clarion-Ledger, and with J. L. Power and R. H. Henry as its owners, making it one of the most prosperous and useful papers in the South, its patronage and circulation is larger than ever before.
It is a pleasure to refer to R. H. Henry, who, as a poor but energetic, sober and industrious youth, came to Newton county and commenced the publication of the Ledger, his first paper. How well he has suc- ceeded in life, is well known to the people of Missis- sippi. His portrait and sketch from the Times- Demo- crat, shows the appreciation of such men by those who have a right to known.
The Ledger was succeeded by the Newton Democrat, edited by Judge J. W. Robb, who had come to the town of Newton from Hinds county, to practice law. Judge Robb was an educated, talented gentleman, and was assisted in the Democrat office by his son, J. W. Robb, Jr., who was one of the sprightly young writers and poets of this State. The paper did not succeed, was removed to Morton and was there suspended.
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Both father and son are dead. J. W. Robb, Jr., was engaged in newspaper business in the Delta country, and has been dead for a number of years. Judge Robb also removed to that part of the country, and has recently died.
In the year 1876, B. C. Carroll commenced the pub- lication of the Bulletin, at Newton. Mr. Carroll was a very worthy man, an excellent citizen and brother- in -law to A. J. Frantz, of Brandon Republican noto- riety. The Bulletin was a sprightly paper, but did not get the patronage to justify a longer stay than about one year. Mr. Carroll left Newton and has since died.
The Bulletin was succeeded by the Report, edited and published by Mr. R. K. Jayne, commencing in the fall of 1877. Mr. Jayne was teaching the school at Newton with marked success, and concluded that to to add the Report, as an advertising medium, would prove a success. The paper also took part in the county and State affairs, and proved a very read- able and agreeable journal. It was continued until the year 1880, and was moved to Jackson and con- tinued as an educational journal under another name. Mr. Jayne was an educated man, a good teacher and strong writer, and during his stay at Newton gathered around him some warm friends who have not forgotten him. He is living at Jackson, engaged in the building and loan association.
After the removal of the Report from Newton, W. H. Seitzler established the Free Press. This paper was continued for about one year, but did not succeed in making it pay, and it was sold to J. F. Moore, Esq., who was a lawyer at Newton. W. H. Seitzler now edits the Hickory Progress. There is no doubt that , he gets up one of the best county papers in the State ; that he has rare facilities for pleasing his readers, and
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should feel encouraged at the progress he has made in the management and editing of his paper. J. F. Moore edited and owned the Free Press for about two years, and probably made a little more of a financial success of the paper than his predecessor, though having many other things, connected with his legal profession and business matters, to call off his attention, he did not give it the care that he otherwise would. It ap- pears that after the removal of the Ledger it was quite difficult to keep up a paper in the town, and if money was not lost in the investments there was none made. Mr. Moore died at his home in Newton.
In 1889 W. H. Andrews, a young lawyer, bought the Free Press and was its editor for a short time. There was very little circulation to the paper during the time Mr. Andrews had charge of it, and probably no money made ; more likely some was lost. Mr. Andrews re- moved to Texas as a practicing attorney, and is now in California and supposed to be doing well. After the removal of Andrews, S. B. Ross, a lawyer and printer, took editorial charge of the paper at Newton, then called the Dispatch, in 1886, and continued to edit until sometime during the year 1887, when it was sold to J. J. Armistead, and the name was continued. Mr. Ross probably made some money in publishing the Dispatch, and was also engaged in the practice of his profession. He is still one of the prominent men of the town of Newton, engaged in the practice of law, also a correspondent of literary journals, and agent, in connection with his partner, J. R. Byrd, for Shat- tuck & Hoffman, a large monied syndicate, who loan money on real estate in this and adjoining counties. They have loaned about $40,000 about one-half in Newton county. These debts are usually met . promptly, very little property having been sold.
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J. J. Armistead commenced the publication of the Dispatch at Newton in the year 1887, and continued for nearly three years, and then sold the whole outfit to a corporation at Hickory, in this county, and was called the Newton County Progress. Mr. Armistead had no experience in editing a paper and com- menced the business after he was well advanced in life. He was a man of strong convictions and very fearless in his utterances. Yet the Dispatch was conducted . with a very good degree of prudence, and was very well liked by its patrons. It espoused the cause of temperance and reform as probably no other paper had ever done in the county. Usually took a decided stand in politics, and was a very independent paper. It was probably not a monied success.
Mr. Armistead is still at his home in New Orleans. After the removal of the Dispatch office to Hickory, in the year 1890, there was no paper at Newton until Sep- tember of that year the Mississippi Baptist was estab- tished under the direction of the Mount Pisga Asso- ciation, with Rev. N. L. Clarke as as editor ; S. B. Ross assisted as secular editor of the Baptist, but did not long remain in that position. The paper was intended to be an incorporated journal under the management of a certain number of directors. It never fully com- plied with the requirements of the charter, and did not assume the position of an incorporated paper, but was conducted under the management of directors and editor until May, 1893, when the whole outfit was destroyed by fire. The loss was not total; there was- a small insurance, which helped to establish it again ; another outfit was purchased by Viverett & Ross, with the same editor, with L. S. Tilgham as publisher. In the month of August, 1893, the first issue after the fire
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The editor of the Mississippi Baptist is one of the oldest and best known men in the county. He has been preaching in the county for about fifty-two years, and is considered one of the most zealous and active work- ers the church has ever had. Mr. Clarke is a man of good acquirements, of liberal education, extensive . reading, a close student, and is thus fitted to fill well his place. The Baptist has probably not made any money, to include the loss sustained by the fire, yet it is a paper desired by the Baptist people of this Asso- ciation, and it is pretty well patronized. The pub- lisher is L. S. Tilgham, a young man of sober habits, well qualified as a practical printer, and the paper is always on time.
The Conehatta Index, a paper published at an in- terior town, eleven miles north of the railroad, was established about the 1st of March, 1889, formed by a stock company of the citizens of the town and sur- rounding neighborhood. The paper was published by J. W. Brooks, Dr. Bailey, Prof. Scott and T. P. Williams conducting the editorial department. Brooks pub- lished the paper for about two and a half years, when Prof. McBryde and J. S. Scott assumed the manage- ment, Scott as editor, assisted by Dr. Bailey. Under this management the paper was published about one year. In February, 1892, the stockholders placed the editing and business management in the hands of Vic- tor Hamilton. He conducted the paper until August, 1892. The paper since that time has been conducted and edited by T. P. Williams. The Index, since its first issue, had a Grange department, edited and con- trolled by Mrs. Dr. Bailey, but has never been a Grange paper. The Index is a substantial Democratic paper; with something from Mrs. Bailey to encourage the Grangers and to do good for the country. It is a moral,
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good family paper. Its editor is a sprightly, well edu- cated man of good moral habits, and should be patron- ized by his community. The Index has not been a large monied success, but has done good work for the Patrons' Union and Conehatta.
The Newton County Progress was commenced in 1890 with J. M. Gage as the editor. This paper was estab- lished by a co-operative association of merchants and others, who made a stock company, and operated the paper for a time in this way, with Mr. Gage as editor. It then was edited by Mr. Hickey, who for about two years conducted the editorial and other management of the paper. After Mr. Hickey left the paper, the present management, with W. H. Seitzler as editor, has continued. The Progress, as has been said, is one of the best county newspapers in the State, and de- serves the patronage of the public, and is well sustained by home advertisements.
On the 1st of June, 1894, the Commercial, a newspa- per, was started at Newton. This is the fourth paper now in the county. This paper is edited by S. B. Ross, Esq., who has had considerable experience in the news- paper business. He established the Dispatch at this place, and also assisted in the secular editorial depart- · ment of the Baptist. Mr. Ross is a young man of talent and will strive to make the Commercial a read- able and useful paper. The Commercial is thoroughly Democratic in its tone, and doubtless will take active part in the politics of the county. Mr. Ross has asso- ciated with him Mr. Colson, who is local editor and. publisher of the Commercial. Mr. Colson is a steady and sober man, and a creditable publisher. In con- nection with this office is a thoroughly equipped job office that does good work in its line.
The newspaper business in this county has never
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proved very profitable. Several reasons may be as- signed for this failure. One is that there is not usu. ally enough capital; that necessarily prevents the em- ployment of an agent to travel and secure advertise- ments, and subscribers. There are a number of first-class city papers who employ large corps of trained news- gathers in all the surrounding States, and have corres- pondents in most of the inland towns, who furnish all the important items of the various States, and it is these great dailies that are brought through the coun- ty, morning and evening, by the railroad, that supply the people with most of the reading matter in the way of newspapers. The mail facilities are also excellent, conveying to the county from the railroad, mail mat- ter from all the large cities in the country, thereby making it a very easy and cheap method of supplying the people and educating them up to the latest and best of the news, both from our own State, the adjoining States, and our Federal Capital. More enterprise and greater displays of energy and ability to circulate the first-class journals is now seen than at any other age of the world. Yet the people of the county want a paper published in their own county. There are many advertisements that should only appear in such a pa- per, and there is county news that should only be published in such a paper ; and thus it is that this want is only supplied by a paper published in some of our towns. The people of the county should pa- tronize the county paper, should feel a laudable pride in its support. Our merchants and others wishing their business known should advertise in these papers, as they form a good medium for letting their business be known to the people who come to market.
Every editor should use his best efforts to present to his readers an interesting paper every week. To
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fill it with matter largely connected with the county and places in which the paper circulates. The sub- scriber should promptly pay in advance the small price asked for the county paper, and in this way pub- lishers and subscribers may be mutually benefitted.
CHAPTER XXIII.
INTRODUCTION OF THE GRANGE INTO THE COUNTY- ALLIANCE MOVEMENT-THEIR INFLUENCE IN POLI- TICS-THEIR EFFECT ON SOCIETY-WHAT HAS BEEN THE GENERAL GOOD RESULTS ON THE FARMING POPULATION FROM THESE ORDERS.
THE Grange movement in this county occurred very early after the order was introduced into the Nation and State. The first Council, as they were first called, met at Decatur, January, 1873. The first County Grange was held at Decatur, January 2d, 1875. The order at once attracted great attention, and for years there was much said and published with regard to its movement. It was supposed by many that the Grange was an order which only had an interest in the farm and the productions of the country. By others that it only required a man to be a member to be the recipient of some special benefit and that large provisions would be made for the poor man.
The order being a secret organization and a nominal fee charged for admission, also made it attractive to many who were curious to know its hidden mysteries. It also allowed the female portion of the community to join, and that was attractive and profitable to both male and female members.
The Grange was not long in operation before much was said of it as a political factor in the elections in the country. Very soon were found newspapers which
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advocated the Grange and also urged that the organi- zation should take a place in the political world. Very many have been the tilts that the order has taken in politics. Many have been the men who professed to like well the order, only to have ridden into office on that hobby.
The Grange, as a great organized body of industrious farmers, has claimed as its peculiar prerogative to attack any law of the land not conforming, in its judgment, to the advancement of the interest of the masses. It is bold in its denunciations of trusts, combines, plutocracy, improper accumulations of wealth; undue use of monied power; improper usurpation of executive and judicial authority ; un- fair discrimination against any section, or favored individuals, or the enactment of any laws that would in any way make an invidious distinction against the farming interests of the nation.
It has been free to attack any law governing the financial system of the country, criticise any action of the State or national government supposed to be class legislation, or anything infringing upon the rights of the farmer. Its demands also have been strong for the passage of certain laws which would be of great advantage to the people at large. Their representa- tives have had large audiences at the national capital in suggesting and originating the laws of the land. It has had great weight, no doubt, with the representa- tives of the nation in the framing of those laws look- ing to the sale of the products of the farmer; to the introduction into foreign markets with as little delay and duty as possible, the articles that are for sale by the farmers of the United States.
The Grange insists on laws to prevent the manufac- ture of any article for home consumption that is im-
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pure or injurious, or that does not come up to standard grade. Every form of legislation and commerce hav- ing for its end the good of the people of the country has been more or less inquired into by the Grangers What are the rights of this organization ? is a ques- tion which has been answered, sometimes satisfacto- rily, and at others the very reverse, to most of the members of this order. Some would relegate them to the rear as a class of citizens that knew little and that had no place in State and national affairs. Others claim that it was not at any time considered as com- petent that they should engage in politics, nor should they dictate or suggest anything to the State or na- tional Legislature ; that from their position in life they would not be expected to know what were the wants of the country, and that their suggestions would more clog the wheels of government than assist in the great machinery, which was only the work of states- men ; that the Grange should not be a political ma- chine, but one to make the products of the country, to place them upon the market, and then their responsi- bility ceased. Those who hold to these opinions are very much mistaken. There are nearly half of the people of the world engaged in agriculture; about nine-tenths in the agricultural counties of this State. This, as a matter of course, if all combine, always places a majority of their number in office, when such majorities obtain. As a natural consequence, one of the first and great principles of the Granger or farmer should be to look to the very best development of the business in which he is engaged, and to study well what would be his best interest ; what he should plant that would yield the best results ; how to cultivate the land to make it more subservient to him ; everything, both scientific and practical, every method should be 14
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studied that will conduce to his benefit. Let the Grange not be named a political party, but have a right to elect any man to office that is worthy and competent and that will act in conformity to the prin- ciples of justice and equality to all men. A man who would carry out the precepts of the order consistent with the rights of all, and for the good of all, would be a proper man to elevate, whether he be a Granger or not.
The Grangers should recognize that the law-makers should not all be of their order, but power should be vested in the hands of those who are willing to work for the best interests of the country, and to give to those who are the largest constituency, an equal right in all things connected with the government of the country. No spirit of agrarianism should be allowed to take root in this organization. If any may succeed in life by any legitimate and honorable pursuit, he should be allowed to enjoy it free from insidious attacks or envious molestation. No communistic or anarchistic spirit should invade this body. Let a principle be encouraged that every one should work and provide for himself.
The farmers have rights in the country. They should maintain that high position which is and ought ever to be accorded to them from their superior numbers, and they should always exercise their rights, preroga- tives and liberty, in a way that will be for the best interests of the masses in the great agricultural coun- try in which we live.
The first Grange in Newton county was organized at Oakland in 1874. The first County Grange, then called Councils, was organized at Decatur, January 2d, 1873, with the following delegates from various Granges, but mostly from Newton county :
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Bethel Grange, No. 243, sent Jas. E. Chapman and C. J. Johnson, as delegates ; Dixon, No. 400, repre- sented by W. F. Kirkland; Pinkney, No. 223, sent J. C. Edwards and A. Gardner ; Mt. Hebron, No. 391, sent W. A. Taylor and A. Laird; Centreville, No. 250, sent J. R. Pace; New Ireland, No. 243, sent J. J. Vance ; Beaver Creek, No. 484, sent A. T. Nicholson and H. B. Haddon; Oakland, No. 175, sent T. J. Reynolds and H. C. McMullen ; Garlandsville, No. 296, sent W. H. Bonner and R. H. Weir; Spring Hill, No. 234, sent Sim Perry and I. L. Bolton ; New Hope, No. 249, sent H. Cooper and D. M. Carr; Pine Forest, No. 188, sent J .- S. Parker and Isaac Bufkin ; Golden Grove, No. 418, sent A. W. W. Grafton and P. Nicholson.
This information is taken from the official records at Decatur and kindly furnished by Mr. A. M. Monroe, who has also given other valuable information which will be appended in connection with statistics of New- ton county Granges. The above are the accredited delegates at this meeting. M. W. Stamper was Wor- thy Master and D. M. Carr, Secretary of the Council. On July 10th, 1874. delegates were, according to call of S. B. Gilbert, Special Deputy, and the County Grange was organized with the following officers : S. B. Gil- bert, Worthy Master ; M. W. Stamper, Overseer ; Wm. McCraney, Lecturer; T. C. McMullen, Steward ; J. P. Partin, Assistant Steward; Wm. Graham, Chaplain ; G. M. Gallaspy, Treasurer ; T. J. Reynolds, Secretary ; C. H. Doolittle, Gate-keeper ; Mrs. M. E. Hardy, Ceres ; Mrs. R. R. McMullen, Pomona ; Rachael Reynolds, Flora ; C. C. Stamper, Lady Assistant Steward.
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