USA > Wisconsin > Columbia County > A history of Columbia County, Wisconsin : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests > Part 16
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"SHANGHAI" CHANDLER AND THE INDEPENDENT
In the meantime the republican party had been born, and The Independent had been espousing its cause at Portage since 1855. On February 3rd, of that year, John A. and Julius C. Chandler issued its first number. A year thereafter, the latter assumed sole proprietorship, but on the 14th of April, 1857, Mr. Chandler-"Shanghai" Chandler, the humorist and eccentric genius of early local journalism-abandoned the Independent, bought the outfit of the defunct democratic infant, the Columbia County Reporter, and established a paper at Friendship, Adams County. He died at Baraboo in the late '70s.
ROBERT B. WENTWORTH AND THE PORTAGE CITY RECORD
Robert B. Wentworth founded the Portage City Record upon the good will and subscription list of the Independent. The first number of the Record was issued April 29, 1857, and on its editorial page appear the names of M. M. Davis and A. J. Turner. Mr. Davis' editorial contributions had attracted some attention from the readers of the Inde- pendent, but Mr. Turner was virtually unknown as an editor. He had had a short experience as city editor of the Madison State Journal;
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otherwise he had been setting type in various offices, including the defunct Independent.
Mr. Wentworth, the proprietor of the Record, was an experienced journalist, in-so-far as the general management of a newspaper was concerned. He had formerly been associated with Charles Billinghurst in the establishment of the first newspaper in Dodge County, the Gazette, published at Juneau. He was also a practical printer.
ENTER A. J. TURNER
On the 11th of November Mr. Davis severed his connection with the Record as editorial writer, his duties being assumed by Mr. Turner. Shortly afterward the latter went to Friendship to assist "Shanghai" Chandler. But Mr. Turner was destined for Portage, to which he re- turned in March, 1859, and resumed his former relations with the Record. Ere this, the paper had become one of the most prosperous journals in the county. In fact, it seemed to have too much official business, and the republican leaders decided that a division of the spoils was no more than fair. In this predicament of party affairs, on the 17th of April, 1861, Mr. Wentworth sold the Record to A. J. Turner.
WISCONSIN STATE REGISTER FOUNDED
About a month previous-March 16, 1861-Samuel S. Brannan issued the first number of the Wisconsin State Register at Portage, the material used in its publication having been used by the Badger State. Mr. Brannan's experience in journalism had commenced as a "devil" in the shanty of the River Times. In his salutatory the editor said : "Having long been convinced of the necessity for a representative organ in this city, one which will fully and fairly reflect the views of the re- publican party, and having received such assurances as will justify the enterprise, we have coneluded to commence the publication of the Wis- consin State Register. To enable us more fully to complete our arrange- ments for the publication of the paper, no sheet will be issued for the next week or two from this office. We shall, early in April, enlarge and otherwise improve our paper."
BRANNAN & TURNER, PROPRIETORS
On the 27th of April, soon after the suspension of the Record, the Register appeared enlarged from a seven to an eight-column folio;
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Brannan & Turner, proprietors; Israel Holmes and A. J. Turner, editors, and S. S. Brannan, local editor. The change is announced in the fol- lowing card signed by Mr. Turner: "In the last Portage City Record announcement was made of the fact that the office had been sold to the undersigned. This week I have the further announcement to make that I have united my interest in the office with those of S. S. Brannan of the State Register, and that henceforth both papers will be published unitedly under the name of the Wisconsin State Register, by Brannan, Turner & Company, and will be conducted by I. Holmes and A. J. Turner as principal editors and S. S. Brannan as local editor. No further number of the Record will be issued, except a small edition to close up some legal advertisements. Advertisers in the Record, residing out of the city, will have their contracts completed in the State Register. All accounts of the Record will be adjusted by R. B. Wentworth. All subscribers who overpaid for the Record will be furnished with the State Register to the close of their subscriptions."
Mr. Holmes, the leading editorial writer, was a lawyer by profession and a very able man. In April, 1864, he disposed of his interest in the Register to Messrs. Brannan and Turner and retired from journalism. Under their able management, both business and editorial, the Register flourished. In February, 1878, the paper was sold to Judge John T. Clark and B. F. Goodell. The former was editor and the latter in charge of the mechanical departments.
THE REGISTER FROM 1885 TO DATE
On February, 16, 1885, Judge John T. Clark sold his one-half in- terest to Major S. S. Rockwood and the firm became Rockwood and Goodell. Major Rockwood was one of the most scholarly and able writers connected with the press of the state. He remained editor of the paper until 1887, when he retired to accept a position in the state land office. The Portage Daily Register was started during his editor- ship. During the late '80s the Register Printing Company was estab- lished and met with business reverses. Mr. Goodell retired from the management, taking the job department to Superior, Wis. Maurice Goodman became editor of the paper in 1891. In 1892 J. H. Waggoner bought the paper and became its editor. In 1894 Mr. Goodman bought the paper back from Waggoner and continued its publication until 1908, when it was sold to the Wisconsin State Register Company, of which company A. A. Porter is the principal stockholder.
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A. J. TURNER AND MAJOR ROCKWOOD
At this point we pause to pay a tribute to two Columbia County editors who attained merited prominence in state and national affairs- Andrew Jackson Turner and Sheppard S. Rockwood.
When A. J. Turner disposed of the Wisconsin State Register he retired from active journalism, although he was prominent in local, state and national affairs almost to the time of his death, June 10, 1905. The deceased was a firm republican all his mature life, but he was broader and deeper than partisanship of any kind, and as a conse- quence no man was more widely beloved or admired in Columbia County than "Jack" Turner. Small but compact of stature, his tireless activities, covering a variety of subjects, seemed one of the miracles of nature; but running through them all was a steadfast affection for the people and localities which cemented him to Portage and Columbia County as his home. The last years of his life were especially devoted to an exhaustive investigation of every fact having a bearing upon the remarkable history of the county which so closely centered in the portage between the Wisconsin and Fox. His last and most valuable contribution to this class of literature was the little book entitled "The Family Tree of Columbia County," to whose condensed wealth of material the editor of this volume acknowledges his indebtedness.
The last fragment of manuscript which is known to have left his hand was a little note addressed to a member of Wau-Bun Chapter, D. A. R., whose labors in behalf of historic memorials and investigations had always met his heartiest co-operation.
THE FACTS OF MR. TURNER'S LIFE
A. J. Turner was born in the town of Schuyler Falls, N. Y., Sep- tember 24, 1832. He lived there on a farm until 1853, when he moved to Grand Rapids to take a case in the office of the Grand River Eagle. Returning to his native town in 1855, he "set up" the first number of the Plattsburg Sentinel, teaching school for a short time and again settling in Grand Rapids early in the same year. In September, 1855, he came to Portage, and the second day after his arrival was employed as a compositor in the Independent office. He worked there until the spring of 1856, when he went to Madison, and for a year was employed on the State Journal both as a printer and city editor.
As stated, in the spring of 1857 Mr. Turner returned to Portage and became one of the editors of the Record. During the following twenty
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years his newspaper experiences have been traced in the sketches of that journal and the Wisconsin State Register.
During the period named Mr. Turner served one term as clerk of the Circuit Court, commencing in January, 1861, and, as compiler of the Legislative Manual of Wisconsin in 1870-74, created the Blue Book, which has no superior of its kind in the United States. He served in the assembly in 1862, 1863, 1865 and 1868, and for several years there- after was officially connected with the Portage & Superior Railroad and the Portage, Stevens Point & Superior Railroad, which were absorbed by the Wisconsin Central System, and the Portage, Friendship & Grand Rapids Line, subsequently consolidated with the Madison & Portage.
Mr. Turner was chief clerk of the Wisconsin State Senate in 1876- 78, resigning that position to accept the office of state railroad commis- sioner, to which he had been appointed by Governor William E. Smith. He also held that office after his retirement from the State Register.
In 1881 he was elected mayor of Portage and twice reelected, and served repeatedly as supervisor of his ward and in other local positions. He was a delegate to the republican national conventions of 1868, 1880, 1888 and 1892, and in the last named year was the acknowledged leader in the legislation which resulted in the rearrangement of the state into congressional and legislative districts. It was his work more than the efforts of any other one man which led to the overthrowing of the two unconstitutional reapportionments of 1891-92. Mr. Turner acted as supervisor of the United States census for the Third Wisconsin District in 1880, and for the First District in 1900; in 1897, by appointment of Judge Siebecker, he became chairman of the jury commission for Colum- bia County, and it may be that, even with this, some office has escaped us which was held by that marvel of industry and practical ability, A. J. Turner.
Mr. Turner's married and domestic life was ideal. His wife was Mary O. Hanford, to whom he was married at Friendship, Adams County, May 29, 1860. They had three children-Frederick J. Turner, suc- cessively of the University of Wisconsin and Yale; William F. Turner, a business man of Portage ; and Ellen B., now Mrs. E. W. Demoe, of Oak- land, California.
MAJ. S. S. ROCKWOOD
Maj. Sheppard S. Rockwood was a scholarly gentleman and a fine type of the American citizen. He was only in the journalistic field of Columbia County for a couple of years, but he was in it long enough to endear himself to the people of the entire county.
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Born in Frankfort, N. Y., December 21, 1838, he came West with his parents in his second year. The family settled in Walworth County, Wis., during 1841, and a few years later located in Harmony Township, Rock County. He graduated from Milton (Wis.) College, married Flora A. Hawley, of that place, in 1859, later was a member of the faculty of the college, and when the Civil war broke out in 1861 was a junior at the University of Wisconsin.
Major Rockwood was commissioned second lieutenant of Company E, Thirteenth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, at the formation of the regi- ment, and shortly after the fall of Vicksburg became captain and com- missary of the army corps. In 1865 he served in Texas as commissary on General Custer's staff, and on October 6th of that year was mustered out with the rank of brevet major, United States Volunteers.
From 1865 to 1868 Major Roekwood engaged in business as a Chicago produce commission merchant, but his training and tastes were all toward the scholarly and for two years and a half after his Chicago experience he was identified with the mathematical department of Milton College. While thus engaged he received the degree of Master of Arts from the University of Wisconsin, being then called to the Whitewater Normal School, where for nine years he was professor of mathematics.
In 1881 Major Rockwood served under Superintendent Whitford as assistant to the state superintendent of sehools, his editorial experience covering the years 1883-87. During that period he was editor and pro- prietor of the Elkhorn Independent, editor and part owner of the Janes- ville Daily Recorder and editor and part owner of the Wisconsin State Register. Soon after severing his connection with the State Register, in 1887, he assumed his duties as clerk of the Wisconsin State Land Office, which office he held 1887-89; was chief clerk of the United States Depart- ment of Agriculture from 1889-92; assistant chief of the United States Weather Bureau, 1892-93, and secretary of the board of regents of the State Normal Sehools of Wisconsin, 1895-1905.
Major Rockwood's death at Portage on July 12, 1905, removed from the county and the state a foremost citizen, a gentleman of true ability and worth. He left two sons-H. S. Roekwood, for twenty years the able local editor of the Portage Democrat, and George S. Rockwood, of Yuma, Arizona.
FIRST COLUMBUS NEWSPAPER
The press obtained a weak foothold in Columbus about 1853, in the shape of the Columbia Reporter, founded and edited by Carr Hunting- ton, who moved his young child to Portage in 1857. It survived that
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transplanting but a few months, when it was sold out under sheriff's execution and the material lugged off to Friendship by "Shanghai" Chandler.
The Columbus Journal lasted from January, 1855, to November, 1864. It was an offspring of the republican party and was conducted most of the time by either Daniel or Marcus A. Mallo. Its founder, Daniel Mallo, who was one of the oldest publishers in the Northwest, was in charge of it at the time of his death, October 30, 1864, and the Journal survived his demise but a short time.
WISCONSIN MIRROR PRECEDES KILBOURN CITY
The first building erected on the site of the present Kilbourn City was a little cottage for Alanson Holly, of Warsaw, N. Y., who had come West in the fall of 1855 seeking a location in that part of the country's wilds, and an even smaller building for the printing and publishing of the Wisconsin Mirror; for Mr. Holly was a newspaper man, and had so much faith in the country and his venture that he had brought his family with him to live in the new village which had just been platted by the Wisconsin River Hydraulic Company. On December 22, 1855, the news- paper building was inclosed, and while the plasterers were at work the "hands" in the office unboxed the type and set up the press. It was so cold that the compositors had to bathe their fingers in warm water every few minutes to make them limber.
As the paper was being made ready for the press, on New Year's of 1856, a number of friends gathered in the office and proposed to sell the first copy at auction. The result of the suggestion exceeded Editor Holly's fondest hopes, for the first copy brought $65. The second and third papers struck from the press were bid in at $10 and $5, respectively ; whereupon the bidding ceased. For many months mails were received once, twice or three times a week at the village of Newport, two miles distant, and thither the editor was obliged to go for his exchanges and other mail matter. The Hollys (Alanson and H. A.) published the Mirror for a number of years, the proprietors who subsequently came into possession being T. O. Thompson, D. L. and E. B. Davis, Frank O. Wesner and W. M. Cole. In October, 1876, while Mr. Cole was conduct- ing it, the office was burned; and no attempt was made to revive the Mirror.
THE COLUMBUS DEMOCRAT
In the winter of 1864-65 Valentine Baltuff brought to Columbus the outfit of his Lodi Weekly Herald, which had suspended during the
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previous November at the age of twenty months, and experimented with the Transcript until August, 1868.
The remains of the Transcript were gathered by Henry D. Bath, who on September 10, 1868, brought out the Columbus Democrat. In his announcement to the public, Mr. Bath says: "It is already known by many that the Columbus Transcript, which was formerly issued from this office, has changed hands, and today, for the first time, we believe, in ten years, the colors of the Democratic party are hoisted by a newspaper in Columbia county." Henry D. Bath, who was a most vigorous and talented writer, managed the paper successfully for ten years, when his editorial career was terminated by death. He was succeeded successively by H. D. James and D. W. Bath, C. C. Eaton, George E. Bunsa, and Frank D. Goodwin (its present editor).
But it did not stand to reason that the republican party, which was in a majority throughout the county, should be without a representative newspaper. Its leaders did not propose that the republican Transcript should give birth to the demoeratie Democrat and leave their rivals with- out a competitor.
THE COLUMBUS REPUBLICAN
The party leaders therefore called upon J. R. Decker, then publishing the Waupun Times, to come to Columbus and establish an organ for republicanism and the general interests of the county. They offered him .. such liberal inducements that he sold out his paper, went to Chicago, where he bought an entire new printing office, including a job press, the latter something novel in Columbus. Mr. Decker first established his plant on the second floor of Shaffer's Block, in the room that for many years Squire Farnham afterward occupied as his justice's office. The room was soon found to be too small, and after various removals was located on Ludington Street.
The first issue of the Republican was on October 7, 1868, less than a month after the appearance of the Democrat. It was a seven-column folio and, with new type and press, presented a handsome appearance. Mr. Decker was also a strong writer and an experienced editor, and was ably seconded by good local talent. Among other talented writers he was assisted by Le Roy Irons, whose brilliant career was only condensed by death. Mr. Decker continued to guide the Republican to wide influ- enee and financial prosperity for a period of forty years, his job office obtaining a fine reputation, as well as his newspaper. Upon the death of Mr. Decker, in 1908, Robert C. Leitsch, a native of Columbus and a thoroughly educated business man, became proprietor of the Republican.
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FIRST GERMAN NEWSPAPER, DER WECKER
By the early '70s the German element had become so strong in Colum- bia County that it demanded and obtained a newspaper. On September 1, 1874, the Columbia County Wecker was first issued by Gustavus A. Selbach, an experienced journalist who had already founded newspapers at Appleton (Volksfreund) and at Mansfield, Ohio (Courier). For a dozen years Der Wecker upheld its name and continued to "wake up" the Germans of Columbia County, as well as not a few English-speaking people. The paper was democratic in politics.
RUNDSCHAU UND WECKER
In 1886 a competitor appeared in Rundschau, but as the years passed it became evident that the field was not large enough for two well-sus- tained German newspapers, and in 1905 they were wisely consolidated. Frank Heidt, who had been identified with Rundschau since its estab- lishment, continued to be the moving spirit of the new publication until April 1, 1912, when J. Schnell assumed control. Rundschau und Wecker is the only German newspaper in Central Wisconsin, is inde- pendent in tone, and well voices the interests of the countrymen who support it.
LAUNCHING OF THE PORTAGE DEMOCRAT
Since the suspension of the Badger State in 1859 the City of Portage had been without a democratic newspaper published in English, and to those who believed in the principles of that party the situation became more and more intolerable. So, in March, 1877, at the solicitation of their democratic friends in that city, Henry D. Bath, editor of the Columbus Democrat, and his brother, W. E. Bath, established the Portage Democrat, a seven-column folio: Said the editors in their salutatory : "For the first time in almost twenty years a Democratic newspaper in the English language is issued in this city. We are here for the estab- lishment of a legitimate business and to meet a need which has long and repeatedly been represented to ns as existing in this community. We are not here to encroach upon the province of any other journal, but to do work in an open field. The Register is an old and ably conducted newspaper which has done very much to advance the material interests of Portage. Its editors are onr personal friends and we hope they will remain so, however divergent the line of our political operations may be.
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The Advance is not at all in our way, and the Wecker is our ally. We propose, in the interests of Reform-Democracy and not in subserviency to any ring or clique of it, to make as good a newspaper as we can. To this end we invoke the cooperation of every member of the party, and will devote our utmost endeavors to render it the most efficient aid within our power. But the political work of a local journal is, after all, but a small part of the labor which it has to do. It should be ever busy in furthering the business interests and social welfare of the community where it is published. It is a record of the life of the people in its vicinity ; the chronicler of their joys and sorrows, their successes and reverses, and its general purpose is to do good to those within the circle of its influence and to be of value to them in the accomplishment of worthy objects. Such are the aims of the Portage Democrat."
Early in 1878 the health of W. E. Bath, who had been in charge of the Democrat since its launching, failed, and Irving Bath, formerly a clerk in the state land office, went to Portage to conduct the paper. He afterwards became sole owner and remained at its head until the sum- mer of 1881, when he, like his brother, became a victim of consumption.
Mr. Bath prevailed upon a young country school teacher of demo- cratie persuasion, who had never seen the inside of a printing office, to take charge of the editorial work, while he went away seeking health. This pedagogue was J. E. Jones. After six weeks of absence Mr. Bath returned, his health unimproved, and he began to banter the young school teacher to turn editor and buy the newspaper. Mr. Jones was at first quite skeptical as to the solidity of his talents in that line, but he liked the business, as he confessed very recently, and the more he thought it over the warmer he became. So at length he bolted from the office out into the suburbs and secured funds to swing the purchase, and he has blessed his self-confidence ever since; for the Democrat is a credit to him, to Portage and the state.
This was November 1, 1881, and Mr. Jones has controlled the destinies of the paper ever since, a period of thirty-three years. The Democrat has always been aggressively democratie and has wielded a far-reaching influence in the community through which it circulates. In 1886 the Daily Democrat was established and has been published continuously since.
JAMES EDWIN JONES By H. G. Cutler
Mr. Jones, whose name appears as the editor of this work, suggested to the writer that it would be out of place to incorporate in this history
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anything relating to himself, but we thought differently, and the informa- tion obtained was received from other sources.
J. E. Jones' prominence both as a journalist and as a public man dates from his purchase of the Portage Democrat in 1881, of which paper he has been editor and proprietor continuously for a period of thirty- three years; and he is still in his prime, active and robust. Under his guidance the growth, influence and prosperity of the paper has been continuous. He is one of the old school thoroughbred democrats, posi- tive in his belief and fearless in the promulgating of the principles he believes to be correct.
In 1885 Mr. Jones was appointed postmaster of Portage under Cleve- land's first term, and held the office until 1889. He served as a member of the democratic state central committee for a dozen years, and was chairman of the democratic county committee for sixteen years.
In matters affecting Portage City he has always been a leader in both political and business affairs. He served his city as alderman and for six consecutive terms as its mayor.
During his administrations the city was improved as never before. The fine city hall was built and completed; modern waterworks secured by the city ; the paved area of the municipality greatly extended; taxes equalized between city and county, and the levee system greatly extended to protect the city. Mr. Jones secured the $20,000 from the state by incessant work, and got the state to assume control of the system. Thus has been constructed a perfect levee system, to protect not only the city but a great portion of the state from the overflows of the Wisconsiu River.
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