USA > Wisconsin > Buffalo County > History of Buffalo County, Wisconsin > Part 38
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LITERARY SOCIETIES
existed at different times and places, some merely for social inter- course and as a means of acquiring fluency in expressing thoughts and opinions, others with a view to permanency and to furnishing materials for instruction. All these societies labored under the mistake that a "Budget" was a necessary appendage to each of them, and that the said "Budget" could be kept free from gossip and annoying small talk .. The people of the present time, especi- ally young people, see, and have seen, all their lives, a newspaper in every nook of the country, and as everybody is more compe- tent than any editor to get up a paper, a paper, yclept "Budget," is gotten up, and edited in turn by every member. The Budget soon manages to stir up a rumpus, and society and literary effort collapse together. We had such a society here in Alma, for some time quite a creditable affair, and of laudable intentions. After it had met its fate, the books accumulated in its library were de- posited in the library of the school district, where, I hope, they will be properly taken care of and used to advantage. A similar society was lately in operation at Fountain City. It was founded in 1879, Miss Cora Clark, president. From a program before me
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EDUCATION.
it appears that the customary exercises were practiced, including singing, reading, declamation, news of the week and debates. It continued for five or six years.
Some of the singing societies have also small circulating libraries for their own members. See "Public Societies."
The professional lecturer has, as previously stated, not met with any marked success among us, whether he spoke in English or in German. One kind of lectures, however, has found attentive listeners among the class for whom it was intended. This is the Agricultural Institutes, which perhaps should have been mentioned under the head of "Agriculture" but may also find its place here. These institutes are always kept in Mondovi, and as I am not now a farmer and living about twenty-five miles from the place named, I may be excused from saying much about the matter.
Having always maintained, that, as the teacher, so is the school, I am naturally interested in everything calculated to im- prove the intellectual standard of the teachers. The last import- ant movement in that direction was the "Reading Circle." Its main intention was to furnish to teachers suitable books at re- duced prices, and to induce them to assemble at convenient pla- ces and times to discuss the matters contained in these books. It was in the fall of 1885 when operations were first begun in this county and some progress was made during that winter, which was continued during the winter of 1886 and 87. The severity of the two winters, the particular configuration of our county, and, it must be said, though it may be disagreeable) the indolence of many teachers, especially those who were most in need of the pro- posed improvement, prevented the success to which the scheme seems to be fairely entitled.
With some of our teachers there is little or no danger that it wiil ever be said of them, as of Horace Greely: " He is a self-made man and admires his creator," although I wish that every one of them were entitled to the vanity implied in the quotation. For, say whatever you may, every educated person is to a certain ex- tent or degree "self-made" in mentality, and to that degree he or she is useful or at least original.
Perhaps I ought to apologize for the personal, or as some peo- ple may be pleased to call it, egotistical, remarks in this chapter.
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EDUCATION.
The reader, however, will excuse, if he should notice, this personal tone or color, if he remembers that I was educated for a school- master, and that for so many years I have stood at the head of educational affairs in this county. I do not care much for politics, being therein of a most uncomfortable independence, but on edu- cation, public, private or otherwise, I am very earnest and decided, without wishing to impose upon others.
With the above I meant to close the chapter on Education, but I found that something important had been overlooked, that is the "Educational Column " in the Alma Express, afterwards and now the Buffalo County Journal. More or less regular com- munications appeared in that paper soon after Mr. J. C. Rathbun had entered into the office of County Superintendent. By this I do not mean official reports, which as a matter of course had been published before as occasion required, but articles on educational subjects suggested by official experience or otherwise, but not actually of an official nature- On my return to the office in 1882 I continued the practice, at the same time extending it by trans- lating the articles into German and publishing them in the " Re- publikaner." These articles had a tendency to keep the people posted on educational matters, to rouse dormant energies in both teachers and people, and to keep interest in schools and school- matters alive. Mr. Schmidt also continues the practice.
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PRESS.
PRESS.
The press of Buffalo County consists at present of three news- papers, viz .:
The Buffalo County Journal of Alma;
The Buffalo County Herald of Mondovi;
The Republikaner of Fountain City.
I shall accord every one of these papers a separate article, and will in these introductory remarks only speak of the relation of the press in general to our population.
It is usually conceded, that, other things being equal, the number of newspapers in a country is directly proportional to the number of those who are able to read, hence inversely propor- tional to the number of illiterates. There are some apparent ex- ceptions to that rule. They are not real, since other conditions are different. I have seen it stated, and I believe it to be approx- imately correct, that in Germany there is but one newspaper to every six thousand inhabitants, while there is one to every five thousand in France. But France at present is a republic, while Germany is a monarchy, or a combination of monarchies under a central government. This is one reason why more papers are is- sued, proportionally, in France. Another reason is the different character of these two nations; the Germans being rather slow, solid and conservative, while the French are rather quick, super- ficial and revolutionary, and have from time immemorial been remarkable for loquacity and gossiping. Of course, the newspa- per is not the only standard by which the intelligence of a nation is to be judged, and even if it were the question would still be perminent: In which of the two countries are proportionally the most readers of papers ? It must be remembered that in France there are many active political parties, each having its organs, and each party-fraction having the same, while in Germany there are but two great parties, and the papers of the opposition and its fractions are considerably bridled.
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PRESS.
But, to come back to our own county, we have a population of 16,483 and so there would be one paper for every 5,494 per- sons. This would not be a very bad proportion under any cir- cumstances, but it neither indicates the proportion of educated and illiterate persons, nor the general culture and intelligence of our population. Local papers like ours, though useful, and even nec- essary can not compete with papers published in large cities and cannot furnish all the news and other information desirable to so many different persons.
The proportion of actual illiterates is very small among us, and as we are in a free country, and parties, and fractions of such are not wanting, but rather as abundant as other weeds, it can readily be understood that the three county papers are by no means all the papers subscribed for and read among us. But in relation to these latter I think that the German population does comparatively more for them, taken together, than the other parts, since many Germans do not only keep the paper printed in their native language, but also one or both of those printed in English. They are in a measure compelled to do so, while Americans and others, who can not read German, are naturally excused from sup- porting papers printed in that language.
Historically considered, the Press received attention and sup- port in this county at an early period of its political existence.
The "Beacon" must have been established at Fountain City in 1856. Citizens of Fountain City assure me that they had a paper in their place before there was one at Winona. The oldest copy of the "Beacon" which I had access to, is in possession of Mr. John Clarke of Fountain City, and dated March 20, 1858. It was Republican in politics. Among advertisements I noted, those of R. W. Feigel and Schuster & Bro., Merchants, A Finkelnburg, Surveyor and Court Commissioner, Robert Strohmann County Surveyor, Marvin Pierce Attorney and Counsellor at Law; of tav- erns and hotels: Fountain City House by H. M. Hamann, Wis- consin House by Ehler Schumacher, Washington House by J. P. Behlmer, all at Fountain City; Alma House by W. H. Gates at Alma. Buehler & Clark advertised the Fountain City flour mill, etc. The number also contains the list of the Grand and Petit Jury.
454
PRESS.
In consideration of the Tax-List, then, and for many years afterwards, a lucrative job, which was worth contending for, the Fountain City. "Advocate" was started in 1857, but it did not live to get a chance at the tax-list, which in 1858 had to be published in the "Trempealeau Times." Its successor was the " Buffalo County Ad- vertiser " published by Marvin Pierce an C. Bohri, jr. It lived from 1860-61. The Beacon having expired in 1858 and the press and material been removed to: Eau Claire, Fountain City was: for several years without a newspaper. For those who may think there is something in a name, I will give a synopsis of the con- secutive proprietors and editors of the above named papers, al- though none of them with the exception of Mr. Bohri is at pres- ent alive or known to the younger generation.
FOUNTAIN CITY BEACON.
July 18, 1856 to Oct. 1858.
PROPRIETORS: EDITORS:
L. M. Rose and R. Beeson.
L. M. Rose and Wheelock.
Dr. T. G. Hake. ¥
L. M. Rose.
Ketchum Averill.
Stock Company.
Chas. Patterson.
FOUNTAIN CITY ADVOCATE.
From Sept. 1857, about six months.
Proprietor: Ketchum Averill.
BUFFALO COUNTY ADVERTISER. From 1860 to 1861.
Proprietors: Marvin Pierce and C. Bohri, jr.
The " Advocate " was the successor of the " Beacon," and the " Advertiser " was required in order to obviate the publication of the tax-list in an adjoining county. After having accomplished this special purpose it expired. The county-seat having been re- moved from Fountain City to Alma, (see Organization) the latter place offered the better chance for a newspaper enterprise. This brings us down to the papers yet in existence. But before enter- ing upon their separate history I must mention a venerable relic, not of the press of this county, but still preserved within it. This is a number of the Ulster County, N. Y., Gazette, published January 4th, 1800. It contains an account, at considerable length, of the
455
PRESS.
death and burial of President Washington. Also some correspond- ence between Congress and President John Adams. Besides these items it contains a deseription of the battle of Zurich, in which an army of Russians under Gen. Korsakoff combined with another army of Austrians under Gen. Hotze, was defeated by the French under Gen. Massena, and some rumors about actions between the French and Dutch in the Netherlands. Mr. Clarke has this paper pasted on glass, so as to offer a go d chance for reading both sides of the sheet, in a substantial frame.
THE BUFFALO COUNTY JOURNAL.
Though in point of time the Buffalo County Republikaner was probably published a few weeks earlier, we will take the Journal first.
It was established at Alma in April 1861 by Jas. M. Brackett and one Rockwell, as a six column folio under the name of "Alma Journal." It existed since under the following proprietors:
Brackett and Rockwell, 1861-1863.
Dick Copeland, 1863-1865.
Jacob Iberg and Co., 1865-1866.
John Hunner, jr., 1867.
Moser and Hunner, 1868.
Perkins, McBride and Ostrander, 1869.
Change of name to " Alma Journal and Beef Slough Advocate," probably to match the lengthy name of the firm.
The next proprietor, Geo. W. Gilkey found it advisable to change the name again, and the paper became the " Alma Weekly Express." It passed into the hands of
Hunner and DeGroff, 1871.
Hunner and C. L. James, 1871.
DeGroff and James, 1872.
DeGroff and A. Rockwell, 1873.
J. W. DeGroff since 1874.
In 1879, when Mr. DeGroff enlarged the paper to an eight column folio, he also changed the name to " Buffalo County Journal." According to his own statement he has been " wedded and devotedly attached " to the paper, ever eince he became sole proprietor of it, which we do not doubt, although at times he manifests some un- easiness, and has occasionally run away from it, to Madison and other places, the last time as the Senator from this district.
456
PRESS.
Whether or not the paper would have a case against the editor and proprietor for a divorce on account of "wilful desertion," we are not lawyer enough to decide, but we know that it still adheres to him, as it always did, and still does, to the Republican party and its principles. Although Mr. DeGroff is not a practical printer himself, he has a very effective job printing office, both in English and in German, though not as complete in the latter as in the former; yet, with the assistance of some of his German friends he would get along swimmingly by simply asking for advice. It is not, of course, to be expected that one man should do everything, but what he does, ought to be done creditably, and I believe that applies to our friend John as his accomplishment. His shadow did not grow less for a number of years, and we hope it will never, until he enters that blissful realm, where there is too much light to admit of shadows.
With this I intended to dismiss my friend DeGroff and his paper from the pages of this book, but as both have some excel- lent qualities I found that I should say something more. The "Journal" has in course of time, and especially under Mr. De Groff's editorship considerably improved, and is a very readable and interesting paper, especially as a chronicle of passing events of the neighborhood. Liberal space has been granted for the last nine years to an "Educational Column" edited by the different county superintendents who held office during that period. Other interesting correspondences have also from time to time found a place in it. It is, also, the official paper of Buffalo County and deserves to be patronized, by subscription as well as by advertise- ments.
THE BUFFALO COUNTY REPUBLIKANER.
About two years after the incorporation of the City of Buffalo in this county, during the contest between said city and the vil- lage, then still a part of the town of Alma, for the county-seat, a German newspaper was considered to be a necessity and Mr. Christian Lohmann was induced to come to the place and to un- dertake the publication of said paper. Mr. Lohmann was a prac- tical printer and had had various experiences in the way of edit- in papers. The outfit, I think, originally belonged to him, and subsidies were furnished to induce him to come. The first num- ber of the paper was issued on the 15th day of March, 1861, It
457
PRESS.
was then, as now called the "Buffalo County Republikaner," not so much because the editor was Republican in politics or sentiment, but because the leading people of the place were so. The start of the paper, too, fell into that period, when the "irrepressible con- flict" had begun to assume the shape and dimension of serious war. This would have given an ambitious man of honest Repub- lican sentiments a fine chance for making the paper interesting and successful. But there was no ambition about Mr. Lohmann, and I do not remember that he had any decided opinions in re- gard to politics, although I was daily in his office during the months of May and June. About the beginning of the next month the financial basis of Mr. Lohmann's establishment had. disappeared and he departed, leaving the press and other materials in possession of the corporation. About that time I took a notion to become the editor and proprietor of the abandoned paper, but failing to secure the desired partner, desisted from the attempt. Some time afterwards, about the 1st of October, 1861, Mr. G. G. Oppliger, a practical printer, and until then employed at the Nordstern of La Crosse, purchased the concern, at a bargain, but conditioned for remaining in Buffalo City for about three years. Mr. Oppliger possessed the necessaay energy, experience and am- bition to make the enterprise a success. He had by his former residence in this county acquired sufficient local discrimination to begin with. He issued the paper at Buffalo City until May 28th, 1864, when for better facilities of communication and otherwise, he transferred it to Fountain City, where it is still in existence. Mr. Oppliger sold the Republikaner to Major John F. Hauser on the first day of April, 1869. Major Hauser sold to Joseph Leicht Nov. 4th, 1871. Up to that period the politics of the paper had remained Republican and agreed with the title. Mr. Leicht, not having passed through the struggle of the Civil War, listened to the seductive voice of those, who would have annihilated the me- mory of that struggle, and paralyzed its results, if they had been able to do so, and the paper become by degrees democratic, partly perhaps, in deference to the sentiment of a majority of the citizens of Fountain City. Like Mr. Oppliger, in his time, Mr. Leicht had to work very hard, and, like Oppliger, niust be credited with the laudable ambition of making the paper a success in every respect, which he accomplished to a remarkable degree. After having had
458
PRESS.
the property and management of the paper for over ten years, and having put in a power press, he conceived the idea of entering a larger field of labor, and began the issue of the "Westlicher Her- old" at Winona, Minn. The "Republikaner" he sold to Frederick Hepp and John L. Utermoehl, of whom the latter became the editor and manager of the paper, in which position he remained until a short time ago. After his retirement from it Mr. Hepp as- sociated himself with Mr. Jacob Meili, who now acts as editor and manager. There being a great many Germans especially in the lower part of the county, some of whom have never had time or opportunity to acquire a sufficient knowledge of the English lang- uage to render the reading of newspapers in it an easy matter, it was quite natural that the Republikaner should acquire a consi- derable circulation, and it must be admitted that under the dif- ferent managements it has always been conducted with considerate moderation, has always done as well as could be expected under the circumstances with regard to general news, and has been a faithful chronicle of psssing events in the county without descend- ing to gossip and unwarranted reflections. It may not be said to be absolutely perfect, but it deserves the patronage it holds and receives. In connection with this German paper we can not omit to mention, that it received in course of time the emoluments connected with the county printings and that the tax-lists are also published in it, and were, for a number of years past. There were low and then some objections raised to this official support to a paper not printed in English, but the general good sense of the community finally acquiesced in the practice, conceding the fact that citizens and tax-payers should not be deprived of official in- telligence merely because their opportunities for acquiring as suf- ficient knowledge of the so-called official language of the country had not been very extensive.
Personally I have always been on good terms with the editors of this paper, and have written for it every New Years Greeting or Carrier's Address since its existence, with the exception of one, and have assisted as the intermistic editor of it on several occasions. I have, also, edited the Educational Column of it during my last two terms of office as County Superintendent.
With the Republikaner office is also connected a job-printing establishment which does not remain behind any similar one in
459
·PRESS.
any place of the size of Fountain City, and is equally well pro- vided for printing in the English as well as the German Language. Auction Sales are often published in both of these languages on the same page.
THE BUFFALO COUNTY HERALD.
This paper is published at Mondovi, It was founded by the present publisher, Mr. Walter L. Houser, in 1876, the first issue appearing February 4th. It has since changed proprietors, having been conducted by Geo. E. Gilkey, W. H. and C. E. Edes and John C. Rathbun respectively. Publication was suspended, though only for one week, in 1879 when Messrs. Edes sold the material to Hon. J. W. De. Groff, and took one of the imposing stones and wrote an epitaph upon it: "Died for want of support." It was resur- rected. by Mr. Geo. E. Gilkey, who bought an entire new outfit. Since that time the paper has been prosperous. It is Republican in politics, devoted to the cause of temperance, and the interests of Buffalo County.
The above is a copy, almost "verbatim et literatim " of the sketch written by Mr. Houser, the founder and present proprietor of the paper. It remains to be added that the office is also pie- pared to do job work in a satisfactory manner. The Herald is a four page seven column paper, and is said to have gained much in circulation since Mr. Houser resumed the editorship.
OTHER PAPERS.
Although these are all the papers published, they are by no means all the papers read in the county, and if is not a part of the history of the press, it is certainly a part of the general history of the county, to say something about the most prominent papers imported from other places.
As a matter of course the papers published in adjoining coun- ties are taken in the neighborhood of their places of publication. such papers are the Pepin County Courier of Durand, the Herald of Wabasha, the Eau Claire Free Press, Eau Claire News, the In- dependence News, and the Arcadia Leader, the Winona papers Republican, Westlicher Herold and Adler.
Those papers which are published at a farther distance, but circulate here in noticeable numbers, we might for conspicuity, divide into three classes, according to the language in which they are printed.
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PRESS.
ENGLISH PAPERS.
Pioneer-Press and Globe of St. Paul; Republican-Leader and Chronicle of La Crosse; Tribune, World and perhaps Puck of New York; Tribune, News etc. of Chicago.
GERMAN PAPERS.
Nordstern of La Crosse; Herold and Germania of Milwaukee; Illinois Staats-Zeitung of Chicago; Staats-Zeitung of New York; Christliche Botschafter of Cleveland, Ohio; Cincinnati Volksblat; Volkszeitung and Freie Presse, St. Paul and Minneapolis.
NORWEGIAN PAPERS.
I have noticed, accidentally, several papers in this language. of which Fardrelandet og Emigranten is the principal one.
. In this sketch no notice could be taken of papers devoted to. special purposes. With the exception of one, the papers named are newspapers in the general acceptation of the word. Some pa- pers, and especially periodicals from other countries, the most, from Germany, are also taken, but space does not allow of their enumeration.
Papers and periodicals for special purposes are naturally as much diversified as specialities always happen to be.
Papers in other than the languages named may also be kept, but with the exception of "Slavie," published at Racine by Chas. Jonas, I do not remember to have seen any. The "Slavie" is pub- lished in Bohemian. There is now a paper published at Winona in the Polish language and probably circlulates in some, especially the lower eastern parts of the county.
461
RELIGIÓN.
RELIGION.
Civilized people have religion and means of manifesting the same. For the latter purpose those of about the same opinions or doctrines unite and form congregations or churches, which accord- ing to their means erect houses of worship, also called churches, temples, synagogues, and so forth, according to the usage of their predecessors. The historian can but note the existence of the dif- ferent congregations and of their arrangements for regularreligious services, for the instruction of children and others in the respective tenets of the church and in morals and manners according to these, besides which, or included in which, their beginning and growth may be properly mentioned. With doctrinal or disciplin- ary differences between the different churches, or their origin, he has nothing to do. In this aversion to the discussion of the above named points the author is confirmed by the habits of most people in this county with regard to said objects. There is a general dis- inclination among the people to meddle with things that may con- cern others, but do not interest themselves. This, of course, does not exclude an interest in the doctrines of one's own church or creed and in the prosperity of the same, it only means that each person should be held responsible to his own conscience with re- gard to religious matters.
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