Allen County, Ohio - Chapter 19: The Press of Lima, 1906

Chapter 19: The Press of Lima

First Printed News in Lima - The " Herald " - The "Porcupine" - Lima "Argus" - Lima "Reporter" - The " Gazette " - The "Republican-Gazette" - The People's Press - The " Democratic Times" - The "Daily Times" - The "Tinies-Democrat" - First German Paper, the "Volksblatt" - The "Courier" - The "Daily N ezus" - "The Sun" - "The Moon" - The "Republican" - The First City Directory - Observations on the Olden Times - Some Interesting Advertisements - Value of a Free Press to the World of Progress.

The beginning of the dissemination of news in print in Lima, was a small weekly newspaper, called the Herald and edited by Messrs. Hollister and Bennett. The town was only five years old, and less populous than West 'Cairo is to-day. In that year Martin Van Buren was elected President ; Eli Baldwin was the Democratic candidate for Governor and was defeated by a Whig. The congressional district extended over a territory of about 90 miles east and west and from the northern line of the State to the southern line of Montgomery County. The printers had small support for their paper and the Herald and its publishers disappeared.

The next paper was started in 1841 by Thomas Smith. He soon sold his office to Milton Gillett and Abelard Guthrie, who started the Porcupine. Guthrie was an able man, but was eccentric, wearing his hair long and abounding in mannerisms. He went West and was prominent in the early Kansas troubles. In 1843, George W. Andrews, later of Wapakoneta, purchased the office and changed the name to Lima Argus. Mr. Andrews soon made the paper a leading exponent of Democracy in the Northwest. In 1845 Mr. Andrews sold out to Mathias H. Nichols, who soon made himself famous by means of its columns.

In 1843 Edward Marrott and Hamilton Davison established the Lima Reporter, a Whig paper. This paper lived but three or four years, and the Argus was the only paper published in Lima until 1854 when Sydenham Shaffer published the Gazette. In 1855 the Parmenter brothers purchased the Gazette. Harvey Parmenter, however, soon retired, leaving the paper in the hands of Cornelius, the older brother, who published it until i860, when he sold out to John Newton Cunningham and Tom Hussler. The next year Cornelius Parmenter repurchased the paper and continued to publish it until 1872, when Cal Edmiston became a partner. In 1885 W. A. Campbell became proprietor and in 1887 H. D. Campbell became his partner. The paper under their management has been successfully conducted to the present time. It is published twice a week and visits many nooks and corners of Allen County.

The Daily Gazette came into being on the 1 2th of March, 1887, under the management of E. T. Campbell, W. A. Campbell and H. D, Campbell. The first 2,000 copies were given away. It proved to be a wide-awake paper and was the first in Allen County to introduce telegraphic dispatches, the company putting in a special wire of its own with its own operator in the office. In 1891 the Gazette consolidated with the Republican , the other morning paper then in existence, and has since appeared under the name of Republican-Gazette.

When Air. Nichols was elected to Congress, he sold the Argus to T. E. Cunningham and William C. Thompkins, who published the paper together until the spring of 1854 when Mr. Cunningham retired and was succeeded by Thomas M. Robb. Thompson and Robb continued until the fall of 1855 when they sold out to Cunningham and Poland, who started an anti-Nebraska paper, entitled the People's Press. This paper continued about a year, when Mr. Robb repurchased it and changed its politics to those principles supposed to represent the convictions of the immortal Jackson. Soon Robb got tired and sold to J. P. Haller; Haller sold to J. H. Berry; Berry soon sold to James Mackenzie, who came from Kalida, where he had won a State reputation as editor of the Kalida Venture. This was in 1858. He remained until 1861 or 1862, when he sold out to David S. Fisher, who afterwards became editor of the Hardin County Democrat. In 1874 Fisher sold out to H. B. Kelly, who successfully conducted the journal until his death, when Mr. Timmonds took charge of it.

The Democratic Times made its appearance in the latter part of November, 1879, with O. B. Selfridge, Jr., and E. B. Halladay, proprietors, and in 1884 the Daily Times, with Oliver B. Selfridge, Jr., as editor, was established. Five years later the Times was consolidated with the Allen County Democrat, and the present name, Times-Democrat, adopted. The Times Democrat is a newsy evening journal, well printed and well edited, and a power in its party and the community. There is also a semiweekly edition of the paper published on Tuesdays and Fridays.

The Volkblatt, the first German paper of Allen County, was established by A. Zwanzig in 1879. It expired before its fourth issue. The Courier, founded by George Feltz, August 30, 1877, was also a German paper. It was bought in 1S90 by Adolph Weixelbaum, and became the leading German newspaper not only of the city but of Allen County. Mr. Weixelbaum

The Lima Daily Nevus is a non-partisan paper, founded by a Mr. D'Armand in 1897. The next year it was purchased by E. W. Jackson and J. R. Finnell. The paper has recently come under the control of the News Publishing Company, with E. W. Jackson as president and J. R. Finnell, general manager and editor.

About 1870, two boys, A. B. Coe and H. L. Medsker, "Dell" and "Harry" they were called, came into possession of an old army printing press and a small outfit of type. They did odd jobs of printing and in the year of 1874 proceeded to publish a paper, calling it The Sun. It never acquired a large subscription and was bought a little later by Rev. Lockhard, a minister from Columbus Grove, who used it as a medium for publishing some of his religious views. It acquired something of a local reputation during the year or two of its existence and then was bought by John Junkins and the Hazelton brothers. The character of the paper was again changed to a local newspaper and it was quite a success. In 1876 it was bought out by J. C. Edmiston, who changed the name to The Moon. In an editorial of the first issue it was announced that when "the 'Sun' set, the 'Moon' arose and that this particular 'Moon' unlike its editor would only be full once each week." Mr. Edmiston sold in 1877 to the Campbell brothers, when the name was again changed, to the Republican. In 1880 the paper passed into the hands of Charles L. Long & Company, and in 1882 they moved the printing office intothe Opera House Block, occupying the space where AIcCauley's millinery store and the American Express Company's office now are. The printing office was the first tenant of the building. Colonel Long made the paper a daily, and the first issue was published August 15, 1882. In 1891 the Republican and Gazette were consolidated, as stated above.

In the early '70's was issued the first city directory. It was a modest affair gotten up by the Hazelton brothers, and was bound by Gale Sherman, who had started a book-bindery in Lima.

The Lima Argus , whose motto was "Liberty, Morality and Wisdom, coexistent, coequal and inseparable," and whose policy was to fight banks of issue, favor war with Mexico, and oppose the extension of slavery, was edited several years by Mathias H. Nichols. It has been the good fortune of the writer to come in possession of some of the old files of this paper, and we propose a little review.

When Mr. Nichols became the editor, the Mexican War was agitating the country ; Lowell, with his mastery of affairs, and his keen wit, expresses the views of this part of the country under the name of "Hosea Bigelow" in the following words :

And marched round in front of a drum and a fife To get some on 'em office, and some on 'em votes; But John P. Robinson, he Ses they didn't know everthin'

Nichols in his quick, intolerant way insisted on "carrying the war into Africa" and in branding every one as the biggest kind of a traitor who did not share his particular views. The "liberty of the press" in those old files is freely exercised in scathing satire of every description.

We are constantly making history and there is no better record than that made by a newspaper. It has the advantage of being on the ground, and of being in a position for making running comment. True, many of our idols are shattered, and men whom we have been taught to revere by our histories are ruthlessly commented upon. Horace Greeley. Henry Clay and General Scott are delineated as possessing anything but faultless characters. Even our Presidents, whom time and the historians have made so perfect, have suffered from the savage attacks of an impartial press. All this as long as the man lives; when he gets beyond all praise or blame, then nothing but good is said of him. In 1848 John Quincy Adams passes to the great beyond, and the beautiful tribute that our editor saw fit to give to him might, if uttered sooner, have served its purpose better. In April of the same year the French Revolution culminated in the abolishment of the House of Peers, and the doing away with titles of nobility. England, Belgium, Switzerland and the United States at once recognized the new republic.

The visions of the new Eldorado which poor Ponce de Leon tried so hard to find, were, in the year 1849, made a reality to those who were brave enough to break asunder for the time all family ties, to suffer hardships innumerable, and to entertain the possibility of utter and hopeless defeat. As an offset to these golden dreams, we have, as in these later times, accounts of the ravages of the yellow fever and the dread cholera.

The "old times" advertisement is a source of perennial enjoyment and he who runs may read many quaint and amusing "signs of the times." Patent medicines and cure-alls were advertised as extensively then as now ; and even in those far-off days the sure cure for consumption existed, and no doubt did the customary land office business.

Apprentices were advertised for, and those who have tired of their masters, with rewards offered for their apprehension. They even advertised for school teachers.

Lima had her select school in those days. Rev. Seth W. Washburn conducted one in 1846 and later. Lectures and temperance meetings also played their parts in primary education. All evening meetings were advertised to take place at "early candlelighting." The outside educational factors were the metropolitan newspapers and Ar- thur's Magazine for Ladies and Gentlemen." Among its contributors were Edgar Allan Poe, Mrs. Osgood, and T. S. Arthur, the author of "The Withered Heart," "Ten Nights in a Barroom," and other highly moral and instructive works.

In 1847 the produce sold in Lima was brought by wagon from Delphos, to which place it came by canal. The first merchants in Lima gave long credits, and consequently did not reap the rich harvests that J. W. King did, who came here from the East and sold for cash and cash only.

In 1847 Editor Nichols, after a long period of pitying and reviling other fellows who were caught in Cupid's net, at last succumbed, marrying Sylvia Fisher, daughter of Capt. Hollias Fisher, the hotelkeeper.

Then as now the follies and foibles of womankind were themes of never dying interest, and the bustle and hoop skirt were alternately laughed at and preached against. The first hoop skirt hung up for an advertisement in a store window was taken to be a squirrel trap.

Poor Nichols, with all his brightness and ability, found it hard to keep the wolf from the door by means of the scant collections that found their way into his coffers. Little hints like the following appear from time to time - "A man who loves his family will take a paper - a man who respects his family will pay for it." In another issue he offers to furnish the Argus to new subscribers for one year, for two bushels of wheat delivered on or before the first of November. With all his drawbacks, he managed to support his family, at the same time editing his paper and studying law. That sort of a man is rare in these days.

Some Interesting Advertisements

The advertisements of the early day in many respects do not resemble those of the present time. There was not much opportunity for display, as they were generally limited to the width of a column. The originality of the subject matter, however, usually made up for the lack of striking display heads. The advertise- ments, or, more properly speaking, business cards, were usually printed without change in quite a number of issues, sometimes running as long as a year.

As has been told in a previous chapter, Samuel A. Baxter, Sr., was engaged in business in Lima as a hatter for some years before he was admitted to the bar. The following advertisement first appeared in the Lima Argus on July 7, 1846. -

Tariff Repealed

Tire - subscriber returns his thanks to the citizens of Allen and adjoining counties, for their liberal support since he has commenced business among them, and would inform them that he continues to manufacture all description of hats, at No. 1, north corner of the public square, in Lima; which for durability he warrants to be equal to any in the state; he promises to give better bargains (for ready pay) than any other establishment in these parts dare do. To enable all to buy hats and give no excuse to any to go bare headed ; he will receive in exchange for hats, corn, oats, rye, barley, flax-seed, timothy, clover-seed, flour, bacon, butter, and chickens, building stone, hewn timber, shingles and all kinds of sawed timber for building, muskrat and all kinds of furs, and 1,000 pounds of clean lambs wool, and everything else that can be eat or drank (except that makes drunk,) wore, sold, or given away for good purposes. Please call and look at my hats before buying elsewhere, you might save a dollar by it Samuel A. Baxter.

One of the most original advertisers of the early clays was R. Bower, as the following advertisement, taken from the Allen County Democrat of October, 28, 1863, will show. -

War, War, War

The Crisis is now upon us, the Union is dissolved; Ft. Sumter is evacuated the independence of the Southern Confederacy is not yet acknowledged by our government - and probably never will be - but I will tell you one thing that happened, and that is acknowledged,

Whitaker, and established a firm of his own in the name of R. Bower, and his independence is acknowledged all around the world, he with his cabinet, feels competent

To Compete With The World

His counsellors are all men of great skill and much experience in wood, iron and paint ; they have gained for themselves an enviable reputation as being all first class mechanics , Bower, himself, like John C. Keenan, challenges the world for a competitor in his branch of trade; this sounds large for a small town, but we let it stand. Friends, we invite you to call and see us at our place of business, we wish to astonish you in the lines of Buggies, Carriages and Wagons; for cheapness they are the cheapest; and for neatness they are the neatest you ever saw ; come in we want to prove it by your own admission - this is fair; don't mistake the shop; not the old shop of Bower & Whitaker, remember we speak of a

New Shop

A few doors South of the People's Store, on Main Street, in the town of Lima; look for the Excelsior Carriage Shop, R. Bower, Proprietor, this is the place to get your patching painting, spokeing and smithing done cheap, neat and durable. He keeps constantly on hand a large assortment of Carriages, Buggies and Wagons of all descriptions; a man can come in, make a ohoice, hitch up and drive home rejoicing that he was so lucky as to find the Excelsior Carriage Shop. Come in and see my Wagons !

Influence Of The Press Of To-Day

The influence of the press of to-day is exerted in a very different manner from that, of 30 years ago. In the days of Horace Greeley, the elder Bennett, Dana, Medill, Godkins and Bowles the editor swayed public opinion by his editorials, in fact he made public opinion. In most cases the editor owned the paper, hence he was master of the situation. There was no clash between opposing interests, for the editor was the paper. He was then a power in State and Nation, and he was consulted by party leaders with respect and deference. The New York Sun under Dana from 1868 to 1892, the New York Herald under the elder Bennett and the London Times under the Walters had a world- wide influence, and can never be forgotten. These papers stood for the opinions of their editors, and - these opinions were, for the most part, not affected or colored by the counting room. They came from fearless and honest men.

To-day we seldom see the old-time editorial and if it does appear, no one reads it seriously. The news columns are consulted and constantly read. From that source the public becomes its own editor and writes its own editorials.

Perhaps the most conspicuous example of the old editor still at work is Henry Watterson and his Courier-Journal. Mr. Watterson is the Courier-Journal. The paper is what he is and no more. Its readers have come to know this.

possible to the truth. Dana's Sun gained its greatest fame from the belief that it always told the truth. "If you see it in the Sun, it's so." Just as surely do the people want the truth to-day, and without editorial comment. A prominent Ohio judge, at the opening of an important trial, appealed to the papers to publish only the facts, without any comment. Let the reader form his own conclusions.

The newspaper of to-day has a great mission - the dissemination of truthful news. In this it should be untrammeled and fearless. The reading public will find its own deductions and in the long run will not be greatly in error. There is a great army of men and women in the newspaper field to-day. They are bright, high-minded and patriotic. They are most severely tasked in their work, but it is the interest of the whole country. They exert a great influence for good, and the world needs them all.

A good editor of a newspaper, like a wise publisher of books, must know his material. His articles must have real merit and permanent worth. The publisher who looks only for the "Big Seller," the book of the hour, will soon find his cellar filled with plates not worth as much as their room. But the far-sighted and clear-headed publisher will build up his list out of books that have permanent value, and that will abide. Such men as Frank H. Scott (president of the Century Company), Henry Holt, George FI. Putnam, George H. Mifflin, Frank H. Dodd, George Harvey (of Harper & Brothers), S. S. McClure and Charles Scribner, have built up great and influential houses by long years of careful work, selecting only the purest and the best.

In like manner have the great newspapers of the world become influential. Their editors have rejected thousands of articles and items because they possessed neither n-ezvs nor truth, and because they had not the right moral trend. In their columns have gone, instead, articles of abiding merit, the sketch of a great man or noble woman, or the first appearance of a "Thanatopsis" or of an "Annabel Lee." To these columns the reader goes for the news of the world, confident he will find it.

Good journalism shows scholarship and independence, putting aside, with ever-increasing emphasis, the vulgar, slovenly written and scandal-bearing article of the sensational newspaper. Good journalism "stands for dignity, intelligence, cleanliness, good manners and sound national, civic and domestic life."