Madison County, Ohio - Chapter 23: Newspapers of Madison County, 1915

Chapter 23: Newspapers of Madison County

Newspaper men have frequently tried to sum up, in a pithy paragraph, the function of the newspaper and thousands of articles have been written on its influence on modern life. Perhaps no more apt summary of the place of the newspaper in our civilization of today has ever been written than that of Joseph H. Finn, a newspaper man of Chicago, and delivered by him as part of an address before the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World in the spring of 1915. His apostrophe follows:

"My 'cold type' burns with the fireblood of human action. I am fed by arteries of wire that girdle the earth. I drink from the cup of every living joy and sorrow. I know not day nor night nor season. I know not death, yet I am born again with every morn - with every moon - with every twilight. I leap into fresh being with every new world's event. _

"T am majestic in my strength - sublime in my power - terrible in my porentiatities= - yet as democratic as the ragged boy who sells me for a penny.

"T am the consort of kings - the partner of capital - the brother of toil. The inspiration of the hopeless - the right arm of the needy - the champion of the oppressed - the conscience of the criminal. I am the epitome of the world's Comedy and Tragedy.

"My responsibility is infinite. I speak, and the world stops to listen. I say the word, and battle flames the horizon. I counsel peace, and the war lords obey. I am greater than any individual - more powerful than any group. I am the dynamic force of Public Opinion. Rightly directed, I am the creator of confidence; a builder of happiness in living. I am the teacher of patriotism.

The history of the first newspapers in Madison county is shrouded in more or less 'obscurity, due to the fact that no files have been preserved. According to the best accounts, there were at Jeast two papers in London prior to 1835, but their names and dates of publication are unknown. Pazzi Lapham, who was appointed postmaster of London on October 10, 1834, and followed by John Rouse on November 15, of the same year, is credited with being the editor of the first paper in London. The second paper. the name of which is unknown, as well as its exact date of first issue, is said to have been started by Joseph Anthony. The best authority places both of these papers before - 1835 and it is reasonably certain that both enjoyed but a brief career.

London Times

The present paper bearing the title of The London Times, the oldeat in point of continuous publication, dates from September, 1848, although it has been known by the present name only since October 27, 1870. It bore four different titles from 1843 to 1870, namely: London Sentinel, September, 1843, to March 1, 1851; Madison Reveille, March 8, 1851, to February 2, 1854; Madison Chronicle, March 4, 1854, to May, 1868 ; Madison County Union, May, 1863, to October 20, 1870; the name, London Times, has been carried at the head of the paper since the issue of October 27, 1870. The detailed history of the London Times, arranged chronologically, follows:

1843, September 1 - London Sentinel, founded by George W. Sprung as editor and proprietor; folio, six-column, eighteen by twenty-four inches; Whig in politics; published weekly on Saturday.

1854, March 4 - Paper re-established in its own plant in London; appears under the name of The Madison Chronicle at the request of the subscribers; size of the paper changed to seven column.

1870, October 20 - J. D. Stine sold out to Colonel Ross; D. L. Harbaugh became associated with Colonel Ross; paper enlarged to nine columns ; new press, pig and fixtures purchased ; name changed to The London Times.

1880, September 3 - Name of the paper changed back to The London Times; Col. George E. Ross again became sole proprietor; shortly afterward James F. Kelley became associated with Colonel Ross.

1905, June 19 - H. F. Harrington and R. K. Shaw purchased the paper and conducted it under the firm name of Harrington & Shaw; the sheet was changed to its present size of eight pages and six columns.

The Madison County Democrat is a lineal descendant: of the Buckeye Union, which made its first appearance in London on Saturday, February 21, 1857. E. Douglass King established the Buckeye Union and continued it under this name until November 5, 1857, when he changed its name to the National Democrat. On November 12, 1857, the first issue of the paper under the new name appeared; it was a folio, seven columns, eighteen by twenty-four inches in size. On January 7, 1858, John M. Smith bought the paper from King and associated with him as editor D. M. Creighton. Creighton, however, remained with the paper only a short time, retiring on the 28th of the same month. At this time Mr. Smith engaged two practical printers, John A. Kissinger and M. L. Bryan, to take charge of the paper. The subsequent history of the paper has been written by the late M. L. Bryan and, since the paper has been in the hands of the Bryan family since 1858, it appears appropriate to give the remainder of the history of the paper in the words of M. L. Bryan, the father of the present editor, Chester E. Bryan:

| "During the month of December, 1857, news reached Columbus that John M. Smith, a prominent merchant and an active and energetic Democrat of London, Madison county, Ohio, wanted some practical printer to come to the town and take charge of a weekly Democratic newspaper he had started with his own means. As an inducement, Smith proposed that to any printer who would run the paper one year he would make a present of the printing material, then consisting of a small Washington hand-press and a few cases of badly-worn type. This proposition reached the ears of two compositors on the Daily Fact, an independent daily paper published 'by Col. John Geary.

"These two printers were John A. Kissinger and M. L. Bryan and they came at once to London and found a paper which had been running as the National Democrat since November 12, 1857, with J. M. Smith as owner, D. M. Creighton, editor. and E. Douglass King, foreman. The paper had a circulation of less than three hundred. The first number under the new management was issued on January 28, 1858, with Bryan & Kissinger as editors and proprietors.

- "The new firm took hold with a will, determined to do the best they could under the circumstances. They worked early and late, doing all of the type-setting and press work

(with the aid of a 'devil'), collecting news items and writing editorials at odd spells. They were assisted in the editorial work by D. Meade Creighton and, afterward, Robert Hutcheson. At that time Madison county had a Democratic sheriff, William Smith, and this fact was a financial asset to the struggling paper. The office was in the Addison Shanklin building.

"The public-spirited citizen, popular merchant and stanch Democrat, John M. Smith, did not live long to note the growing prosperity of the paper which his liberality had brought into existence. He died in May, 1858, less than four months after the paper had changed hands. During the latter part of October, 1858, Bryan bought the interest of Kissinger and became the sole owner and editor.

"The name of the paper was changed on March 20, 1862, from the National Democrat to the Madison County Democrat, a name which it still bears. During the year 1866, Mr. Shanklin desiring the rooms occupied by the paper for a residence, the office was moved to an upstairs room in a frame building on what was then the London & Springfield railroad. On the night of September 30, 1867, the building took fire from some unknown cause and burned to the ground - the entire material of the office going up in flames or falling down in melted metal. Not a single type was spared, not even a scratch of a pen against any of the patrons - nothing saved from the wreck except its despondent publisher.

"During the ten years of the existence of the Democrat it had won the favor of the people of the county to the extent that they would not consent to see it burned at the stake, as it were; so a subscription was started by some of its good friends and in less than a week a sum of money between three hundred and fifty and four hundred dollars was secured, ,many of its subscribers paying one year or more in advance and others donating sums ranging from five to twenty-five doilars., With the amount collected, the editor went to. Cincinnati and bought one thousand dollars worth of material and, after an interval of only one week, the Democrat was on its legs again, brighter and newsier than before.

"At this time (1867) there was such a business boom in London that every room was occupied. Asa last resort, the paper was compelled to start up in an old, unoccupied, rickety frame building, then standing on the site of the present ,Universalist church. The building was the property of Dot Dunkin, who offered it rent free to the struggling publisher. It was a hard job to tide over the severe winter with a leaky roof, airy windows and shaky doors, with the wintry wind whistling through the editor's whiskers - but it was done without any loss of life.. The next spring the paper found somewhat more comfortable quarters above a livery stable owned by Michael Millay, afterwards a marshal of London. Here the office remained one year and was then removed to Judge Clark's building in a room fitted up for the purpose. After remaining three years in this new location and finding more room necessary to accommodate the growing business, the office was moved across the street to M. Riley's new brick building, above his grocery store. The offices of the paper remained here until November, 1886, when the present quarters, at the corner of Second and Oak streets, were secured. While in the Riley building a Campbell cylinder press was installed and many other improvements made in the plant."

Thus closed the account of the Democrat as penned by the late M. L. Bryan, who was connected with the paper continuously from January 28, 1858, until he sold it to his two eldest sons, Chester E. and Ormond M., in 1898. M. L. Bryan died on May 26, 1902. There are some facts concerned with his paper which he did not mention and which should be added in order to give a full account of it. Starting in as a six-column, fourpage sheet, it was enlarged in the seventies to a ninecolumn quarto. On March 14, 1888, it was enlarged to a twelve-page paper and in 1894 it was made a sixteen-page five column weekly sheet. Soon after the Bryan brothers became the owners of the paper, they issued it as a semi-weekly; publishing it on Tuesdays and Fridays. As business increased it was found necessary to install better machinery and in 1908 a Hoe threerevolution press, with a speed of twenty-six hundred papers per hour and operated by a four-horse-power Otto gas engine, was added to the plant's equipment. Some time later a Dexter folder was purchased. In 1901 a Simplex typesetting machine was installed and this was replaced in April, 1908, by a Mergenthaler linotype machine at a cost of four thousand dollars. In October, 1908, Chester E. Bryan becam the sole owner of the paper. In 1912 a duplex perfecting press, with a speed of six thousand five hundred eight-page papers, cut and folded, per hour, was installed. Mr. Bryan remodeled his building in 1912 and made it one of the most complete newspaper plants in the state. The plant utilizes all of the space in a two-story brick building, twenty-two by one hundred and thirty-four feet, with large basement. containing steam heating 'plant and storage room for a car of news-print paper. By putting in cement and tile floors and steel ceilings, the building is rendered practically fire proof. The plant is equipped with three electric motors - one a ten-horse power, and a twelve horse-power gas engine; natural-gas heating is used in mild weather. The electric-lighting system is so complete that work 'is carried on at night even better than by daylight. The job department is equipped with a Swink cylinder and two platen presses; pressed-steel type cabinets and the latest faces of type; paper cutters, staplers, stitchers and perforators and such a material as are required in a first-class printing plant.

The Democrat office force includes nine persons in addition to the editor, namely: Martel Bryan, assistant editor; George Clark, reporter; Edward Neese, general foreman ; William S. Stearwalt, job foreman; Lester Payton, linotype operator; John O'Connell, pressman; Kate Fleming, mailing clerk; Doris Holloway, janitor; Mary Ballenger, bookkeeper. In addition, extra help is required at times to assist in getting out special editions. Correspondents are maintained in all the towns in the county as ae as in

The history of the Democrat would not be complete without mentioning an unusual honor which was conferred on the paper in the fall of 1914. It is patent to anyone who

' examines the paper that it is one of unusual merits, but that it is recognized 'as one of 'the best country newspapers in the United States is not known to everyone. However. this distinction has been conferred on the Democrat by a committee of newspaper men 'of the United States. On October 26, 1914, Mr. Bryan received a letter: from Eric W. Allen, head of the department of journalism in the University of Oregon, which tells of the. place which the Democrat holds in the estimation of the newspaper men of the country. The following quotation from this latter is self-explanatory: "'A questionaire recently sent out by the department of journalism of the University of Oregon among the "newspaper men of the United States resulted in the selection by the men of fifty-two country newspapers as 'among the best.' Your newspaper is one of the fifty-two." Thus it may be seen that Madison county has a paper of which it may suey be' pecud end one which reflects honor on its editor.

London Vigilant

The Madison County Republican was the immediate successor of 'the London 'Vigilant and made its first appearance on January 6, 1896. In fact, it should be considered asa continuation of the Vigilant, since Heintzelman still used the name Vigilant as a subhead. He kept the paper running until July, 1905, when he sold it to Harrington & Shuw, the new proprietors of the London Times.

London Enterprise

The London Enterprise was founded on January 1, 1872, by John Wallace, one of the best-known newspaper men in central Ohio. "Devoted to the Interests of the People and Its Publisher," was the motto of the newspaper. The Enterprise was four pages twenty-five by thirty-eight, seven columns. In his salutatory, Mr. Wallace had this to say: "In accordance with a time-honored custom, 'we rise to explain' the Enterprise will not be a political paper, but will make a specialty of local news - improving the bare one advantage we possess over the city press. We have no promises to make, but will let each issue of our paper speak for itself. Our terms will be two dollars per year us near in advance as we can get it. Persons who feel that they cannot pay for the piper had better not take it from the postoffice.'" The friends of Mr. Wallace were generous in their response for subscriptions to the new paper and the Hnterprise was soon read in hundreds of homes, not only in Madison but in adjoining counties. A good advertising and job-printing business was built up and the success of the venture was assured, due largely to the hard work of the editor to make it 'so.

The Enterprise was continued as an independent paper until April 16, 1879, when Mr. Wallace, at the urgent solicitation of many prominent Republicans of the county, came out with the announcement that the Enterprise would advocate the principles of the Republican party, which policy has been continued fearlessly ever since, causing it to be recognized as the Republican organ of Madison county. Since the death of Mr. Wallace, which occurred on September 30, 1901, due to apoplexy, the Enterprise has been published under the management of his son, M. H. Wallace, who had been connected with the paper as local reporter since leaving the London high school. The firm name is EK. F. and M. H. Wallace, the senior partner being Elizabeth F. Wallace, daughter of the deceased, who assists in the publication of the Enterprise. ;

During the career of the late John Wallace, not one issue of the Enterprise was missed, although for about twenty years the deceased was unfortunately deprived of his eyesight, due to overwork in his newspaper business. Mr. Wallace possessed a wide acquaintanceship throughout Madison county, and with the assistance of a guide, would cover the county several times each year, his write-ups of such trips being a feature in the columns of his paper. In later years this custom was discontinued, owing to the failing state of his health.

The Hnterprise was first located in the Toland block, on South Main street, and the location was not changed until March 1, 1912, when the office was removed to the paper's own. two-story brick building, No. 31 West First street, where a largely increased business is conducted both in the newspaper and job department. The. Enterprise was published as a weekly journal until 1897, when its publication day was changed from Wednesday to Tuesday and Friday, thus making it the oldest semi-weekly paper in Madison county.

The Plain City Advocate

The Plain City Advocate was founded on November 3, 1894, by Noland R. Best and Thomag R. Coles but its ownership was vested in twenty-four business and prominent men of the town. It was first run under the firm name of Best & Coles, but only for a few months, after which, still owned by a company, it was conducted by the following men in the following order: William A. Brown, Jr., Dwight L. Matchette, W. W. Lowery, Dell Dougherty, Howe Woodruff, Mrs. Lillie Malee and C. F. Monroe. The stock company controlling this paper sold it in December, 1896, to E. Beach, Howard C. Black and B. A. Taylor. In June, 1898, E. Beach and Olive B. Ward (now Olive B. Mackan) assumed ownership. A few years later the plant became the property of Olive B. Mackan, who has remained the sole owner to the present time...

The present editor, Olive B. Mackan, learned the type-setting trade in the. office of the Plain City Dealer in the summer of 1891, and worked there until the Advocate was launched in November, 1894, when a position was tendered her to set straight matter in the latter office. The first type for the new payer was set by Mrs. Mackan and she has been actively associated with the paper ever since. For a number of years she was foreman of the composing and press rooms. In the spring of 1898 a half interest in the paper was purchased by Mrs. Mackan, and in the summer of 1902 the entire plant was leased by her. Then a short time later she became owner of the entire plant, since which time it has been edited and published by her. In October, 1912, the competing weekly paper, the Plain City Dealer, which had been published for more than thirty years by Charles W. Horn, was purchased by Mrs. Mackan and was consolidated with the Advocate, since which time the Advocate has been the only paper in Plain City.

In September, 1911, the size of the paper was enlarged to seven columns and eight pages. It is published every Thursday. The equipment of the plant consists of a Cox Duplex perfecting press, linotype, paper knife, cylinder and platen presses for job work, and an abundance of type, cases and other office equipment. The power for the presses is furnished by one seven-and-one-half and one _ three-and-one-half horsepower electric motors.

The Plain City Dealer

The Plain City Dealer was founded in September, 1880, by Charles W. Horn. This paper continued for thirty-two years under the ownership and editorship of Mr. Horn and was purchased by the Plain City Advocate in October, 1912. at which time the plant was consolidated with that of the Advocate.

West Jefferson News

The West Jefferson News is the outgrowth of the West Jefferson Clipper and subsequent publications of different names. The Clipper was established by Ezekiel Metals. Just how long Metals issued. the paper is not known, neither is it known when the Observer, owned and edited by J. O. Lee, came into existence. The first definite date of a paper in the town is 1889, in which year the Jeffersonian appeared on the newspaper horizon. Wright & Heintzleman were the proprietors of this paper from 1889 to 1894. In the latter year a man by the name of I. C. Fullmer bought the paper and changed its name to the Home News. Fullmer owned the paper a short time and then disposed of it to a man by the name of McCracken, who, in turn, sold it to Wilson & Cartwright. J. R. Cartwright became the sole owner and proprietor in 1911 and has since managed the paper alone. Upon taking over the paper in 1911, Mr. Cartwright changed its name to the News. The paper is a seven-column, eight-page sheet and appears on Thursday of each week. The plant has two presses, three jobbers and a complete equipment of material for doing all kinds of printing on short notice.

Mt. Sterling Tribune

The Mt. Sterling Tribune was founded in January, 1887, by J. W. Hanawalt. The following is a list of editors from the beginning, with their period of service: J. W. Hanawalt, 1887-89; J. M. Williams, 1889-91; W. A. Bownocker, 1891-08, seventeen years; J. M. Williams, 1908 to the present.

in 1891, W. A. Bownocker purchased a half interest and the firm of Williams & Bownocker continued until 1908. At the latter date W. E. Carlisle purchased Bownocker's interest, selling his interest one year later to R. E. Embry. In 1910 Mr. Williams purchased Embry's interest and became sole owner.

The paper is published on Friday of each week. It is a four-page, eight-column paper and has a good circulation. The equipment of the plant consists of a four-horsepower gas engine, a cylinder press, two jobbers and a fully equipped job plant.

The Mt. Sterling Review And Husbandman

In April, 1871, M. W. Schryver commenced the publication of a newspaper in Mt. Sterling, known as the Mt. Sterling Review. This paper he continued for eighteen months, at the end of which time he changed the name to the Husbandman. He continued the publication of the latter paper until. May 1, 1874, when it ceased for want of sufficient support to justify the publisher to continue it. Both of these papers were purely local weeklies, but failed to receive the support of the community.