Summit County, Ohio - Chapter 14: The Press, 1908

Since Laurin Dewey set up a hand press in Middlebnry in 1825 and began the publication of the 07uo Canal Advocate, it is recorded that Akron and Summit County have had nearly 100 somen-hat similar ventures. Mr. Dewey was Summit County's first editor and publisher. The publication of his paper was made possible by the contribution of $204 in amounts varying from $2 to $10 by public spirited citizens of Middlebury. Some of these early newspaper promoters were the following: Erastus Torrey, Henry Chittenden, Charles Sumner, Nathan Gillett, Jr., Rufus Hart, Edward Sumner, Samuel Newton, Chas. W. Brown, Theophilus Potter, Miner Spacer and Paul Williams.

Laurin Dewey was a "practical printer," and came to Middlebury from Ravenna. The building of the canal was being advocated about that time, and Middlebury citizens believed that if built, the future greatness of the place would be assured. And they believed, further, that a newspaper booming the canal might help their hopes along toward realization. Mr. Dewey saw an opportunity, and seized it. Second-hand materials were purchased from the Cleveland Herald, brought to Middlebury in two wagons, and the first issue appeared September 28, 1825, the name having been changed, in the meantime, to the Portage Journal, as the building of the canal was by that time assured. Hiram Bowen, afterwards founder of the Bearon. was associated with Laurin Dewey in the publication of the Portage Journal. The size of the Portage Journal -was nineteen by twentj'-four inches; the price was two dollars a year. It was independent in politics and opposed Jackson. In 1826 it passed into the hands of McMullen & Mason, then was again transferred to Alvah Hand, who discontinued it in 1829.

The first paper was unsuccessful, financially. This was perhaps unfortunate, as a precedent, for the same might be said of the most of the ninety odd newspaper and magazine publications which have followed, in the years from 1825 to 1907.

Today three daily newspapers - two being entire local products and the third a Cleveland publication, keep Akron and Summit County thoroughly informed. Then there are a number of other newspapers and similar publications, which will be dealt with in their turn. It might be added in passing, however, that Akron's present newspapers ai'e far more successful, from a business view point, than mo.st of their predecessors.

In no 'department of its industry may the progress of the city be so well followed as in its newspaper history. The printing art has improved and developed amazingly. Lane says, speaking of the Portage Journal, Summit County's first newspaper:

"With this fund, an old style Ramage press and a quantity of second-hand materials were purchased from the Cleveland Flerald, the entire outfit being transported overland in a couple of two horse wagons." One team could probably have hauled the entire outfit an ordinars'^ distance. The equipment may have weighed a ton. A new press was brought to Akron in the spring of 1907 for the Akron

Ill 1825, and in fact until a comparatively few years ago all type-setting was done by hand. Now it is indeed an obscure and backward paper which does not have one or more type-setting machines. In the old days, a strong youth furnished power for the printing press, turning out, possibly 300 to 500 in a laborious hour. Today presses in use by Akron's daily papers are operated by great engines or motors, and vastly larger papers than the earlv ones are turned out at the rate of 12,000 to 15,000 an hour.

The telegraph, the telephone, the perfecting of mail delivery service, the evolution of the photographic and tlie photo-engraving process liave made newspapers entirely different things, both to publishers and to readers, than they were in the early days. Akron, proper, had no newspaper before 1836. Its people received their news through the Western IntelUgence, 1827: the Ohio Observer, 1832; published at Hudson and Cuyahoga Falls.

In 1836, Akron was incorporated. Immediately thereafter Madison H. White, of Medina, came over and establi-shed the Akron Post, the first issue appearing March 23. It was a five column weekly, and it died in November of the same year. Its equipment was purchased by Constant Bryan, then a young lawyer, and later a judge, who established the AIcro7i Journal. December 1. 1836. The Jottrnal gave up the ghost six months later.

The Post and Journal had been Democratic. Now the Whigs had an inning, when Horace K. Smith and Gideon J. Galloway brought forth the first issue of the American Balanre. August 19, 1837: suspended August 9, 1838; age one year.

Easily the liveliest and most comTuendable of the early Akron new.spaper ventures was that of Samuel Alanson Lane, who established the American Buzzard, in 1837, his object being to reduce the lawless young town of Akron, filled with bad men, to a state of law and order. In its stated object and in financial matters the Evzzard was quite sticcessful, and after an exceding bri.«k career as editor

The Beacon has continued to this day, being issued as a daily under the name of the Beaton Journal. It represented the Whig Party, and had a hard time of it for several years. In 1844 Mr. Bowen sold the Beacon to Richards 6. Elkins, who was succeeded as editor by Laurin Dewey in 1845. They in turn sold it to John Teesdale, of Columbus, in 1848. Mr. Teesdale was still in command when the Republican party was formed in 1855, and the Beacon became its organ. He sold out to Beebe & Elkins in 1856, and was succeeded as editor by James, later Judge Cai"penter; A. H. Lewis, of Ravenna, succeeded him, and in 1861 S. A. Lane, former proprietor of the Buzzard, became editor. Four years later Mr. Lane and Horace G. Canfield bought an interest, and in Januar^^, 1867, the business was taken entirely out of the hands of Beeibe & Elkins, the publishers' names being changed to Lane, Canfield & Company. The new proprietors believed that Akron had grown to a point where it should have a daily paper; the necessary preparations were made and the first issue of the Akron Daily Beacon made its appearance December 6, 1869. Mr. Lane was editor-in-chief, and Thomas C. Raynolds, wa« assistant editor. Mr. Raynolds afterward piloted the Beacon's ship of destiny for many years.

The Beacon Publishing Companv was formed in 1871, capital $25,000. Messrs. Lane and Denis A. Long retained an active interest : H. A. Canfield and A. L. Paine retired and Mr. Raynolds was made editor-in-chief. The paper grew, and the fact that its entire jilant was destroyed by fire in 1872 checked its progress but little. In 1875 the property, rehabilitated, was purchased by Mr. Ravnolds, -n-ith Frank J. Staral and John H. .\uble. Later Mr. Raynolds secured control.

In 1869, the Akron Daily Beacon, the first local daily, made its appearance. It grew, and in 1891 absorbed the Akron Daily Republican, which had, in the meantime sprung up to di.spute its right to the whole of the local daily field. This led to a complete reorganization. The Republican was a consolidation of two papers, the Daily Telegram and the Sunday Gazette, the latter founded by Paul E. Werner in 1878.

When the Beacon took over the Republiran, it reorganized as follows: George W. Grouse, president; K. B. Congle, vice-president, and T. C. Raynolds, business manager. The Beacon and Republican continued in that form until 1897, when it was again deemed expedient to reach out and absorb a competitor, this time the Daily Journal. founded by Charles H. Wright. AVhen this change was made the name of the paper became the Beacon-Journal and a? such it appears today. About that time R. T. Dobson, who, with his brother, had been conducting the Times, and had disposed of his interest there, came over and acquired in interest in the Beacon-Journal. This interest grew until it controlled the industry and it was much more prosperou,* under the Dobson direction than it had been in years before. A few years ago, Mr. Dobson, tiring of the newspaper business, disposed of his interest to T. .1. Kirkpatrick, of Springfield, Ohio, and the latter removed to Akron and took personal charge, with C. L. Knight as business manager. A year ago Major Kirkpatrick disposed of his holding and returned to Springfield where he has again engaged in the publishing business. Mr. Knight remains, as the manager and controller of a majority of the stock. William B. Baldwin, an Akron boy, and in newspaperdom a product of the local field, has been the editor of the Beacon-Journal for years, and continues in that position. The Beacon-Journal Company occupies its own block at the corner of Quarry and Main Streets, and has a modern and complete equipment. So much for the story of what has developed into the leading Republican newspaper of the County. The Beacon-Journal is a prodiict of gradual growth, of development with the years, as the city and county have developed.

another story to tell - a story of magnificent success in shorter time - a narrative of a struggle, which though short and successful, has been sharp.

The American. Democrat, published at Akron for the first time on August 20, 1842, >was the first newspaper of that faith to make its appearance in Summit County. It? publisher was the late Horace Canfield, pioneer printer, whose son, now honored and full of years, still plies the trade in the city of Akron.

The life of the American Democrat was a little above six years. Then it daunted. Mr. Canfield immediately began the publication of another paper, with indifferent success. In 1849, in partnership -with the late ex-governor Sidney Edgerton, Mr. Canfield as manager and Mr. Edgerton as editor, he began the publication of the Akron Free Democrat. That was in .July. After the fall election that year, the name of the paper was changed to the Free Demiocratic Standard. The paper continued for years, its name being frequently changed, however, to correspond with editorial belief or their burning issues. Its names were, successively, the Democratic Standard, the Summit Democrat and the Summit Union. As the Summit Vnion the paper died in 1867.

But Akron and Summit County were not to be left without a Democratic newspaper, and in the same year a new newspaper venture, at least more enduring than its predecessors, was launched and christened the Akron Times. The present Akron Times is its lineal descendant. As a weekly paper the Akron Weekly Times continued until 1892. During those years, though it was without competition in its own field, its fortunes were varied and it was at no time overopulent, conforming in that respect to the well-known small newspaper rule. But it held on, and it grew despite the fact that it was the apostle of a minority in- local political belief. Among its editors were E. B. Eshelman, known better as editor of the Wayne County Democrat, and Frank S. Pixley, who has since become famous as a playwright.

emerge from its weekly newspaper chrysalis and become a daily. It happened that in that year W. B. and R. T. Dobson - then aggressive Democrats - decided that Akron must have a Democratic daily paper. The Akron Daily Democrat was accordingly launched by them. This was early in the year. The daily quickly occupied the field formerly taken by the weekly, and the weekly Times surrendered, being taken over by the Brothers Dobson.

For five years the new arrangement continued, W. B. Dobson having in the meantime become postmaster of the City of Akron, and the newspaper having been taken over by his brother, Russell T. Dobson.

In 1898 the latter decided that he would dispose of the paper. In his employ at the time was an energetic youth who had graduated from the printers' case to the editorial rooms and had become fii-st a reporter and later city editor of the paper. His name was Edward S. Harter. It was his ambition, of course, to own a newspaper, and when it was made known that the Daily Democrat and Weekly Times were for sale, he wanted to buy. With a partner then - Fred W. Gayer, of Akron - Mr. Harter made the purchase, paying whait was under the circumstance a large price for the property. It is a matter of local history that the seller boasted, when he completed the sale, that he would "have it back in six months." This came to the ears of Harter, the new editor. It checked his enthusiasm to a marked degree, but it also spurred him on to prevent, if possible, any other outcome of his venture than complete success. Mr. Dobson has not got the property back in ten years - by default. - and it is not likely that he ever will. Under the energetic direction of Mr. Harter and those associated with him then and since, the Times has grown. AVhen purchased its press ec(uipment wa? antiquated, type was set by hand, its office equipment was poor, its circulation small and its good will - an exceedingly important part, of a newspaper - was almost nil.

of Mill Street and Broadway. Below are counting-room offices and pressroom, above reportorial and composing rooms. A battery of four linotype machines prepares the type; an elevator carries the pages to a pressroom equipped to the minute with the best and newest machinery; a two-color sixteen-page press has just been installed, and today the Times has easily the most modern and complete newspaper plant in the county. Edward S. Harter, leaving the tripod for a business desk, is manager ; Judge C. R. Grant, a large stockholder in the enterprise, wields a pen that moulds opinions, and the Times today is in the very front rank among Summit County publications.

This paper is produced by the Akron Democrat Company, of whom the following are officers: Judge C. R. Grant, president; J. V. Welsh, vice-president; Edward S. Harter, secretary and manager, and M. N. Hoye, treasurer.

For the large number of German speaking people within its borders Akron has a live German newspaper, the Germania, edited and largely owned by Louis Seybold. This paper has had a long and successful career, having been founded in 1868 by H. Gentz. Within a year after its birth, it passed into the hands of the late Prof. Karl F. Kolbe, who for more than half a century was prominently identified with all that was good in German literature in this community. Louis Seybold became editor in 1875. In 1887 the Germania Printing Company was incorporated, with Paul E. Werner, president; Louis Seybold, secretary, and Hans Otto Beck, business manager. Later Mr. Werner and Mr. Beck disposed of their connections, Mr. Beck returning to Germany and Mr. Werner going into other things But the Germania lives on, Editor Seybold at the helm and members of his family at his right hand - a power for good in that part of the community for which it is especially intended. Some twenty years ago the Freie Presse was started, but the Germania quickly absorbed it.

impossible to name all the publications which have at various times catered to the local public for a time, then passed on. D&serving of special mention, however, at the present time is The People, published weekly under the direction of the Akron Central Labor Union. The People is by far the most pretentious labor publication ever attempted in the Akron field. It enjoys a wide patronage and circulates among the members of the various local labor unions.

The Akron Press, an edition of the Cleveland Press, printed and prepared in Cleveland, is also circulated considerably in Akron. It is understood that its ow'uers at the present time contemplate the erection of a plant in this city, and the publication of the Akron Press as a bona fide Akron paper.