Union County, Ohio - Chapter 10: The Newspapers of I'nion County, 1915

Chapter 10: The Newspapers of I'nion County

Ohio and Union county owe much to the influence exerted by the newspaper press. Newspapers have long been the greatest force in forming pubhc opinion. In tlie early days in Union county nothing but monthly and weekly publications were obtainable, but the pioneers made good use of such papers as the\' could secure. Both secular and religious papers were found in a majority of the cabin homes in this county and their inlluence for good upon the rising generations canncjt be well overestimated. As soon as the daily paper appeared as a common factor in town and city, the people here took such papers without any great urging. Today the farmer has his daily paper dropped off at his very door yard each forenoon by the free rural carrier system. Great is the contrast since the days of weekly papers getting in here to the homes of the pioneers of Union county, perhaps a week or more old. with news from distant 'points of the globe, possibly six weeks old, and still labeled "Latest News."

The oldest newspaper in this countv, with its genealogv running awa\' back through the chain of links made up of the Aryiis. Union Gazette. Union Star and Flag of Freedom, is the present well-known publication, the Marysvilie Tribune.

Perha]3s no better or more authentic account of the newspapers in this county prior to 1880 can l)e had today than to quote what was written in that }-ear by that industrious journalist, John H. Shearer, then etlitor of tlie Tribune, who published a daily that fall during count}- fair time. His history of the \-arious papers in this county read about as folli3ws :

"The first ])aper in the coimty was issued at Marysxille on February 20. 1839, eighteen years after the town had started, just having been declared the county seat. Stephen McLain and Roljert McBratney were the publishers and William C. Lawrence was the editor. The title of the paper was Our Frcedoin and Union County Advertiser. After running a part of a year the title was changed to the Union Star, and was continueil b_\- the same publishers until a1)(^ut the middle of the second volume, when the name Mc- Lain was dropped out of the paper and it was issued by McBratney. The

Star was continued until about May i, 1841, when the office was purchased bv John Cassil. who changed the name to that of Union Gazette. Air. Cassil was the editor and J. E. Wilson was the printer. The paper, after the publication of a few numbers, was removed, in May, 1842, to Bellefontaine, and riKjmas '\\. Robb liecame its editor while this arrangement lasted. The paper was sent to ]\larys\ille each week and distril)uted to the subscribers. About ]Mav 30. 1843. ^'^^ press was mo\'ed back to Marysville, Mr. Cassil again assuming editorial control and published the paper until ^^lay, 1844. The Gazette was Democratic in politics during the time ]Mr. Cassil had control of it.

"The Gazette establishment uas purchased of John Cassil by P. B. Cole and W. C. Lawrence in May, 1844. and the name of the paper was changed to the Aruus and espoused the cause of the Whig party. Six weeks later the name was changed to The Aryiis and 'Union County Advertiser. Cole and Lawrence ran the pa].)er just nue year and then sold to James S. Alexander, who ran it ti\e or six weeks and stopped its pulilication. It was then resold to John Cassil. Mr. Cassil published the paper irregularly for about a year, changing it into a Democratic paper.

"In June. 1846, P. B. Cole purchased the office again and became its editor. He changed it back to a Whig paper and continued its publication under the foremanship of Da\'id ^\'. Englisli until September. 1849. when he sold the establishment to C. S. Hamilton and he in turn established the Marysville Tribune. David W. and George English were the early printers on the Tribune and continued as such until October 16, 1850, when Eckert & Cas-il Iiecame printers and remained such until April 5, 1851. The printers then were J. G. Cassil and C. C. P. Da\-is. * * * These gentlemen published the pajjer until December i, 1852, when Eckert dropped out and the printers were Cassil & Plumb; but these dropped out in February, 1853, and J. W. Dumble became printer. About the first of December. 1853, John B. Coats bought the office and became the editor, with C. S. Hamilton as associate editor, and J. \\'. Dumble and P. B. I^hunb. printers. Air. Plumb later became Cnited States senator from Kansas, to which state he removed in 1834. Mr. Plumb dro])ped out in January, 1854, and J. G. Cassil became foreman <jf the oflice. In June. 1854. Hamilton became disconnected as associate editor and on the first of December of the same year Coats sold the press to Samuel McBratney and D. S. Parker, who became the editors. March 25, 1855, Parlcer retired from the paper and C. S. Hamilton again assumed control, leaving the business department to McBratney, J. G. Cas- .sil continuing as printer. This association as editor, publisher and printer continued until Octolier i, 1858. when the present editor [1882] John H. Shearer, purcliased it, and has continued the paper ever since under its ancient name - llic Marysz-illc Tribune."

John H. Shearer continued to conduct the business until his death, June 6, 1896, after which his son. John H. Shearer, Jr., took his interest. At the time of the father"s death it was run by John H. Shearer & Son, the latter being William O. Shearer, and from that time on it was known as Shearer & Shearer, continuing thus until April 19, 1913, when W. O. Shearer died and John H. Shearer became sole owner of the business.

The daily edition of the Tribune was started September 26, 1898, and has continued without an interru]ition. The old method of typesetting was replaced with a nuilti]jle magazine linotype in December, 19 12, and in juh', 1914, a A\'ebb perfecting press \\as installed, making the Tribune one of the best equipped offices to be found anywhere. The present size of the Evening Tribune is four pages, seven columns to the page. The JVeeklv Tribune consists of eight pages and at times ten and twehe pages are printed to accommodate tlie increased amount of ncAvs and ed\-ertising matter.

The Tribune uses electric ]iower. with individual motors for each machine, and in addition to the perfecting press and linotype, the equipment includes two cylinder presses, three platten presses, perforating machine, punching machine, u ire staplers, etc. The job work here turned out compares with that of any large city.

The JVeekly Tribune in politics is Republican, while the Evening Tribune is independent. Both papers circulate very largely in Union county and the Tribune continues to outrank all other county papers in point of circulation Twehe people are employed constantly in the business, in addition to a well-organized cor])s of news corresjiondents in all portions of the county.

The present editor and owner is John IT. Shearer, so that the Tribune has been owned and published for more than fifty-fi\'e }-ears by father and sons.

Continuing the history of newspapers in L'nion countA'. Mr. Shearer wrote as follows- "In Alay. 1843. John .Shrenk started a \\'hig paper in Marys\ille, entitled the L'nion Journal. It sur\-i\ed only fourteen weeks, when it gave up the ghost with the acknowledgment that 'through the unfortunate schism of the Whig part}- in this county, for the last iew years, the "locofocos" ha\e the count}- offices, which secure to them the public printing.' All the numbers of the Journal were l)ound in book form and are well preserved.

"The Eaglet was a small paper started in October, 1845, to catch the countv printing on the suspension of the Argus after it came into the hands of Alexander. It was published by J. A. Cassil and lived only about three or four months.

"The I'liion Jonnial was a literary paper started in Marysville in the vear 1853. It was edited earlv in its existence by A. Tolland Turner and printed by J. G. Cassil and Andrew Pollock. It was a good literary journal, but was clearly in advance of the times. It survived not quite a year and the material was purchased by J. ^^^ Dumble. who removed it to Xenia and published a paper called the .\enia News. Later this paper was edited by W'hitelaw Reid, who became later famous as the editor of the great New York Tribune.

"The Vnion Press was established in October, 1858, by Hylas Sabine. It was Republican in politics, and was contintied until August, 1863, a period of four years and ten months. The last year of its existence it was edited by John B. Coats. The material of the office was purchased by the Vallandighamers, who at that time, in the midst of the war, treason and assailing of the government, were determined to establish a paper that would advocate "the freedom of speech and the press' - that was to advocate license to assail the go\ernment and its friends while they were in the act of putting down rebels. Consequently, the Union County Denwerat was built upon the ruins of the Union Press, and William M. Randall became editor. The first numl5er was issued .\ugust 26, 1863, and was continued until the fall of 1864, when its publication ceased and the material was sold.

"In the spring of 1872, having received new material, W. H. Gribble, of Belle fontaine, started the Pre.\'s. After publishing it five months he abandoned it and the office and left the place. A botch by the name of Conklin was al!(.iwecl to take possession of the office after Gribble left it, under the j^romise that he would continue the paper, but he possessed little ability otiier than to ruin the material, which he did most eiifectively. He published, or tried to [)ublisli, a small sheet entitled the Monitor, which was a l)urles(jue ujion t}pos;raphy and a disgrace to the profession. He finally left for (jther parts and the material of the office were partly disposed of in Alarysville and the rest shipped back to the type foundry."

.\bout the first of June. 1874, the Marys\-ille .Journal was established Ijy C. M. Kenton, which was soon after changed to Union County Journal. The Journal and 'Tribune were the only papers published in Marysxille in 1883. I-'rom i.X,S7 to i(;04 the Journal was conducted by .V. J. Hare, and since that date by the Journal Puljlishing Company, B. B. Gaumer, manager and editor. It is now an eight-page, six-column quarto paper, run cm electric power presses. This plant has been equipped with six presses, all still in constant use in \'arious departments of the business. The subscription rate is $i.oo per }-ear. It circulates in town and county. Politically, it is Democratic. The Iniilding is a fine large brick and is owned by the ccmipany.

"It is ditTticult at this late da}' to secure enriugh of the old papers to enable us to get a chain of all the changes that have taken place in proprietors and publishers of the early papers of the county. A change seemed to be necessary \\hene\er the means of a new proprietor was exhausted. bTom i('^39 to the beginning of the Tribune, the county was almost in its native forest state. The few settlers who were laboring hard to open up their farms were not in any condition to be liberal supporters of the press, and few of them had much time to spare for reading. The times have greatly changed since then [he ^\-rote this in i88j1. We ha\e so many advantages at the present day, antl there is so much in the \x3.\ of impro\-ing the countv. that we cannot form a proper estimate of the struggles of the earlv pioneers. The press of this county has done a fair share in advocating asd bringing about tliis millenium of achancenient and prosiieritv."

Newspxpers Of .Milford Center

The first printing office in Mil ford Center was opened in 1877 by E. H. Clark, a young man. He (.)nly primed l>ills, dodgers and visiting cards. In 1883 Clark sold the office to the Ilerdman brothers - William and James - who began publishing the Darby Xci^'s. the first pa[)er published at Alii ford Center. It was indejjendent in ixilitics, but in 1884, at the beginning (if the Blaine political campaign, \\hen Jariies Ci. Blaine ran against Gro\'er Cle\'eland and was defeated l)y tlie latter, the Herdman brothers espoused the cause of tlie "Plumed Knight" and when he went down to defeat the news- ]3aper collapsed and Herdman brothers left town between two days, ne\'er to return. Then RoUa and George Whitehead began the publication with the same plant, which they had Iiought from the former publishers. They continued until 1886, then sold to \V. H. Lawson, who. after rearranging the office and greatly improving it, began the publication of a new paper called the Milford Echo. This paper was short-lived, ending its career in 1887. In the same year Major C. M. Kenton and William C. ]\IcCampbell started the Milford Center 0/iioan, and its publication has continued to 19 14. Mr.

Kenton was a good newspaper man, having been the editor of the Marysville Journal for several years and, having a real warm friendship for the work, he threw his magnetic influence into the paper. Later he dropped out and left the business in the hands of McCampbell, who was a printer with little experience. He sold the office fi.xtures and good will to Eli Gabriel in 1890, and in 189.2 Mr. Gabriel sold the paper to Charles M. Kenton, who leased the office for a short time to Rankin Reed and Clarence S. Lawson, who continued publishing the paper until Mr. Kenton sold to Frank Holtcamp, of Elmore. Ohio, in 1894. Mr. Holtcamp issued the Oliioan until 1895, when he sold the business to Clarence S. Lawson, who, after publishing the paper for a year, sold the c>ffice to Edward Sanborn and David Story. Mr. Sanborn resided here, but Mr. Storv uas from A'inton county, Ohio. Story's health failed and the office was sold to Clarence S. Lawson in 1897. After jiublishing the paper for about one year it was sold to Charles F. Alonroe, who sold the office in 1898 to Norton Nash, of Milford Center, and he published the paper two years, selling out in 1900 to A. W. ]\lcAdow and Dr. \V. H. Wills. This partnership continued until 1907, when Clarence S. Lawson purchased the office and he, with his estimable wife, issued the Ohioaii in a worthy and commendable style until 1909, when the office was purchased b}- Harr}- L. Agner, of Marysville, who is its present owner and publisher. Mr. Agner has installed a new press, put in new material and made sundr}- improvements in the publication. The subscription list has been greatly enlarged and the tone and makeup of the paper has made a very decided change for the better. It can be truthfully said that the paper is highly appreciated. Mr. Agner is a good printer, with a thorough knowledge of the work. He was for twenty-fi\e vears foreman in the Journal office at Mar\s\-ille.

The Richwood Gazette \\as established .Vugust 16, 1872, by J. H. \'aughan and \V. H. Nicholson, with J. H. Vaughan as editor. November 13. 1873, Mr. Vaughan became sole ]:iroprietor and continued in charge until October jo, 1870, when it was purchased and edited by Robert Smith and W. Ferguson. Two years later Mr. Smith bought his partner out and one year from that date, October 20, 1882, he disposed of a half interest to George \\ . Worden. The paper was independent in politics and was devoted to good, clean wholesome local news items and excellent editorials.

sold to Robert Smith, and he tu W. H. Stout. The next change was when Mr. Graliam owned it. Following him came George W. Worden. It is now a six-column quarto, with the finest mechanical appearance possible for a paper to present. It is independent in politics and has for its motto "Ec^ual right to all, regardless of race, color, religion or politics."

The Gas:ctic is run from a Potter cylinder press propelled l)y a gas engine. The office is located in the old Marriott building. The paper met with slight loss by fire in 1900. The general appearance of this office is superior to any country office known in the state today. The various departments look more like a parlor than a printing office.

The next newspaper venture in Richwood was by J. S. Blake. January 28, 1882, when the Richwood Reporter made its first appearance. This journal was also an independent paper and met with success from the first number. It was published at first on each Saturday. After a year or two it was destroyed by fire and never re-established.