Bureau County, Illinois - Chapter 9: The Press, 1906

Chapter 9: The Press

The press of today is the marvel of the age. There is no occupation, profession or business that does not pay tribute to its mighty power. The jjress is the great disseminator of knowledge; it is also the great revolutionizer of public sentiment: it dominates church, state and the common aflairs of life; it spreads its mantle of direction over the entire body politic of the state and nation ; it waves its banner of dictation and the people shout amen. So great has become the power of the press that enterprises for both good and evil lean upon it for support. The press has shown the most wonderful enterprise known in the annals of history. Every land and clime, every institution and condition lies prostrate at its feet. It reaches out and takes in all of the transactions of mankind. It has become a part of our intellectual being. We feed upon it: we loan on it; and depend upon it. We step to our door in the morning and there find a communication from all the world, from the frozen north land to the balmy south, from the land. of the rising sun to the wave washed land of the Occident, from darkest Africa and the islands of the great deep; yes, from all of these far away habitations, through the medium of the press, we have daily information in regard to the thoughts and activities of the race. The picture we have given is not an overdrawn one. iluch more could be said and still not reach the limits of the power and influence of the press. But few people probably realize how much their own individual life is directed by what they read. Yet with all of the energy and progress displayed by our publications, we believe as a rule they stand for what is highest and best in the battle of life. The world we believe moves upon a much higher plane today than it would have done had it not been for the mighty molding power of the written page. The press has fought its way up to its present standard through many difficulties. The art of printing was known in a crude way even before the Christian era, but it was among the Chinese who had a method of stamping or printing upon one side of cloth or paper by carving out of blocks of wood a pattern or character, covering it with ink, then press the cloth or paper upon the inked surface and thus produce an impression. Prom this early and primitive way of printing has evolved the modern printing press with all of its manifold and wonderful intricacies and accurate adjustments which enables the publishers of our great dailies to place a roll of paper upon this mammoth machine which feeds itself, inks itself, prints both sides of the paper, folds and counts each one at the rate of forty or fifty thousand an honr. Volumes could be written in regard to the evolution of journalism and still not exhaust the subject. The old hand press of our fathers has been discarded and the power of steam takes the place of the muscle of man. Instead of a long row of compositors we find the simplex typesetter and the linotype which can perform the work of about five in the old way of setting type.

The first paper published in Bureau county was the Bureau Advocate. The first issue of this paper bore the date of December 2, 1847. It was a six-column folio, and the terras one dollar and fifty cents in advance, one dollar and seventy-five cents after three months, two dollars after six months. It was printed in a small frame building which stood a little south of Delano's store. It was published by Ebenezer Higgins and the editorial page was divided into three departments. Each department was given two columns. One was devoted to the interest of the whig party and called the "Whig Advocate," another to the interest of the democratic party and was called the "Democratic Advocate," and the third department was called "Liberty Av?vocate." Thus this great trinity of interests went out before the world in the form and under the title of the Bureau Advocate. The whig department was edited by a whig committee; the democratic columns by a democratic committee, and a committee also edited the liberty department. This three-headed title page sailed into the arena of political life and political strife with bold assertions and extravagant predictions. The whig committee's debut was somewhat boastful and full of trite sayings, such as the following: "'AVe aim at the good of our country. . . . We believe the people have a right to scan the measures of all nur public men. . . . The whigs are in favor of banks mostly. . . . Some democrats are in favor of banking under certin restrictions. . . . We are in favor of a moderate tariff. . . . We are of the opinion that free trade will finally prevail. . . . We have little to say about slavery. . . Every state being a sovereign power has a right to continue the institution or abolish it, and no other power whatever has any equitable right to interfere. . . . Happy would it be for us if our country contained only the Caucasian race. . In the event of a conclusion of peace with Mexico, if we shall ever be so happy as to arrive at that period ... let the territory we gain thereby, whether it be a splendid hacienda, a sand hill, a morass, a pond of horned frogs or a bare rock, let it remain free. . . . We are fully committed to the Wilmet Proviso." This was the essential part of the platform of the whig committee.

Then on this triune sheet follows the declaration of the democratic committee. They say : "In assuming the editorial management of the democratic department we deem it proper to state distinctly the principles by which we intend to be governed. It has been asserted the Advocate is to be a union paper, by which we suppose is meant a sort of amalgamation of the principles of the different parties. This we deny. This democratic department is to be entirely independent of others. It is our intention to sustain the great principles of democracy." . . . "We are opposed to a protective tariff, a chartered monopolies, and exclusive privileges of every description ; in favor of free trade, equal rights and the largest liberty which is consistent with the duties which men owe to each other. We are opposed to the abolitionists, as too much disposed to meddle with what concerns them not. . . . But we ablior slavery - adhere to the principles of the A\'ilmot Proviso and resist the extraordinary pretensions of the south, in casting aside the creed of Washington, Jefferson and Patrick Henry. . . . We disclaim all disposition to interfere with slavery where it exists. . . . We contend it :.biiul(l be confined to where it now is." The committee thus endorsed (he resolutions of the New York democracy which were for free trade and opposed to internal improvements by the

Then comes the editorial of the liberty committee. They start off by saying: "Strike but hear!" The "committee then proceed to say that the liberty j)arty is not an infidel party trying to overthrow the church, and then they define their position as follows: "Many again suppose the liberty party made up of disorganizers who would shiver the fabric of government, having no regard for the constitution. . . . No! Let us abide by the constitution. ... We only seek to change the action of the general government in regard to slavery. We are no more against the constitution than the whigs or democrats when they seek to change the action of the government in reference to a bank or the question of free trade. . . . Did it never happen that a good ship was badly navigated ? . . . We find no fault with the constitution. . . . The gallant ship of state. . . . She has traced on her prow the objects for which she was built, to-wit: to establish justice and to secure the blessings of liberty. From this high and glorious object we think it has been turned aside. ... So we hold and think we can prove it. . . . We want to pull down the flag of slavery and run up that of liberty." The "Liberty Advocate" than gives an account of the convention that nominated J. P. Hale, of New Hampshire, for president and L. King, of Ohio, for vice-president. The paper in its general editorial says: "Our readers need not be informed that the Advo(ate is, in its character as a newspaper, somewhat peculiar. It is intended to be a channel of communication for the whig, democratic and liberty parties." He also says that a disruption of this "three in one has been predicted but he is in hopes that order, dignity and fraternity may be maintained," and then says : "Peace be to this house," then follows with this declaration: "All patrons who want fish, flesh or fowl can glut themselves in the Advocate columns."

In this first issue quite a number of the citizens had notices of their profession or business, many of them were factors in the activities for many years, Imt not on<' cif them i-csponds to rollcall now.

In 1848 the Advorate ofiiee was removed to the ollice that was formerly occMqticd by X. Wiswcli. August 2-4. 1848, after a stormy life of nine months, this union sheet, tins anomaly, witli tliree heads and one body, sank into the whirlpool of oblivion, and as the waters calmed and became still there appeared upon its s\irface a new Advocate with this for their motto: "Free Soil, Free Speech and Free Men." With the issue of December 13, ISIS, Mr. Higgins severed his connection with this paper with an editorial of five words which were as follows: "This is our last sheet." The next issue B. F. Hammond and T. W. Welsh were publishers iind .Fubn IT. Bryant was editor. The paper soon after passed into the hands of Bryant and Dean. In 1851 it was bought by Justin \\. Olds and the name was changed to the Princeton Post. Justin H. Olds, proprietor and editor, and J. M. Wilkinson, publisher. On November 20, 1854, the paper again changed hands. In tliis last issue of Mr. Olds the paper announces the last mass nu-eting of the campaign and says: "This meeting is called to reply to Stephen A. Douglas' late argument here on the Nebraska bill." The speakers were "Lovejoy, Stipp and Kelsev." The meeting was called by E. T. Templeton, 'S. A. Paddock, G. W. Stipp, .\ustin Bryant, \. B. Church and J. H. Olds. Not one of the above named persons are now upon the shores of time. In the issue of November 9, 1854, Charles Fa.xon takes charge of the paper, although Mr. Olds' name appeared one week later.

On December 25, 1853, the Post states that the engineers are yet busy completing the survey for the Burlington railroad through the county; it also quotes the following prices: Wheat (spring), 45 to 50 cents; corn, 35 cents; oats, 25 cents; coffee, 12>4 cents; flour, $2.25; sugar, 7 cents: butter, 18 cents; potatoes, 30 cents.

In 1858 Faxon sold the plant to h'hue and Hewett, and this firm changed the name to the Bureau County Ecpuhlican. Rhue soon sold his interest to John H. Bryant. The firm of Bryant & Hewett continued until Mr. Hewett's death in 1861. Mr. Bryant then managed and edited the paper until 1863, when the entire office was bought by John W. Bailey. This paper was issued with the title of Prinretoninn for a short time about 1851. John W. Bailey was the sole proprietor from 1863 until 1872, when he sold a half interest to L. J. Colton, who was connected with the Republican until 1874, when he sold his interest to C. P. Bascom, and the firm of Bailey & Bascom continued until the death of Mr. Bascom, wliicli occui'red in ISiXi. when IT. N. Bailey became a mcmlier of the firm and the business was carried on under the title of Bailey & Son. This partnership continued until the death of Mr. Bailey, which occurred on May 23, 1903, when II. \. I'lniley. the ))ri'sent proprietor, took the entire business under his control. The BepuhViran office at the present time is a model of completeness in all of its departments. It is furnished with a linotype machine, which manufactures and sets its own type ready for the forms by the use of its keyboard, which is manipulated about the same as a typewriter. The circulation is almost phenomenal for a country newspaper, being the second largest county paper in the United States. The Greenfield Gazette and Courier, of Cfreenfield, Massachusetts, is the only one that excels it. The present circulation is 5,150.

not harmonize with the leaders of democracy in his effort to make it a partisan journal, and he also came out second best in his quarrel with Cyrus Bryant, who was editing the whig department of the Advocate, so after a short and stormy stay he moved the Herald office to Kewanee.

Yeoman Of The Prairie Land

In 1861, Dr. S. Allen Paddock purchased the office of Hooper Warren, of Hennepin, and started the above named paper. This paper was published with a view of sending it to the older states as a messenger to proclaim the wonderful possibilities of the then new county. Dr. Paddock soon sold out his interest and the paper was soon no more. bure.au county democrat.

This paper, edited by C. N. Pine, made its first appearance March 15, 1856. H. R. Lemar was the printer and publisher. It wa.s intensely Democratic. This paper started just in season to get into the campaign of 1856, which was a long and e.xciting one. Editor Pine held closely to Buchanan's interest in the struggle for supremacy between him and Douglas, and in 1858 was made postmaster in Princeton. In 1858, Eckels and Kyle bought out the paper. After about six weeks Kyle sold his interest to Gilbert Gibons. The firm of Eckels and Gibons did not remain in the paper business but a few months, but sold to W. II. Mesenkof, who, after a short but sucessful career, as editor, sold the plant to C. C. Peekham. Mr. Peckham, after an unsuccessful strugle for existence, sold it back to Mr. Mesenkof, who continued to manage it until 1863, when he sold it to C. N. Smith & Co. This management changed the name to the Bureau County Patriot, but in 1871 it again changed hands, and C. N. Whitney became editor and proprietor until 1876, when the sheriff took possession and closed the doors of the office, and all its earthly remains were interred in Kewanee.

In 1873, Horace Greeley was running for president, and the Democratic party had no organ to represent them. Accordingly, a move was set on foot and cash raised to start a new Democratic paper, and W. H. Mesenkof was prevailed upon to take the position of editor. Under these conditions the Bwreau County Tribune started on its career in August, 1872. In December, the same year, Mesenkof sold to ('. P. Smith and F. D. Winship. In 1873, Winship sold to E. K. Mercer. In 1875, Smith sold his interest to E. F. Doran. After nine months' experience in the paper business, Doran sold back to Smith. The firm of Smith & Mercer continued until 1879, when Smith sold out his interest to E. K. Mercer, who is still editor and owner of the Trihune. When .Mr. Mercer took hold of this paper it was not considered a bonanza. It had cramped quarters on the third floor of the ell to the American House. The fixtures were meager and primitive, a small hand press and little foot press were about all of the belongings. But with all of these discouragements and drawbacks, from the first - after Mr. Mercer assumed full control - this paper has constantly grown in circulation and influence, until now it is one of leading county papers in this part of the state. A fine new brick building has been erected for the ofSce and all of the modern improvements in piinting and type setting are at '^and. This otlice has a Simplex type-setter, which can do the work of about five who set type by hand. bureau county news. This paper was launched out into the wavetossed sea of public opinion in 1881, by George M. Padcliffe and Charles B. Smith as an independent, anti-monopoly. Greenback organ. Smith drew out of the company in 1885 and Radcliffe remained one year longer, when he withdrew from its management, and Jacob Miller was editor for one year. Then Thomas McKane, in 1887, took charge of the office for about (wo years, when it was bought by Kershaw & Streeter, when after about two years S. E. Beede took the place of Kershaw for a time, and finally bought out the interest of Mr. Streeter and ran the entire business until the present management took the plant. Wliile owned by Kershaw & Streeter the name was changed from the Bureau County News to the Bureau County Record, under which name it is now published. The present editor is

Herbert E. Brown, on November 23, 1889, issued the first paper in La Moille, under the title of the La Moille Gazette. In 1893 he sold the plant to J. H. and Lucy Showalter. The paper was under their care until the death of Miss Showalter, since which time Mr. Showalter has had entire control, being both editor and proprietor. This paper has a good local circulation and is enterprising and clean in its management.

Ohio

Tlie Ohio Herald was tlie first paper published in the village of Ohio. Was founded in 1891 by P. P. Michael. In March, 1895, Mr. Michael scld the Herald to Joseph H. Showalter, who sold it to R. L. Russell. Mr. Russell was succeeeded by Phil S. Robinson, who in turn sold it to Rev. Lewis, and J. E. Taylor was installed as editor. Rev. Lewis sold to Mr. Luther and Luther to E. J. Talbot. In 1889. sold the plant to J. E. Taylor, who was its editor and otvvner until his death in 1892, upon which Mr. P. P. Michael again became its owner and is its present owner and publisher.

Sheffield Times

The Bureau County Times was established at Sheffield in 1886 by Charles A. Pratt, who continued its publication till 1892, when Fred G. Boyden purchased the ])aiK'r and continued as editor and publisher \intil 1899, when C. F. Luther assumed full coutrol of the same, and the name was changed to the Sheffield Times, and continued to manage the paper until 1903, when E. J. Talbot purchased the plant. In April, 1903. C. W. Boyden, F. G. Boyden and E. E. Battey purchased ' the outfit, and Rev. J. Van Hosen acted as editor until June, 190(j, since vviiich time it has been edited by E. J. Talbot.

'The Walnut Leader was established in 1892 by Wiliam Wilson, the present editor and publisher. It is a six-column paper, republican in politics, and has a circulation of over eight iiundred.