Logan County, Illinois - The Press, 1911

The Press

The time was when the metropolitan newspaper, published at the large commercial centers, was the chief factor in molding public opinion in the nation. The metropolitan press wields much influence still, but much of its power in this regard, has been transferred to the thousands of local newspapers that in recent years have sprung into existence in the smaller communities throughout the land. The metropolitan press does its work on the railroad train, in the public halls and hotels, amid the babbling of politicians and the clamor of public dispute. The country press, so called, spreads its irresistable influence around the family fireside in the quietude of the home. It sits at the family table. It takes its place in the domestic circle when the shades of evening fall. Its influence goes out and travels between the rows of corn, sits upon the reaper as it harvests the golden grain and ever repeats the enlarging circle of its power.

The first newspaper published in Illinois was the Kaskaskia Herald, which appeared at the first capital of the state in 1814. The second paper was the Shawneetown Emigrant, established in 1818. By 1835, the number of weekly newspapers in the state had increased to eighteen. The first daily was established in Chicago, in 1839, the year Logan County was formed. The first paper published in Sangamon County, of which Logan County was then a part, was the Spectator, established by Hooper Warren, in 1826. The first number of the Sangamo Journal appeared Noy. 10, 1831, has been continued until the present time, is now known as the Illinois State Journal and has been published as a daily since 1838. The Illinois State Register was first established at Vandalia, followed the capital to Springfield in 1836 and has been published as a daily since 1849.

The first individual to attempt to publish a newspaper in Logan County was one S. B. Dugger, and he selected Atlanta as the scene of his journalistic venture. The paper was known as "The Logan County Forum" and its first issue appeared in August of 1855. Atlanta was then the largest town in the county, being a more populous village than Lin- coln, the new county seat. Both towns had been laid out in 1853, the year the Chicago & Alton railroad had been put through the county, but Atlanta, being surrounded by a more thickly populated country, had forged ahead for the first two or three years. Over 300 houses were built in Atlanta in 1854 and 1855 and there were over 40 business houses. Atlanta had been written up in the Chicago, Springfield and Alton papers as a booming western town. This attracted the attention of Mr. Dugger, who had been publishing a paper at Carlinville, which he called the Macoupin Statesman, and he came to Atlanta on the crest of the boom. The Forum was published at $1.50 per annum and carried the following motto at its masthead: "Independent in all things and neutral in nothing ; Devoted to the best interests of Logan County."

The Logan County Forum seems to have been a strenuous anti-slavery organ from its first inception. A correspondent of the Springfield Register, in writing up the new town of Atlanta, in, 1856, said: "Mr. 5B. Dugger has established a handsome looking newspaper here, called the Logan County Forum. Mr. Dugger is an intelligent and affable gentleman, but we regret that he should dedicate his efforts to the spreading of fusionism." Another item of the same year, in the Chicago Tribune, in a similar write-up of Atlanta, was to the effect that "The Logan County Forum, a well conducted paper by S. B. Dugger, hails from this city and is well patronized; the Forum is down on Douglas and his Nebraska iniquity and strikes some heavy blows at the propogandists of slavery." An Alton Courier correspondent in 1856 added his testimony, as follows: "There is a printing office in the town of Atlanta, from which the Logan County Forum, an anti-Nebraska paper, is issued weekly. It is under the control of S. B. Dugger, formerly of the Macoupin Statesman, is a neat and ably conducted paper and is being well supported." Jefferson L. Dugger, a brother of S. B. Dugger, had been associated with the latter in the publication of the Statesman at Carlinville. Both came to Atlanta together in 1855, S. B. Dugger going into the newspaper business and launching the Forum, and Jefferson Dugger becoming a member of the mercantile firm of Gill & Co. A copy of the Logan Logan Forum, of date June 19, 1856, is now in the possession of Horace Crihfield, editor of the Atlanta Argus, and is an interesting issue. When the Atlanta town boom subsided about 1858, Mr. Dugger discontinued the Forum and moved west.

The next newspaper venture in the county is deserving of special mention for the reason that it was the first paper published at the county seat and became a permanent factor in the county's life, having had a continuous existence down to the present writing. This venture was the Lincoln Herald, established Feb. 1, 1856. The founders of this publication were two young men, James D. Moudy and George W. Fuller, who came to the new and growing county seat town of Lincoln, about the date mentioned, and considered it a fruitful field for a weekly newspaper. They procured an office from Erastus Wright, where Hungerford's planing mill now stands, set up their plant and got out their first issue. After conducting the paper about four weeks, they found themselves out of funds and disposed of the office and fixtures to Joseph Reed and E. S. Austin, who jointly conducted the paper, under the name of the Illinois Citizen, until May 1, 1856, when Austin retired from the management and Reed became sole proprietor. Upon the nomination of John C. Fremont for President of the United States, in the summer of 1856, the name of the paper was again changed to that of the Fremont Herald. After Fremont's defeat, in the fall of that year, the word "Fremont" was dropped from the heading of the paper, the word "Lincoln" inserted instead and the name Lincoln Herald adopted, which since that time has been retained, under successive managements, until the present time. The paper has been issued as a daily since 1902, when the Daily News was combined with it under the management of Morris Emmerson.

Shortly after the establishment of the Lincoln Herald in 1856, a democratic paper was established in Lincoln, under the name of the Logan County Democrat. It was issued by a stock company, under the management of Simmons & Beasley, until 1864, when it was sold to Samuel Johnson, who changed the name to the Logan County Courier. In 1865 or 1866, J. C. Webster, who was then the owner of the Lincoln Herald, bought out the Courier and discontinued the same.

A history of journalism in Logan County will be found in the following list of newspapers, published in the county, from time to time, the data concerning the papers published in Lincoln having been compiled by John Edmonds, a well known newspaper man of Logan County.

Lincoln Weekly And Semi-Weekly Papers

The Logan County Democrat, democratic, established by a stock company in 1856 and conducted by Simmons & Beasley, sold to Samuel Johnson in 1864 and name changed to Logan County Courier; purchased in 1865 or 1866 by J. C. Webster and merged in the Lincoln Herald.

The Lincoln Intelligencer, republican, established by Henry Sturges in 1866; purchased by D. L. Ambrose in 1867 ; removed to Winchester, Scott County, in 1869.

The Journal, democratic, established by Wallace Nall, in December of 1873; sold to R. B. Forrest the same year, Forrest combining it with the Daily News, owned by Samuel Reed, and they organizing the Lincoln Times.

The Lincoln Times, democratic, appeared first in 1873 and was a consolidation of the Statesman and the Journal, R. B. Forrest and Samuel Reed conducting the paper until 1876; Wallace Nall & Bro., publishers from 1876 to 1880; Thomas H. Stokes, publisher from 1880 to 1896; Smith & Baskett (J. W. Smith and Martin Baskett), publishers from 1896 to 1903, when the publication was sold to John Edmonds and Clara W. Moulden and consolidated with the Courier as the Times-Courier.

Sharps' Weekly Statesman, democratic, established by Thomas J. Sharp in February of 1874; Thomas J. Sharp and Wilford D. Wyatt, publishers from 1875 to 1876; paper also issued as a daily in 1874-5; Anna J. Wyatt became owner in 1876 and name changed to News, April 1st of that year; _ leased to Samuel Reed in August of 1876; material purchased in March of 1877, by Joseph B. Bates, who began the publication of the Logan County Republican.

The Logan County Republican, republican, established by Joseph B. Bates in March of 1877; purchased Feb. 4, 1879 by F. B. Mills and consolidated with the Lincoln Herald.

The Lincoln Courier, democratic, established by John Edmonds and Charles H. Stuart in 1890; Stuart's interest bought by Samuel R. Moulden in 1891; publication operated as a weekly and daily for several years, then issued as a semi-weekly and daily; John Edmonds and Samuel R. Moulden, publishers from 1891 to 1901; John Edmonds and Clara W. Moulden, publishers from 1901 to 1904; John Edmonds and J. L. Goodknight from 1904 to 1907; James B. Lloyd and J. L. Goodknight from 1907 to 1910; purchased in 1910 by John A. Larison and Walter Niebuhr, the present proprietors. Has been issued as a daily since its establishment. In 1903, the Weekly Courier absorbed the Lincoln Times and its name was changed to the Lincoln Times-Courier.

Illinois Volksfreund, German, independent, established by T. J. Sharp in February of 1874; purchased by Louis Ph. Wolf and Charles E. Knorr in March of 1874; L. Ph. Wolf became sole owner and continued until 1876, when various changes occurred; Wallace Nall & Bro, became owners in 1876, and the name of the paper was changed to the Volksblatt :

C. E. Knorr became publisher in April of 1877; purchased in 1898 by Paul F. Mueller and consolidated with the Rundschau. The Journal, German, independent, was established in 1877, by E. F. L. Rautenberg; was absorbed by the Volksblatt the year of its establishment.

The Rundschau, German, detiocratic, established by a stock company in 1896, Max Krueger, editor; purchased by Paul F. Mueller in 1897; consolidated in 1898 with the Volksblatt as the Volksblatt-Rundschau ; purchased by Sexauer Brothers in 1905; now conducted by Emil Sexauer, as sole owner, Carl Gehre being city editor.

Lincoln Dailies

The Daily Experiment, independent, the first daily published in the county, established by Cox, Boren & Stephenson in 1859; lived a few months and suspended.

The Daily Statesman, independent, established by Tiaras J. Sharp in 1874; Thomas J. Sharp and Wilford D. Wyatt, publishers, 1875-76; Anna J. Wyatt became owner in April of 1876 and name of paper changed to News; leased to Samuel Reed in August, 1876; purchased by Joseph B. Bates, March 17, 1877, and paper discontinued as a daily.

The Daily Sentinel, independent, established in August of 1878 by Dutcher, Wolfe & Bailey; purchased by Albert F. Smith in 1879; leased to Thomas H. Smedley in 1881; suspended publication the same year.

The Daily Times, independent, established in January, 1879 and published until 1880; sold to John and Neal Edmonds, changing name to Daily Leader; suspended in August of 1881.

The Daily Record, independent, established by the Mohr Bros. in 1880; sold the same year to the Miller Bros. and by them to L. C. Schwerdéfeper i in 1881, who merged it in the Daily Journal.

The Daily Journal, independent, established by L. C. Schwerdtfeger in 1881; leased Jan. 9, 1883 to John Edmonds and Lemuel Nall; John Edmonds, publisher, from Jan. 9, 1885 to August of 1887; sold to Charles H. Stuart, who sold to R. V. Mallory and the latter consolidated it with the Daily Monitor in 1887.

and D. H. Harnly, 1895-6; Grimes Bros. and Grimes & Branson, 1898; Pinkerton & Cross, 1901-02; then passed into the ownership of Morris Emmerson and now published as the Daily News-Herald.

The Daily Courier, democratic, established October, 1889, by John Edmonds and Charles H. Stuart; John Edmonds and Samuel R. Moulden, T&g1-1901; John Edmonds and Clara W. Moulden, 1902-04; John Edmonds and J. L. Goodknight, 1904-07; James B. Lloyd and J. L. Goodknight, 1907; John A. Larison and Walter Niebuhr are the present owners, purchasing the publication in 1910.

The Daily News-Herald, republican, established in 1902 by Pinkerton & Cross; sold the same year to Morris Emmerson and now conducted by him.

Atlanta Papers

The first paper published in Atlanta, as well as in the county, was the Logan County Forum, established in August of 1855 by S. B. Dugger. An account of the establishment of this paper has already been given in the beginning of this chapter. The Ferum was discontinued about 1858. Several other newspaper ventures were subsequently launched, among them the Logan County Journal in 1865 conducted by P. Casserly, but none of them continued successfully except the Atlanta Argus, which was established in May, 1869, by Albion Smith and has been continuously issued down to the present time. In 1870, Frank B. Mills became a partner with Mr. Smith and the paper was conducted under the firm name of Smith & Mills, until the spring of 1873, when they purchased the Lincoln Herald and removed to the county seat. They disposed of the Argus to A. W. Briggs, of Rhode Island. Mr. Briggs remained with the paper until August of 1874, when he disposed of it to George L. Shoals. In November of 1881, Horace Crihfield, who was born in Atlanta, purchased the Argus property of Mr. Shoals, and has continued his connection with the paper until the present time. In August of 1885, he admitted his brother, R. C. Crihfield as an equal partner in the business and the firm name became Crihfield Brothers. In addition to the Atlanta Argus, they publish weekly papers for Minier, Waynesville, Kenney and McLean. The Atlanta Argus is independent in politics.

Mt. Pulaski Papers

The first paper published in Mt. Pulaski was the Mt. Pulaski Sentinel. It was established in July, 1870, by Francis M. Dalton, who transferred the paper to John Bush, a few months after the appearance of the first issue. In August of 1871, the name was changed to the Mt. Pulaski Ob- server, and as such was conducted by Frank Sloan until July, 1873, when it passed into the hands of Joel Dunbar. Under Mr. Dunbar the paper bore the name of the Dollar Star, later changed to the Mt. Pulaski Star, and was continuously published until October of 1876, when it was discontinued. The same year P. J. and J. E. Conklin came from Ohio and began the publication of the Mt. Pulaski Citizen, the first issue appearing Nov. 29, 1876. The firm was known as the Conklin Brothers. In 1881, the Conklin Brothers sold the paper to H. C. Suttle, who published it until 1885, when he sold it to Otto G. Bekemeyer. Mr. Bekemeyer had established the Mt. Pulaski Times in June of 1882 and in 1885 he combined the two papers under the name of the Mt. Pulaski Times-Citizen. It was democratic in politics. In 1887, the Times-Citizen passed into the control of R. V. Mallory who conducted it until 1889, when he moved to Lincoln and took charge of the Lincoln Daily Monitor. The Times-Citizen was subsequently discontinued.

The Mt. Pulaski Republican was established in August of 1884 by Thomas H. Smedley and Charles T. Curtis. The latter retired from the management in September of 1885. In 1886, S. Linn Beidler purchased the paper and conducted it until the time of his death, since which time it has been conducted by his two sons, Rell C. Beidler and Paul E. Beidler, the name of the paper having been changed to the Mt. Pulaski News.

The Mt. Pulaski Times was established in 1902, passed through various hands and in 1906 absorbed the Mt. Pulaski Press, which had been established by Joe A. Horn. R. L. Conn purchased the plant in 1907 and on Dec. 1, 1910, sold out to G. A. Drum, of Homer, IIl., Mr. Conn having accepted a position as chief deputy clerk of the supreme court of Illinois.

Emden, Middletown And Latham

The Emden News was established at Emden, in 1895, by C. E. Nine and T. T. McCormick. Subsequently Mr. McCormick retired from the management and the paper was conducted by C. E. Nine until September of 1908, when it was purchased by Charles H. Scholz and W. E. Mickle, the present editors and publishers.

The first publication issued in Middletown was the Middletown Journal, established in 1901 by Warren Milby. The name was changed to the Middletown Gazette in 1902. In 1902, Nieukirk & Eyrse, of San Jose, purchased the plant and issued the Middletown Herald. In 1904, this publication ceased and the plant was removed, leaving the town without a paper. The same year, however, A. R. Allison established the Middletown Ledger. In 1908, Grant Heatherwick secured the ownership of the paper, and is now conducting the same.

Several newspaper ventures have been made from time to time in Latham, notably the Latham Graphic, established in 1891 by Frank Leake, but none of these have been permanent and there is no paper published there at the present writing.