Editors Who Flourish in Southwestern Iowa
r
UK nuwspnpcr men havu alwa)B
played an Iniportuiil purl Iti thu
public affairs of southwestern
lowii. No MCCtloll (if tlio UtflL
has u iiioru ItivltltiK Hold for good ncwa
papor woik on thu iiirul press, for llio
people uru Intelligent, appreciative und
well-to-do, Tim nuwupupcr inc-ii liuvo ap
preciated their opportunity ami their
pupora fittingly represent thu progress. In
telligent ami public Hplrlt of thu thriving
lowiiB. riiu suggestion that only four
slates iti thu union havo muru nowspapcrs
than lowu may emphasize thu Important
relation which thu weekly paper bears to
llawki ycilum. Now York, I'ciinsylvuulu,
Illinois anil Ohio ate thu four states that
I unci Iowa and each hau from two to tin oo
tllnu.) thu pcpulatlun of this atuto.
In paying this llttlu tribute to thu nowu
papur men , whoso work dues ho much to
mould vlowu, opinions and tauten of south
went lowu, It In fair to begin with thoso of
CicbIoii, thu busts of thu picscul gather
in A town of 10,000 Crculou hau three
lively ilallleu, all edited by men of statu
wldii iiroinlnenco, l'aul Maclean, owner
and odl.or of thu Cazultc, ieiuhlleau, lu thu
mout hrllllanl and caustic polemical wrltur
in Iowa, 'I'll In may seem high praise, hut
thosu who havu folluwud his work, lu Ii la
own paper or relleeled lu thu press, will
hardly illusuut. Allan Dawson of thu l)eu
Molneu Loader hau dubbed him thu "Hurry
Hotspur of Iowa Journalism" and tho char
acterization lu excellent. No man lu Iowa
cau rumovu thu hldu from an opponent with
ho deft, clever anil withal polite a touch.
Ho Iti postiiMutor of Crestou and always a
faclur lu statu political gatherings.
S A. lliuwuter of thu Crustou Advertiser
lu an uncompi utilising democrat, n student
of economic problems, a strong writer and
ouu "of thu most duvoted friends of Mr.
Ilryiiu lu thu ktntu. Uu Is an excellent all
round newspaper worker, fur above thu
uvuragu lu business ability. Uu has been
u candidate fur coiigrcsu on thu democratic
Hcket lu thu Eighth dlutrlct, uu has also W.
II Itobli, edltur of thu Cicston American,
populist. Mr. Itobli lu unu of thu promt
in nt pupullBtu of thu country and like Ills
two competitor. lu a lighter. In fact thero
Isn't u town In thu state where a livelier
article of uewspapur war rare can Lu sup
plied on demand than Is to be had In
Oioslon.
I. lift- Voiiiik'n Life Wurl..
And whllu thu Houtbwestern eil Iters are
UL'Ocr dlsctiBslon, no man lu butter en
titled to place among them tbati Lufo
Young, thu elovur editor ami owner of the
Dra Moines Capltul. Mr. Young for yearB
umlucted tho Atlantic Telegraph, and, despite-
the llinltatlons of thu Held for a
lally, made hl'iiBulf a power. When hr
went to the Htntti auiiatu from tho district
that then included Ciibh and Union coun
ties hu was thu youngest member of thu
uppir house. I In made a placu at oncu au
orator and publicist. Uu afterward went
to Des .Molneu and bought thu Capital when
It seemed a hupelcsu pruposltlun. The
ruvidutlou lu thu paper lu thu best ovl
ileni'u of lib; abilities. ills lung autt Is
after-dinner oratory, lu which ho Is con
cedud thu iircmlciulilp of Iowa, In or out
of nuw'Hpaperdiim. Hu was for years presi
dent of thu Iowa Statu Editorial associa
tion, now extinct, or at least moribund; no
gathering of loun editors la considered in
good standing unless the Depew of Iowa
lu on thu bill of fare. I.afu always duett
criminal things. He went to Cuba to re
port thu Spanish war for Mis paper, and
IiIh lecture, after he wit home, on thu cap
ture of Santiago wiih ouu of I bo most beau
tiful win lis of Imagination ever dished up
from a platform,
Thu Ited Oak Express would havu to be
put In a Hut of the half dozen boat nil
'round weeklies In Iowa. T. I). Murphy lu
now nt tlm head of thu paper, which la
a third of u century old, and In connection
with which Iiiih grown up the calendar
and art printing business, whose contribu
tion to lied Oak's fame hau been second
only to that made by llalhinl tho Hard.
Mr. Murphy conducts a Btrlctly repub
lican paper. Six years ago a Junior party
paper was put In, the Republican, by Mont
gomery Shcffer, which la a worthy com
potltor of Its lonKcr established rlvul. The
Sun, democratic, by Hull & Clark, la u
quarter of a century old. All tho lied Oak
nowspnpora arc In the hands of thorough
nowspaper men and their contribution haa
douo much to glo Hid Oak tho ptomlnonco
In stato politics Indicated by tho fact that
It Is tho home of United States Judge Mc
I'hcraon, who recently resigned from con
gress to go on the hunch, Supreme JubIIco
Iloraco E. Doemcr, Senator J. M. Junkln
and other men of almost equal note.
On. ,,t in, i:iliiilri,, I'limii),
I'll ill S. Junkln, editor of tho Corning
Unlon-Itcpubllcnn, Is entitled by Inherit
ance nnd by his own servlco as well to rank
ns a plonoor. Ho la one of thu Juuklns of
Fnlrlluld, u family that has produced more
nowspapor nieti than nny other In Iowa
and nil good ones. W. V. Junkln, tho
patriarch, has been over half n century nt
tho hend of tho Fairfield Ledger, his sorv
Ico with ono paper being tho longest over
credited to nny mnn In tho atnto. His son,
C. M. Junkln. now actively conducts the
paper; another son Is editor of tho Ilock
Rapids Uoportcr nnd l'aul S. Junkln of
Corning Is thu third. Ilia la ono of four
pnpera In Adams county the least nuinbor
of papers In nny Iowa county and Is ex
cellent In proportion to tho field, having
one of tho largest weekly circulations In tho
state. Tho Free PreSB (democrat) nnd the
Onzotto (republican) by W. H. Hoxlo are
tho other Corning papers. Mr. Hoxlo Is one
of tlifi oldest southwest Iowa editors. His
paper was started In 1SG7 and hu has con
ducted It most of thu time.
Hownrd Tedford of Mount Ayr, stnto
hinder nnd ono of tho rising young men of
Iowa nowspnperdom, Is associated with hla
father. J. II. Tedford, In tho ownership and
conduct of tho Mount Ayr Record. This Is
another landmark of southwestern Jour
nalism, dating from 1SC5. Father Tedford
wrltou the, page of strong editorial, which
always occupies tho entire first page, and
inakea It one of tho most popular weeklies.
Hownrd Tedford has douo newspaper work
In Wiiahliigtun, before ho becamo stnto
binder, of a quality that attracted much
attention.
NlllMTNN I'01). on .Merit.
Among tho notable newspaper successes
la the Mount Ayr Twlco-A-W'euk News, by
Wnltur II. lluall. Though not yet 30 years
old, Mr. lleall has built up much tho largest
circulation lu bis county by making a news
pa tier that Is entitled to rank among tho
best. It Is n weekly paper run on dally
principles. Tho Mount Ayr Journal, by
J. 8. Shepherd und son, la tho democratic
paper of Ringgold's capital and has high
rank In the county. Ringgold, Indeed, U a
county of newspapers. H. K Perkins
Kollerton Olnbo, tho Sentinel at Knowlton
by 1'. II. Wilson; tho Vindicator at Ting
ley, by I)r. I). W. Watsabaugh. Bert M
rlek'u nlllteratlvo Ueddlng Hustler, and
Clmrlea Wroughton's Dlngonal Progress
nro all muni papers with district circula
tions It Is claimed on behalf of Ringgold
county that It has more weekly newspa
per circulation thnu any other In the
Eighth district.
J. Knox Hall tins made In the Stur
EntorprUu at Aftou a paper that Is In many
ways remarkable Typographically and in
Its iiuwh nnd literary qualities It ranks very
high. Afton was formerly county scat of
Union county, bofore Creston won nway that
distinction, and Mr. Hnll has prollted by
thu rivalry between the two towns. Ills
papor lu uf tho Independent democratic
ciiBt. Tho Afton Tribune, by W. B. Adair,
Is a recent venture nnd has mndo a cred
ttablo showing.
In a town of 3.000 John J. Clnrk has made
a slgnnl success of tho conduct of n dnlly
The- Iledford Republican Is n bright' llttlu
evening paper, thu weekly edition of which
Is the Tlmes-Republlcnn, Mr Clnrk lu
postmaster nt Iledford nnd Is possessed of
that square of qualities which tnUBt he
represented in a man who can succeed as
ho has done. Ho Is n politician, a busi
ness man, an editor, n good reporter, and,
nlthough only n young mnn, has been emi
nently successful. Tho Iledford Free Press,
by H, E, Moores, Is democratic and, whllo
making no such ambitious effort as tho
conduct of a dally, Is an excellent weekly.
Mr. Moores devotes himself especially to
tho promotion of his news Interests
petition interesting since they stnttcd In
business. They run a republican paper,
with considerable leanings to Independence.
Tho Clarlndn Democrat Is A. II. Robinson's
paper and serves the party with a good
ntticle of political doctrine, as well as a
good newspaper.
Shenandoah, however, Is entitled to rate
ns the best nowspaper town in southwest
Iowa. Tho Sentinel, twice a week, has tho
largest circulation credited to n weekly In
this section. C. N. Marvin, Its proprietor
LAFAYETTE VOUNO, EDITOR Photo by Dostwlclc.
thrcughout tbe rounty, having airnectlons
well represented
HTIIII of lll? lallilll.
The weekly paper that gets above 2,000
circulation In an Iowa county Is something
of a wonder, yet there are two of them
in Clarlnda, the Herald, by C. A. Mule,
ono of the veterans of thlB section. Tho
parer Is over forty years old and has made
Mr. Lisle considerably more than well-to-do,
Hu Is postmaster which contains
tho assurance that ho Is a republican and
Is ono of the strong men of tho Eighth
district In politics, his paper is the homo
representative of Congressman Hepburn
and has done good party sorvlco In that
not always easy position, Tho Clarlnda
Journal, J. P. Konnea and Kd C. Lane,
Is tho youngest paper In thu town and a
hustler. Its editors nre young men, who
know their business and have made com-
and editor, has a capacity for making poo
plo want his newspaper that would make
a success In any place on enrth. Shenan
doah Is on tho line botween Pago and Fre
mont counties nnd Mr. Mnrvln makes a
paper for both counties, Drown Uros.
have taken advantage of tho same condi
tions In building up their Shenandoah
World, also a aeml-weekly, with a big
circulation and business. Tho Post at
Shenandoah Is conducted by Den Clare
and calls Itself Independent, which his
friends say means that It would bo demo
cratic If democracy woro moro popular.
Mr. Claro runs a thoroughly good paper,
the best testimony to which fact Is that
ho makes money In so well ploughed a
Held as that of Pago county.
(ieorgo McCormlck at College Springs
runs n high-class collego town weekly In
the Current Press; at Coin, W. A. Adair
cuuduets tlio republican (lazette, and to his
credit be It said that lie keeps the Held to
himself, despite that Coin iu the seal of
ono of tho most enthusiastic colonies of free
sllvcrltcs on earth. Nuu .Miller's Essex In
dependent la properly named, and Its editor
mnkoi a good paper In a town of 700.
Win-re I'lilltlen I'lourlnli.
Accurate statistics Indicate thnt there Is
moro politics to the square loot In Fremoir
county tlian In any other place on earth
otltsldo of Ohio. Freu silver (sentiment run
riot lu this county when that movement was
nt its holgbt, and thu newspaper men of
both parties proved themselves cnpablu ad
vocates. At Sidney Is the democratli
Herald, by 0. M. Waterman. Mr. Waterman
claims thu largest circulation accorded to
any democratic paper In tho southwest, ntid
whllo ho geta uu argument occasionally no
body denies him u position In tho front row
Tho Sidney Sun, by Randall & McKeo, H
republican nnd u good paper. At Hamburg.
Fremont county, Miller & Campbell conduct
tho Democrat, and they give Waterman a
strong light for the lead lu circulation. i'Iio
Reporter of Fremont lu the republican
paper; It is conducted by a stock company.
O. II. Tlbbetts' Hamburg Sunbeam .'a a sil
ver republican paper, and Tlbbetts' 1C to 1
arguments have been quite famous lu his
section of tho stnto. At Uiverton, where
tho free silver enthusiasts of Fremont
county hold nunuul picnics for four or live
days and have national speakers, Joint de
bates and a regular camp meeting, salva-tlon-ls-frco
Jollification, II. II. Crenshaw
runs tho Independent, nnd without sacrlllc
Ing his claim that his title Is descriptive tho
paper keeps on excellent terms with tho
silver picnics when they come to town,
Tho Mills County Tribune Is conducted by
N. C. Field at Olei .vjod. It rchYcu tho
domocratlc opinions of Iti owner, who last
full waB his party's candidate for state
aenato In tho district composed of Mills ami
Montgomery, nnd made ,i nood run In a
hopelessly republican district against Sena
tor Junkln, one uf the strongest men m
tho state. Tho Opinion Is tho republican
paper at Olenwocd, and Is conducted by
Wllllnm F. Uroadlleld. It Is a good paper,
with a circulation covering tho entire
county. Edward llrown'a Malvern Leader,
republican, and tho Southwest lowan, demo
cratic, by C. M. Rico, nre n pnlr of excel
lent papers at Malvern.
Klvnlr)' llelim ,miie.
At Vllllsca, Montgomery county, E. o.
Gardner conducts the Letter, democratic,
and tho Review, republican, Is edited by C.
K. Kennedy. They have u good Held, which
they 1111 well. Vllllsca la a rival of Red
Oak iu Montgomery county, nnd tho east
sldo papers nt Vllllsca conduct a coastunt
crusade to maintain tho political nnd com
mercial Independence of thulr part of thu
county. Tho rlvulry helps the Vllllsca
papers, which In times of especially
strained relations humiliate the county seat
by alluding to It ns "Redoak" and "Ballnrd
F. L. Cuchcs' success with the Oscrola,
(Clarke county) Sentinel, Is to bo found an
Illustration of what hustling will accom
plish. Mr. Ouches got tho paper when It
was badly run dowa. He has mado himself,
It lu said, Independently rich. He Is cur
rently credited with being worth J30.000,
ho owns houses In town nnd lands lu the
country; his papor Is full of business and
tubscrlbers, nnd Mr. Ouches Is llttlu past
30 years of ago. Ho runs an excellent
county paper, filled with tho boat quality
of local news and corrcapondenco. Tho Clip
per, by II. W. Robinson, Is tho Junior re
publican paper; tho Democrnt, by Sherman
& Richards, represents Its paper at the
county sent. They nro both breezy and
Interesting aboets.
Millard Stookoy's Leon Journal Is the
leading republican paper of Decatur county.
Mr. Stookey Is Leon's postmnster, nnd one
of tho most prominent factors In Its poli
tics. Ho Is credited with running tho best
line of county news to bo found In nny
(Continued on Eighth Pago.)
MEETING OF SOUTHWESTERN IOWA PRESS ASSOCIATION, CRESTON, In.-Flnsh light by Louis R, nostwlck,
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