The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-01-07
THE EMPORIA NEWS.
Some Account Of It's History and Progress

Some Account Of its History and Progress.
To-day we commence to give to the pub
lie paper as large rs any in the State. The
columns are both wide and long, and we
hope they will be well filed. year ago
The News was enlarged from a seven to an
eight column paper. That step was taken
with good deal of caution. But the col
umns are so filed already with advertise
ments Us To render the present enlargement
necessary il We would maintain our posi-
ton as paper furnishing large amount of
reading matter. The enterprise of Empo-
ria L. shown by the large amount of adver-
usements In Its local paper, and we either
had TO enlarge or put the price of advertise
ing at such high rates rs TO rule out many
who were doing 80 small a business as not
10 afford higher prices. We are trying to
print paper for the people-one In which
every man can DE represented and feel that he
gets his moneys worth. We prefer cheap
rates and plenty of work to high rates
and little work. We confess that the
paper has not, for n few months, given
the amount and variety of reading matter
which were expected Of It, but we avail our
selves Of the first opportunity TO remedy
This, and shall hereafter give, as we have
generally given heretofore, more good read
Ing matter than any country paper I'm the
State. Even IN the most crowded condition
ofour columns we have kept our local depart
mcnt full Of fresh matter, and given more
general reading than a majority of coun-
fry papers. Those who have grumbled,
and we are glad to say they are few, should
rake Il look ut our country exchanges, both
IN. Al.
MT once conclude we had not been serving
them so badly after all But IL has been our
rule 10 keep little ahead Of all cotempora-
rics, in all respects, and to furnish n paper
that would compare favorably with the very
hest country papers to be found in the land
We can assure our readers that we push
ahead fully as fast as their patronage will
warrant MS In going.
This seems to be a tit occasion to refer
briefly TO the history of THE News. The
first number was issued on the 9th of June,
1857. Numbers enough were missed in the
earlier years of its publication to throw the
commencement of the volume on the 1st of
January. We believe we are safe in saying
THE News is the Oldest paper in the State,
counting from the day of its first issue. 1t
was the pioneer paper OF the NeoshO VAL
ley. Ii was established by Col. L. B.
Plumb. The first two or three numbers
were worked Off IN the building on the cor
ner of Commercial and Sixth streets now
occupied a. grocery store. That building
was weatherboarded and rooted. There
were two other buildings on the town site
in the same condition, and as we remember
now, there were three or four cabins within
sight of the town, and these were all there
were within Il circle of two or three miles, in
the way of habtations, and these were gen
orally 'numerously'' inhabited. The town
company, of which the founder of THE
News was Il member, took six hundred cop
les for about six months. We never heard
whether they paid for them or not. Will
this exception The News has never had per
ny in the way of aid, ont of the usual and le-
Ultimate course of business. The number o.
ubscribers, outside of this, was very limited
We still have the old subscription book con-
tanning their names. Not over fifteen OIL
twenty subscribers risked their two dollar
the first week, and we are happy to say mos
ofthcir names are still upon our book. Th'
mechanical force of THE News, the first few
weeks, consisted OF the writer and a gentle
man who had never set type before. Tn
prospect was pleasing for a regular issue G
the paper! We averaged about eighteen
hours of labor out of the twenty-fOm tn
first year or two. After the first issue c
the paper. the editor was taken down wit
small pox. The idea of running paper i
Il country inhabited almost altogether b
wolves and Kaw Indians was enough to civ
any man the small poX. We shall Away
remember that bright Sabbath mOrnin
when 1t was announced that the editor Ia
the small pox. There was some stir eve
among the twelve or fifteen inhabitants {
the place, and some tall skedaddling. W
sent TO Lawrence for r. j. Hinton who In
his name up then rs one of the editors. Il
come down aud set one galley of type. Th;
was his first and last work on The NEW:
We read the proof and 1t was 80 full of erro
that the type was distributed. lie has sin,
obtained some notoricty Us n writer. He o
tanned notoriety enough that week rs a tyl
setter. The few people here then did n
have much confidence in THE NEWS n n
nancial success. We remember one o
gentleman came in while we We're settiI
the type for the stnumber, and after lool
ing at the types and turning them over
his fingers wanted to know why we broug
such '.little fool things rs them to the cou
try for" Says he: 'Why didn't you bril-
"A set of blacksmith's tools. or somethil
that would be some benefit to the country
The old fellow really discouraged us a littl
lie Went away and we never saw him agai
He did not know what those ''little f.
things were to do for Kansas, and cspe'
ally this portion of it. Had all the peol
been like him those Little fool thing:
would have had n much harder time of
so would the fingers and heads that handl
and guided them. But they were not
that stamp, and the paper soon began
number its subscribers by the hundred. I
editor made n rule that he would take
subscriptions for a less time than six montl
We now have on our book the names of t
men who came in and wanted the paper
six weeks. They were afraid, natura
enough, TO risk dollar. After their 4
six months were up, they gave us instr
tions never to stop the paper. We distin
Nv remember bold transaction by n
named Smith. After the first number
out, he came in one Sabbath morning
gave the proprietor u list of six names
whom ne wanted the paper sent. All ha
looked at him In establishment when
threw down twelve dollars in gold TO
for them year, as we had supposed, NJ
this point. that he merely wanted TO 5
OF six single copies. We always Ii
Smith after that. Ha was nom New Han
shire. and If we knew his address we she
like to send him copy Of the nine colt
paper. His confidence In THE NEWS
unhounded and unsurpassed. 1t was an
och in the history of the paper.
The paper struggled along through
first summer. People talk about the
privations now. In those days the
mail LA this part of the country was one
ricd ON horseback from Council Grow
Butler, Missouri. 1t went through a
once n month, and nobody ever rece
anything by it. There was post ottI
what was called Columbia. three miles
low here on the Cottonwood. The
for Emporia was sent TO Lawrence, and
there it was brought down by private h
whenever there was anybody COZ