The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-01-07

proprietor took part in the border troubles,
and the paper run itself. This was at the
time of the financial crash in the East, and
the Office did not take in money enough each
week TO pay the tobacco bills of the print
ers. There were then four men at work in
the Office. One day 4 ''couneil Of war;
was held and two of them wanted to quit
and let the paper stop. The other two, the
writer and II. w. French, said NO. Al
though the concern was in debt to them,
and there was little prospect Of ever getting
their pay. they proposed to stick by the pa
per and issue It as often as possible, SO
long as they were able to work and satisfy
their hunger. Those were not the days Of
good clothes and they followed the seriptu-
raj injunction and took no thought Of
''wherewithal they should be clothed.
They believed in the country and the paper,
and have both lived to see 1t triumph over
financial and other difficulties. So reduced
were the finances at this time that arrange
ments were made to batch in the office.
Before these were carried out, however,
matters took a favorable turn, and TEE
NEWS force took their "gIub'' ut a first
class hotel. Financial difficulties were ag-
grayated or supplemented by those of per-
sonal and political character. THE News
was Radical to the core, and gave mortal Of
Tense to the trimmers, weakness and Con-
seTvatives of the old Free State party who
were ''all things to all men for the sale of
offices which were then dispersed only by
the Pro-Slavery, National and Territorial
Administrations, The local and outside in
fluenees OF this kind, finally combined In a
determination that The NEWS should first be
crushed and then revived as ''Conserya-
tive' organ. In the absence of the prOpri-
etor lot Of Territorial officials descended
upon the Office with bogus attachments and
levies of other sorts, and gobbled it up
a triumph Of short duration, and which re-
suited In the effectual shearing Of those who
had so boldly (?) gone forth to the shearing
of others. THE NEWS was not born to be
so soon buried. 1t yanquished its enemies
and went on in its fearless course, and we
are proud to say that it was the first paper
in Kansas to raise the banner of the Repub-
lican party.
At the end OF the first volume, which was
in August, 1858, the present senior was ia
ken into The NEWS as partner, and in
February, 1859, became sole proprietor,
Col. Plumb having determined to relinquish
the printing business for the law. The wri-
ter was thus thrown into the position of ed
itoT, entirely without experience, having
never written an article two inches long for
publication. We mention this in order to
do Justice TO one who was then and is still u
stauneh friend of the paper-Judge l.. ID.
Bailey, of Belvoir, Douglas county, Kan
sas. without money and without price,
he lent helping hand in the editorial de-
partment. Just ut that time the subject of
the organization of the Republican party in
Kansas was attracting the general and earn
est attention OF the people. On this sub
ject the Judge was peculiarly sat home. -
His articles were copied all over the State,
and the aid and reputation which he gave
the paper have always been appreciated by
the writer and the friends of Kansas and
Republicanism throughout the State.
The changes in the proprietnrshlp of The
News since the one mentioned above are
briefly rs follows: In October, 1859, Plumb
& Randall became the proprietors. These
gentlemen published the paper till May,
lS60, and enlarged it from a six to seven
column paper. AT this time Mr.. Stotler
| bought out the interest of Mr.. Plumb and
the firm was Stotler & Randall. In August
of the same year Mr.. Randall went out and
left MIR. S. in possession, by whom the pa
per was reduced to six columns again, as a
matter of self-preservatlOn, and run until
| October, 1861. Then it was bought byJ
| II. Hunt, who, assisted by o. j. and E. L.
Hunt, conducted it till July, 1868. 1t was
| then purchased by Stotler and ID. s. Gil
more. Mr.. Gilmore remained In the paper
| till April, 1866. Mr.. Stotler again became
the sole proprietor, and has continued rs
such till this issue of the paper. Except the
eight months administration of Plumb &
Randall and the nine months of the Hunts
we have been connected with the paper in
some capacity ever since its first issue. When
we entercdupOn the duties of editor and pub
Usher of THE News In 'G5, we did so with the
full determination of makingit our life work,
and with purpose no: to relinquish it again.
1t had, by this time, begun TO make fair
living for its proprietor. Since that time it
has grown up rapidly. This has been ac-
cOmplished by hard work. For some years
we labored ut the ''case'' all day and did
our editorial work when other people were
asleep. But for all this we have been fully
rewarded. The paper has had better sup
port than any county paper in the State.
We have never begged for subscribers or adj
vertisements, but endeavOred to make the
4 paper such that the people would feel that
they could not get along without it. They
have appreciated our efforts and the patron
age has steadily increased. In 1850 the pa
per was sold for $1,000. In 1864 it brought
$500, in 1863, s., COO In 1870 half of ii
brought 81, 900. Every cent that has beer
made has been spent to increase the facili-
ties of the office, and we now have the best
fitted establishment in the State outside O.
: Leavenworth, Lawrence and Topeka Sine,
the addition of Il power press, in Angus
, last, the amount of work done has only beer
. surpassed by a few offices in the State. Be
, sides The News, the Educational Journal anC
, four Real Estate papers are issued from TIN
Office. These and the large amount of jol
/. work make the business of the office mucl
: larger than that of country offices generally
>, The expenses have increased from $50
I week, a few years ago, to about $50 day
y Instead of two or three persons ten or twelv
g are now employed in various capacitie
: about the establishment. Instead of tw
4 bundles of blank paperpe month, Is to
> are now used, besides the large amount con
!, sumed for job work.
lit has always been the aim of The NEWS t
. deal fairly with all subjects and all men
N While it has been Radical in politics it Ia
= had charity for and dealt literally with Oppo
,a nents. On editor can see no further into tn
n future than other people, but unlike the pr
i waite citizen, he is compelled to go on rec
ID ord every week. \ great many seemin
10 inconsistencies can be found in his cours
: by grumblers and fiTult-finders. To-day h
in is compelled to speak for or against this c
nj that man or measure. Tomorrow publ
\ matters and public men assume ditfereI
,g phase altogether, and he must talk of thei
10 as they are in their new relation. In tn
- way lie sometimes gets into awkward shap'
p. if he is not overly cautious. Our polite
n. have always been based upon sincere convi'
al ton During the war we advocated Il
i Radical measures of the time. Early
lie 1854 we planted ourself fare are square c
,, the negro suffrage platform. We belieye v
II: were the first paper in the State to do thi
ed Thus we have tried to keep along with Il
of advanced sentiment of hecountry. Indi
TO cussing these questions we have said son
no bitter things. There is to-day no feeling
no bitterness or ill-wfll existingi in our heart L
-. wartl.any man we have opposed.
IA