The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-12-31
NsNErEEN.
Last orvOIume Eighteen.
n Chapter of Newspaper
AHIssory.

With this number we close vol.
ume eighteen of The News, and |
commence the Centennial year
with the first number Of volume
nineteen next week. At the last
meeting of tho Kansas Editorial
association resolution was adop- |
ted requesting each paper of the
State to write and publish its his
tory for the use of the association. |
Not having complied with THE re.
quest heretofore, we take this oces-
sion to publish such q history as We
have time to write hurriedly.
For a new country we cali The
News an old paper, but we hope>t0l
be here laboring with this people
when it has attained twice its pres
ent age, providing we retain a de-
gree of usefulness equal to the task.
There is now only one paper in the
State which has issued more num-
bers than The NEWS, and that is
the Troy Chief. No paper in the
State has been so long published in
the same town and under the same
name. The Chief moved from
White Cloud to Troy some two
years ago, and changed its name
from "White Cloud Chief" to the
"Kansas Chief" With the excep-
ton of the three fret numbers, and
about five months while the pres
ent NEWS block was being erected,
this paper has been published all the
eighteen years on the same lot. So
that in these important respects
THE News is the oldest paper in
Kansas. 1t has really been printed
here eighteen years and seven
months, but owing to various eau
ses in the early days of Kansas,
some thirty weeks were missed in
its publication, which were not
counted in numbering each success
siye issue of the paper. Counting
from the time OF its establishment
the paper only lacks five months of
being nineteen years old.
AS many of our readers know,
the paper was established by Col.
i. Ii. Plumb. in June, 1857. The
changes of proprietorship since
may be of interest to newspaper
men. The first three or four num-
bers were issued in what was then
the palatial hotel building, which
now stands on the alley, back of the
first national bank. The present
senior editor came here with the
Office from Cincinnati, as foreman.
Tho press and other materials were
the first ever brought to the Neo-
sho Vally. The hotel building was
only weatherboarded and rooted
and we had to eXtemporize a floor
of loose boards on which to open
the type and lay the cases. Our first
days work on THE News will never
be erased from our memory. Ii
was rather lonesome. There were
only three unfinished houses on the
town site, and none of the white,
sunny looking farm houses of the
vicinity, to be seen. The paper was
at once recognized as one of the
ablest in the Territory, and one oil
most fearless and uncompromising
in the cause of Liberty and Justice
The first issue was six thousand
and thu entire edition was eagerly
grabbed up aud scattered by the
settlers and members of the town
company, throughout the union
Printers who have worked a large
and heavy hand press the first time
it was ever run, can appreciate the
job of press work on hand. The
first issue was mostly "pulled" by
the plucky founder of the paper. We
remember, though, with almost
twitching muscles, that he immedi'
ately retired from that department
after that issue. THE News was
born amid sweat and tribulation
We cannot remember distinctly as
to whether "prOfane literature" en-
tered into the programme of get
ting out that first number, but we
do remember that we took Crest
after it was mailed, because we
were all "on the lift" The ''roller
boy" for that edition was Il. w
French, who, we believe, is still en-
gagged as jour at Eft. Dodge, Iowa
He never swore. He was the only
man in Kansas at that time who
had the patience to go through with
the job.
Thas was born THE News which
has, through eighteen years, done
30 much to build up Emporia and
the surrounding country. We be-
lieve that no one can charge it with
being unfaithful to its mission, oil
of not always being as enterprising
as its income would allow.
geographically, the paper was {
beauty. II. j. Hinton's name was
up as corresponding editor. III,
got his start in THE News Office
and has gained some notoriety since
as writer. We are glad he has
because he was good deal of {
fraud then. We remember once
when Plumb was sick, of asking
him, when we were sorely pressed
for help, to set some type. HI
finally got up galley OF long prim
mer, and when we read the proc
we told him we would excuse him
from further servises in that line
AS type sticker he certainly wa
failure. 1t was about the foules
proof ever turned out in THE News
Office
The summer wore away aud TIL
News got into its new building on
the corner now occupied by
THE News block. The old building
still does duty on the ally back o
its old site. The paper was printed
in this over fourteen years, anG
grew to occupy the whole building
In the fall of 1857 the editor