The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-04-02


This paper was started in 1862, by j.
A. Kuck, for r. H. Graham. 1t has
passed through good many hands, hav-
ing had some fifteen or more different
owners and six or more different editors,
It's now pretty well established paper
and may be regarded as one of our per.
manent and useful institutions. The Rock
Island Register had died in August OF
September, 1852, liz had been dead for q
long time but didn't know it) and the Re-
publicans persuaded Mr.. j. A, Kuck, il
charge of the Moline Independent, to discon
tinue the publication Of that paper, move
the press aud type TO Rock Island and
start Republican paper. Accordingly,
in the fall of that year, Mr.. Kuck closed the
Independent and moved the material to
Rock Island. The Moline Independent be-
longed to r. Fl, Graham, but he had gone
to the war and left his brother-in-law,
Kuck, in charge of the paper. 1 have a
file of the weekly,-"Ihe Rock Island
Weekly Union, Vol. l. No. l. November
S, 1862, j. A. Kuck editor" A daily was
also published for a few days. The
paper was started in the Sd story of Bailey
& Boyle's block (now Mitchell & Lynde's)
and was edited and managed by Mr.. kuck,
Mr. Graham died on the l1th of Novem-
Der, only few days after the paper was
started. The publication of the Daily
Union was then discontinued, butt the
Weekly Union continued to be published
by Kuck until May 1868, when he sold
the establishment to NJ. IS. Barnes, and
returned to Knoxville, Orleans county, n.
Y. where he was born May 80, 1888. He
was raised on farm, and received a good
education. For some years after he re-
turned to his native place he was a news
paper correspondent, but finally settled
down on his farm, where he still resides.
Of Mr.. Graham, the real owner and
founder of the Union, l will dwell more in
detail in connection with the Moline In
dependent, with which paper he was best
known.
The Union became the property of NJ.
S. Barnes, and on the I'd of June he re.
vived the daily, as an evening paper. He
also published weekly. The daily has
been published continuously from june
1868 to the present time but after Capt
Haverstick bought it. in December 1866
he, soon afterwards, changed it to a morn
ing paper and it has been published a
such since that time.
MYRoN S. BARNES.
Col. Barnes was born iu Malone, Frank
lin county, N. Y, March 4, 1924, Hi
parents were from Vermont. He received
a good education and learned the printer
trade in Rochester, N, Y. He came t.
Illinois in 1910, and, after visiting variou
places, was engaged to edit campaign pa
per at Lapeer, Mich, called The PLAN
dealer, which supported Van Buren, 70
president. The following winter he wa
employed as newspaper reporter, of tn
proceedings OF the Michigan legislature
In the spring of lS4l he came to Chicago
and found employment as newspape
reporter; then was editorially connecte
with Chicago paper called The Gem {
the Prairie, also with several other epheu
eral papers there.
At the breaking out of the Mexican VIZ
he enlisted as a member of Co. Z. I'd reg
ment Ills. volunteers, and participated ia Il
long march of the division of the arm
under Gen. Wool and was in several ba
ties, the chiefest of which was that
Buena Vista At this battle he stood
few feet from Col Hardin, of Illinois, an
Coils Mckee and Clay of Kentucky, wi
fell in the desperate charge about 4 o'cloc
on the 23d of Feb. l847 He was special
complimented by Gen. Wool during ii
engagement. and at the close of the W;
was offered the position of I'd lieutenant
the regular army, tut having no taste f,
army life did not accent 1t.
In l84S he held an editorial position
the Milwaukee Daily Commercial. owne
by VIM. Scovers, the only daily Democrat
paper then published in Wisconsin, and su
ported Lewis Cass for president. In l84
he formed partnership with Fl. O.Shoh
and published the american daily ar
weekly at Southport, Wis, now known
Kenosha. In 1850 failing health force
him to relinquish his duties on the Amer
can, and by the advice Of physicians
went east to be near the seashore, and SOC
after became editor of the Jersey Gil
Daily Telegraph. the then representatiy
daily paper Of New Jersey. In 1852 |
was one of a company who established Il
Rochester Daily Times which supporte
Franklin Pierce for president, and in Whit
he continued until consolidation of Il
paper with the Daily advertiser toe
place and the name changed to that
Daily Union, under the management
Mr.. Isaac Butts. Mr.. Barnes then we
to Ithaca, N. Y, where he established Il
WdtchnaGn, an Anti-Know Nothing pape
and IN l855!was sent as delegate to repr
sent the 9th congressional district in Il
national convention that nominated NJ
Fremont for president, After the ele
ton, in 1856, and having regaihed b
health, be returned to Chicago and BEGAN
the senior editor and proprietor of an
column daily paper in the West Divisio
In 1858 he removed to Moline, ILL.,, an
published, 10 connection with Robert T
Graham, the Moline Independent for OF