The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-03-10
Saturday. March 10. 1877.
NEWSPAPERS AND NEWSPAPER
MEN IN ROCK ISLAND
COUNTY.
BY j. II, DANFoRTH, JR.
THE LIBERTY BANNER-lS46.
BY J. II, DANFoBTH, JR.



on Rock Island was by G. B. Waite, who
has since been chief justice of Utah. His
predecessors we're the Advertiser, the Ms
stsSippian, the IUinoiS OuLtioator, and the
Rock Island Banner. The Liberty Banner
was started in the spring of 1894 small,
unpretentious sheet, advocating the aboli-
ton Of slavery in the United States. This
was not popular side to take, at that
time, both the great parties, the Demo
orats and the Wings, violently opposing the
doctrines of the abolitionists, ana as the
party had no offices or spoils to dispense
its followers were few and generally were
poor They were actuated solely by their
convictions of right They cared little for
human laws or constitutions, but made
their conscienoes a higher law" to them
and demanded equality for all human be-
ings, before the law. IF laws or constitu-
tons stood in the way they proposed to
change them-snd many of them have
lived to see the full triumph of the prin-
have lived, too, to see what were then de-
nounced as id abolitionlsts" held in
high respect for their firm and mistaken
advocacy Of principles they held dearer
than all party ties.
Among this class was @. B. Waite. He
had no printing Office, and procured his
work done in the Office of Reynolds
Upper MiSsiSSippian and Rock Island
Republican.
Mr.. Waite was born at Red Greek,
Wayne Go. n. Y, January 90, 1924. His
father removed to Illinois, with his family
in 1910 and settled on the prairie west Of
Chicago, where he entered land at $l4 per
acre-now worth $1,000 an acre. G. B.
was then 16 year old boy, and that winter
he hauled wood to Chicago and sold it for
$3.50 to 81 cord. With load of wood
he could then have bought city lot now
worth thousands of dollars. He was ed
ucated at various common schools and
finally entered Knox College and went
through the freshmens year. He never
received the degree of A. B. but afterwards
had A. NJ. conferred on him by the same
college. He learned the trade of com
positor in the Office of his father, DAME
d. Waite, who, soon after his arrival in
Illinois, started newspaper at st. Charles
in Kane county He then, 1S43, worked
in Vim. +. Titles printing office in Joliet
and in 1874 on the Western Citizen, il
Chicago. He wrote, more or less, for al
these papers.
ln the winter of lS45 he went to work
for Reynolds, on the Upper Ni$stssippia,
and Rock Island republican, and in the
spring OF 1916 he started the Liberty
Banner. He travelled over the country OF
horseback soliciting subscriptions, and fo
awhile was quite sanguine of success. Blu
the power of party organization was 81
great that men who were inclined to em
brace the doctrines Of the Liberty Party
were deferred, literally "bulldozed" int,
remaining with their old organizations
Abolition meetings were broken up ant
abolition speakers mobbed, until it wa
about as much as mans life was wortl
to stand out boldly and avow himself al
abOlitionist. 1t is no wonder, then. that thu
Liberty Banner soon shared the fate of it
predecessors. 1t was published onl
a few months. Judge Waite had
file of the paper, but lost ii
with his library, in the Chicago fire
1t takes Chicago man years to find GU
what he lost in that fire, and Judge Wait
has recently learned, with sorrow
that his Liberty Banner went u
in that blaze. 1t is said to hav
been a spirited little paper, even
it was called a ~ by 8 sheet" job
Jones, prominent colored man of Chica
go, who was one Of the board of count
commissioners during the last year, say
he was q subscriber to Waites Libert
Banner, and that it was u good paper
land, he adds, with emphasis. "wha
was in it was tyNe."
There are many personal anecdotes O
the early newspaper men which ought t
be preserved, but here is one in Waite
experience. He was employed by Wand
ever to try and collect some of his oil,
Advertiser bills, and while travelling OF
horseback in northern Iowa, he called Oh
a rather seedy looking individual to collec
bill. The man had no money and hi
appearance did not indicate that the pros
pect Of his having any was immediate
Vandever had instructed him, in case h.
could get nothing, to take notes, and upol
being asked to give his note, he hesitateC
for some time. Upon being urged, h,
said, wall, I'm purity poor, that's a fact
but s'pose | can sign my name"
On the failure of Waite's newspape
enterprise he turned his attention to tn
law. Before he came to Rock Island b
had read law some in the office of K, V
M. Croes, of st. Charles, and he readil
took up the study again. He didn't stud
with anybody in particular, but had tn
run Of most of the law offices here, tn
lawyers loaning him books to read. Judg
Wilkinson's Office was his chief plac
of resort for books, instruction and advic
and in the spring Of lS47 he was admitted
to the bar. He soon formed q partnership
with William Bracket, Esq.
He was twice candidate for prosecutin