The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-02-04
THE KANSAS PRESS.
Interesting "reminiscences of Kan
sas Newspapers and Editors.


among the many interesting papers read
was one by Hon. d. W. Wilder on 'The
Press of Kansas" as follows:
That saying of Governor Berkeley has been
worn threadbrre by quotation, because 1t
shows the spirit of a people. In 167l. long
after books had been printed in Catholi c
Mexico and Protestant New England the
Governor Of Virgin said: 81 thank God we
have not free schools nor printing, and /
hope we shall not have these hundred years"
virginia has 255 newspapers now, and Kan
sas GIT. Her sons brought revolvers 10 Kan
sas; the revolving cylinders brought here by
Yankees carried the lead on the outside. in
an Impressive way, and were long distance,
paper-wad shooters-l,OO9 an hour at the
sloWest- We made the other kind. too, and
Calling himself matured his invention in
Doniphan County, Kan.
In l775 the thirteen American Colonies had
tbrty-seyen newspapers. Imperial New
England had four-about the number they
now have in Dodge City. The erage r
culation of these three dozen colonial sheets
was SIX hundred, or the same as tnat OF the
Kansas papers or IN day, including the
''patents," or cooperative and auxiliary pa
pers.
In 1884, TOE years ago. the first caily news
paper appeared, the american DGty AdrsT-
tissr, of Philadelph a. There were only four
dailes in the country in 1873. Kansas now
has thirty-twO. In 1900, the whole Tn on had
$50 papers: in 1910, 359. In 1924. when the He
public was half a century old, the whole
country had no more newspapers than Kan
bOaStful people. Why, so much modesty and
so much progress never met before to boom
State. Modesty's mo name for t." as the
saying goes. NO young state has ever
equaed Kansas in the number Of its papers;
none in preserving its history. Ever issue
of every paper in Kansas is bound and pre-
served by the State Historical Soc ety.
Prof. North saws the American press is
the frecst, the most self reliant the most
oval to home and vicinity interest in the
world" and these ira IS our papers have in
CpWTgn-fnT have
most of them. taking III ali vicintieS News
papers are not TO be snecTed at by Presidents
politicians or mOraliSts. The reading matter
in one issue of all the papers and period Gals
published in the United States is equal 10
the contents of library Of l.5O0 octave vol
umes of 100 pages each. All Kansas families
have a library. In $3.50 the mai matter pass
ing through all the Offices III the Tn ted States
was counted, and Kansas led twenty-three
States.
In 1856. last year. twentyeight States had
less newspapers than Kansas: we are the
tenth in the list, headed by such States as
New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts
Ohio and l'nOis, but we have gone higher in
the list every year: twenty-ei ght States
passed in twenty-five years, including the
State founded nearly three centuries ago.
The Central state viii get there"
In 1860 Kansas had % papers: in 1870. %: in
1880, 3f7: in lisa, Gl9. In l8sj we hal 20 dial es;
in 1855, II. There are now eghty-SiX organ
lied counties, and papers probably in Il
hundred. Before the courier could reach the
capital with the returns, one or two more
papers would lie started. Do you say that
these papers are ephemeral and transient.
ON, no! papers die, but Others are born. and
the number is doubled eyery decade. When
the fever and strife of imm graf ion and early
settlement have passed away, and every
county has stable pOpuiat on. say in about
1891. the papers Will cease to increase n num-
bers and gain in SIZE and quality. They are
now telling the world where to come; that
part of our mission wIll soon be ended. the
true pioneer looks forward 10 that day of
finished state with sad sigh. 1t such fun
TO start new papers, to see them, and to read
them. We have got used 10 t-lile the
miner who couldn't 20 TO sleep with any sat
isfactiOn unless there was a roar ny row in
the next room. Every day ! look for new
papers.
old; the county IS not set organized
The Sod House Is do NJ duty. snug quar-
tiers. on the CimarrOn, n Ford County--play
ing game Of freeze out" as 4 were.
The Border RUfiIn. a term originated by a
prO-SlaVery man who 81 II lives, IS the name
of paper. now for the first time, in the I'M
organized county of Hamilton.
The 1h0mCS Cat, at Colby, preceded by
about year the organization of Thomas
County. The New York sun has an office
cat; our Cat has the Office. 1t is "a fighter
from way back" and "whOOpS ii up III the
most lively manner.
The Buffalo CHIP was burned-some years
ago.
The newspaper starter and the killer
they are onc-iS a cheerful person. He a
rustler, and keeps up the fun as long as he
his last words are as clipper as the first. lie
don't use '-saiutatOry' or 'valedictory"
when he steps on to the platform or when he
is dropped or. tut PLAIN United states
wordS-"Hcre we are" NV III see you later"
and capt Ons Of that sort And he has no
notion that the world is going to stop or he
himself cease to bob up sererely." because
his suhscr berS in Rainbeit or Greeley Center
did not come down with the dust.
The pioneer free State press Of Kansas
showed what il was b. the enemies it made.
The ruffians destroyed the presseS-.Judge
Delahay's at Leuvcnworth, two at Lawrence,
and ali ara at Lawrence when QuantrilpS
asSass ms came in. rhe Parkvile LUmiHuIV
Il Kansas paper on the other SIDE of the
river, the paper of the staunch Prcsbv-
terians, George Parke and Frederick Starr,
was DESTROYED. The first free state paper N
St Joseph, further up the RIVER, started by
our Don phan County boss, and edited by
your present talker was RI ned by ruf fianS
few years later. and its owners left penni-
less. indicted as criminals. Let those apollo
y re who come after us, Those who were
there don't buy brushes.
When your friend is away from home you
want to get letter-don't YOU? Want one
every day. And when the letter comes, how
happy you are; III what "A friendly state of
mind and heart! Wei, that is the paper. the
weekly paper and he daily, and that s what
they do for the mind and heart of Kansas;
they make us pleasant persons ard helpful
neighborS.
Some men take n paper for no other pur-
pose than to grOwl when they read it, and to
them a newspaper is Il beucicent visitor: if
they did not growl N the paper. the wife and
children would be pouted at. But this sub
scriber who reads the articles aloud. who
reads everyth ngi in the paper, and finds fault
with every line and syllable. is one of our
best patrons. He really ENJOYS the paper;
he would no more IN 50 a number than the
constitutional candidate would do so. He
calls promptly on the lSt of January and
pays his bill like little man, saying the
while: Your blamed paper gets worse and
worse every year.but my wife wants TO see it
and long as we take it I'm blamed if don't
paw for L"
The Congressional Globe of Wednesday.
January 80. 1851. under the sub-head. Mes
sages from the President" announces the
approval of An act for the admission of
corded the talk of others, but made TO talk
on its own account, and yet. on this occasion
the Globe said: THE announcement of the
approval of the bill for the admission of
Kansas was received with slight applause on
the floor and in the galleries"
That little ripple OF applause. begun on the
Potomac, has been gradually deepening and
broaden ng until II is now a tidal wave OF
JOY, good cheer and enthus iaSm, flooding the |
whole earth.
Kansas is the child of the North, not of the |
Union: the Union was her enemy until she |
made it. And she is the child of the news /
papers Before we had an influential press |
the editors Horace Greeley, Charles A Dana, |
DIR. Ray. Henry Ward BeechPr. John Went I
worth. Charles T. Congdon, William C. Bry-
ant Parke Goodwin, the aggressive Repuh- |
lican editors of the North, made our cause |
their own, fought for US. raised money for /
us. and sent US men. clothing and rifles Dur |
ing the darkest days of 1856, Greeley pub |
lished daily in the Tribune a Kansas fund: I
il reached more than S.0.t00 and was ono of /
the newspaper gifts to US. The present was /
repeated during the drought of 1850. These /
gifts from so many persons. like Gerritt I
Smith, George l.. Stearrs and Horace Il. !
Claf1n, saved the life of knnsaS. ana made /
us q kildly, charitable people-savcd US /
from rufians and from locust plaques
and taught us to pay back in kind /
when other people were afflicted. Now Kan
sas sends money to yellow fever Memphis TO I
inundated Cincinnati. to burned Boston aud |
fNhfoa-o ard ~ StrfTarinu Iralaod a,1