The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1888-12-07


youngsters had learned the cases, and ac-
quired their primer ideas and tastes for the
brilliant and successful journalistic careers
they have since recorded on the tablet of
time In 1856 the senior Clarkson sold out the
Hoosier journal and removed with his two
boys to Grundy county, Ia, where he bought
a farm and started out to make grangers Of
them. Their farm life and experience COW
cred period of about ten years. although
Richard went to the war in 1861 and served to
the end of it. The year 1865 found the senior
Clarkson in the state senate from the Grundy
county district Richard and James had
been left at home to run the farm, but gran
geris,n was odious to them, and they had
long been kicking in the traces, being con-
sumed as they were with their inherent and
irrepressibie ambitions to enter the field of
journalism. It was at this time that James
wrote to his father and stated that he had an
opportunity to buy half interest in The El-
dora, Ia, Herald, a little country paper,
which his building enthusiasm led him to
covet as the proverbial tide which needed
but the seizing to open the wonted way to
fame and fortune The senator, however,
had loftier ideas and plans for his sons, and
promptly discouraged The Eldora scheme.
"If YOU are determined to abandon the farm
and enter journalism as following" the
father wrote, sthen aim higher than little
country town and paper"
Thereupon James abandoned the idea C
going to Eldora, and next besought his father
to get him a position in Des Moines This he
did, and James soon arrived in the then
young and undeveloped capital city of Iowa
and entered The Register establishment as
the composing room cub. To cut g long
story short, the hitherto imprisoned Journal
istic genius reveled in its freedom, and James
rapidly ascended the ladder of success. In
side of four years he had risen step by step
to the foremanship of the news room, the
night or telegraphic editorship, the city
editorship, and finally the political editorship,
under the Mills & Co. administration of The
Register, all Of which positions he filed with
success. Meanwhile his brother Richard had
also quit the farm and followed his brother
to The Register, upon which he held cases.
One day in 1870 James hurried post haste to
the parental farm in Grundy county, and
excitedly disclosed to his father that The
Register property was for sale, that Mills a.
Co., the owners, had tired of it and given
him an option for thirty days at $4,000.
Father and son returned to the city, coun-
seled with Richard, and the three decided to
secure the golden egg. The farm was sold
for the necessary 5000, for the first pay
ment, and their firm notes given for the bal
ance, L. F. Allen, the then celebrated
town banker, backing the Clarksons in the
enterprise Tho Iowa State Register now
entered upon new career, with Mr.: }. S.
Clarkson in the editorial chair, assisted by
Father Clarsson, who established the farm
department, and Mr.. r. P. Clarkson as
business manager. Des Mones was upon the
threshold of new boom. The Rock Island
railway had just banded tho state, and the
other trunk lines began to look in the direc-
ton of the capital city. 10 The Register,
now the leading paper Of the state, came
power and money. First came the state
printing and next the postofice. Mean
while, advertising and subscriptions poured
in, and The Register, under the Clarkson re-
gime, fourished like a green bay tree, not
only speedily wiping out the debt assumed
by the new proprietors, but laying the foun-
dation Of three comfortable fortunes, and all
this in the space OF ten years.