The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-05-31
RETROSPECTIVE.
The First Democratic Paper Print
ed in Stark County,
The Ups and Downs, the ms and
Outs of the Organ of the
Democratic Party in
JnA Our hopes revived in JacEson's days

prORreSS, Int p"uDllCdIlOh VI NhASA 10y
interest the readers of today.
But, before proceeding with my story
proper, it would be well to touch upon
the antecedont growths OF the same
species.
The first Democratic paper published
in Stark county was started ! n Farls
in the spring of 1928, 10y Joseph W.
White, and was called the Ohio Demo
Graf. The office remained III Paris
about six months, when it was removed
10 Canton and set up in a building on
the lot 0 occupied by the HurfOrd
Soon after-less than two months,
White sold out to James Allen who had
learned the trade of printer i'll the Re
posltory Office, but not his politics,
which followed the tide i'll favor oil
General Jackson. Allen conducted tile
paper in Canton up to 1880, when he
was induced to move it to MassIllon, as
at that time Massillon was ahead OF
Canton in commercial enterprise, II not
population. The paper was enlarged
md changed u the Massillon Gazette.
The reelection of Gen. Jackson III
1882, gave the Democracy Of stark II
new impetus aid increased popularity.
The need Of IN organ at The county
seat was freely discussed and conceded :
rhe leaders put their heads together,
raised the material aid, and induced
Henry Bernard, then associated with
Allen in the MassiilUn Gazette, to
bring Il press and type and start a Dem
ucratic paper i'll Canton. The Ohio RE
posltury, tie organ of the Adams party.
uftilnes by way Of reproach stlgmatlzed
DIS FederalistS, were unscrupuIouS Ill
their abuse Of Democrats because pow
erless to reply.
. Among the Democrats most active
in this movement was Dr. StiGger,
County Clerk; ID. A. StarkweaIller,
.Ifterward Member of Congress from
his District and Minister to Chill;
sanders Van Rensselaer,, Postmaster;
Judge Loutzenheiser, the Dunbars,
Arnold Lynch, Judge Greenwood, OF
Paris, DR.. Robert Estep, Judge Sewers,
Abraham Lind, Judge Belden ana
others whose names l cannot now re-
call.
Bernard came with his printing out
lit early in the summer Of 1888, and es-
tablished himself.in the second story of
the building now occupied by Bach
mann's liquor store, on East Tuscara-
was street. The outfit consisted Ut Il
second. hand Ramage press and two
cases of type. There was neither gal
ley, frame nor imposing stone, but the
form was made up on the presided.
r. G. Luce, a youth of 16, came with
Bernard as a helper on the case, and
Charley Burr, a well-known Canton
boy, was employed as devil. Bernard
was editor, compositor and pressmau.
He was a trenchant editor-or rather
composer, as he did not write his ed
itorials, but set them up at the case eX-
temporaneously. He cut and slashed
without regard to personal feelings, as
though determined to pay back wi lin
terest, the opposition for the abuse the
Democratic party had long suffered for
lack of an organ to retalia-e.
The Repository was then conducted
by the brothers John and Joshua sax
ton, though the former was the Ostensl
BILE manager, He was not much of a
writer, and the DEMOCRAT was wont
to play upon his 'lnch-and-a-half" ed
itorials. The sparring back and forth
in the absence of fresh reading matter
was enjoyed by the citizens, old anC
young. >.
When cholera first appeared in thli
country, in the summer of 1884, Der
nard was an early victim. ROdmar
Lovett, who kept the Rising Sun tavern
corner of Tuscarawas and Walnut
told the writer that the day before HI
(Bernard) died, he had taken twenty
eight drinks at his bar-that being TIN
number "chalked" to him-and he ha(
no doubt drank at other taverns il
town, as it was his habit to divide hi
patronage; and yet, he was never seel
drunk. The common drink in thos'
days was whisky and rum.
The death of Mr.. Bernard created
quite an excitement in town, audit wa
with difficulty that persons could b
secured who were willing to assist il
the burial, so fearful were they Of tax
inc the disease. The body was take.
in a cart, accompanied alone by San
Mcdaniel and George Toier, two vel
known characters, and inferred in tn
old cemetery lot on Plum street.
The demise of Bernard made it nee
essary for the stockholders to secur
another editor, and William Dunba
was engaged. He had learned the cal
penter trade, but had abandoned it fo
books and a higher education. AT tn
time he was engaged to take charge @
the paper, he was teaching in the Acao
envy. MIR. Dunbar was endowed wit
more than ordinary ability, Of indus
trious habits, and a close student, 500
after taking charge of the paper, b
and lis brother George, purchased tn
establishment, George being a 'silen
partner, William retaining exclusiv
control of the editorial management
The office was removed to a fran
building on Walnut street, betwee
Tuscarawas and Seventh. In tn
Spring of 1885 it burned down, wit
most of the contents. The fire occurre
in the evening, but how it originate
was never found out, though by man.
believed to be the work Of an incen'
Itch and opl