Birmingham age-herald., 1895-04-14
HERE'S MY STORY.

Honor to whom honor is due" shall be my theme-the Age Herald, It's past and present, my subject.
 A history of the Age-Herald is his tory of Birmingham, for it has reflected the ups and downs, the struggles, the aspirations, the hopes, the pride the glory of this city since there was a real Birmingham. My allotted space will not admit of a detailed story of the birth ana life of the paper; and I shall begin with the little Daily Age, which made its bow to the public in December 1881, under the management of MT. w. c. Garrett and Frank V. Evans. It was a diminuitive bantling, a five-column folio, but like Birmingh ham of that day, it was bold anu determined in purpose. Birmingham had resolved to become great city, the Daily Age determined to become its organ. Birmingh ham wanted a daily newspaper, Garrett and Evans determined that she should have It. Three hundred live, wide-awake men of the city agreed 10 pay $1 each per month subscription; and Birmingham supported the highest priced daily newspaper in the United States, the New York Herald not eX- cepted, though the Herald was somewhat larger than this buoyant and ambitious bantling.
 | ) journal was not slow to take root, the merchants demonstrated their apprecia- tion of it's usefulness and pluck by be- slowing upon it advertising patronage commensurate with its just deserts.
 Birmingham continued to grow, and she demanded like increase in the power of her newspaper. A few of the leading spirits of the city agreed to subscribe to the capital stock of publishing com pany that was to bring the little Daily Age out of its swaddling clothes and make 1t a great newspaper, with AsSo- ciated Press dispatches and thoroughly organized business, editorial and repor- torial force. Among the leaders of this movement were Col J. w. Sloss, Dr. Fl. M. Caldwell, Mir. William Berney, Maj. A. Marre, Dr. M. H. Jordan, Capt. Frank P. O'Brien, Mr w. A Walker, Col. c. w. Hewitt and others. The company was organized and the humble writer of these lines was chosen as president and gen. eral manager of the paper. His asso- ciates and equal partners and co-labor- CTS were Messrs. w. c. Garrett, J. L. and R. H. Watkins, and the Daily Age, en- larged and bearing about five columns of the Associated Press telegrams cut loose from its moorings and was launched on the sea of real daily Journalism. It was a desperate struggle, and each of the men who handled the cars did his best. There were bright days and there were dark days. There were days of sunlight and hope, and days of shadows and discour- agement. Sometimes there was no busi ness, often little money, but ever toll, worry and care.
 After eight months of labor and toll one oarsman, the captain of the craft himself, with health impaired and spirit daunted in consequence, stepped out and found a resting season. Birming- hams daily paper was then eight months old. It had expended about 1000 hard cash battling for the people and seemed but little nearer substantial, self sus- taining business than when it's .coffers were plethoric with the easily-gotten money of the liberal subscribing stock holders
 I stood aside and watched the course of the Daily Age with eager interest. It was ably manned, but I knew the jour nalistic machinery was suffering by an ill supply of lubricating substance. The craft was tossed and bounded gallantly until other relief, other funds of other people-new blood came Full sails were again set, and there wSs a iifboGw of hope before the DaiIynAge. She did her T -erst; Twas laboring gallantly. bravely