The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-04-21
"A TALE OF TWO PAPERS.

18th. Mr.. Nelson has stated the policy
of the State Journal SO clearly and
fairly that. putting some modesty
aside, the item is reprinted below,
mainly for the edihcatfon Of some Of
/ our newspaper friends. the enemy. who
prefer to run an organ instead Of a
newspaper" i'm their own towns and
cannot see why the State Journal per
sists in conducting itself as a daily
+ periodical for the dissemination Of news
twelve to twenty-four hours. and some
/ times months. before the organs" have
4 discovered such news, or discovering,
dare print it,
In connection with the Pioneers
article, it might be added that while
I the State Journal has always been pros
4 porous, since its first completed year,
+ still All its earnings, save the family
+ expenses Of its proprietor, have been
/ religiously put back into the paper to
improve it, make it more valuable.
more able exponent of Topeka and
Kansas. a larger employer of labor
and a more important factor in the
4 growth progress and welfare of the
city and state in which it is printed.
The number of people employed di-
rectIy on the paper is eighty-one, many
Of whom are heads Of families-and
the annual expenditure for labor runs
up into many thousands Of dollars
In the new building-to be completed
in midsummer-there viii be over
twenty thousand dollars worth of ma
chinery and the number of employees
VIII be increased to about eighty-dve.
In addition to putting the earnings
of the State Journal back into the pa
per and plant. Mr. MacLennan just now
goes still further. in order to construct
suitable and creditable building by
borrowing on the real estate. six
thousand dollars for that purpose
to erect ten thousand dollar
newspaper home. AS he is given "on
or before five years" i'm which to pay
this and as ne pays to the man who
trusted him, interest on this sum,
envious contemporaries need neither
waste words nor lose sleep over this
portion of his investment, particularly
as one or two Of these Jealous Topeka
papers are in rented buildings
But to give the article. The Pho
neer" says.
The title of this article is suggested
by an advertisement which appeared
in the columns of the State Journal.
first asking for bids for the erection of
a large building to be used exclusively
by that paper and latterly stating that
the contract has been let for $500.
LIAis is the amount of Michael Heery's
contract-the completed building viii
cost over Sl0,OUU-I The building
is two stories with a basement
having q frontage of fifty feet. Red
hydraulic pressed brick and terra
Gotta is the material used the lower
windows to be of plate glass The
building is to be erected solely for the
use of the Journal and the three floors
viii be occupied for the exclusive use
of that paper.
This statement of itself means but
little to the outside world, except that
as a business venture the Journal has
been a financial success. For nearly
ten years the Topeka Capital and Jour.
nal have been the only daily papers of
note at the state capital Frank Mac
Lehman had just purchased the Journal
and was struggling for a foot hold. The
Capital had all the natural advantages
was the Official state, county and city
paper 1t was and always has been.
loyal to the Republican party; no act
OF the administration i'm power could be
SO unfair looking that it did not re-
ceiVe the sanction and support of the
Capital Tt looked upon all questions
SLAACllE ana absolutely IfCsTn DaTrl-
san standpoint. and While we cannot
say that at any time it was wrong in
its conclusions it drew the batteries of
g solidided opposition upon it, made
some enemies in its own party ranks
and i'm an effort to hold up candidates
before the nominating convention. in
the interest of partisan success, made
enemies even in the Republican party.
When the political upheaVal came in
1892. the Capital went down with the
party was bOycotted as a newspaper 4
but with that loyalty for which Major
Hudson. or Fighting joe as he came
to be called. has ever been known it
kept Up the fight in support of party
nominees.
Notwithstanding this show of 10y
atty az the expense of financial sue
cess. carrying through it all burden of
debt greater than the exigencies of j
the time would justify. when the par
~ again came into power although
the acknowledged organ of the RepubI-
can party of the state the official state
printing was given to weekly news
paper and loyal old Fighting Joe Hud-
SON was forced to the wall by the dis
satisfied mortgages Had ii not been I
for the gratitude of the legislature in +
electiug Mr.. Hudson state printer all
years of service as a partisan editor
would have been for naught and every
thing he possessed sacrificed upon the I
altar of political loyalty
we are finding no fault with any
one for this state Of affairs 1T is but
the history of the past and may con-
tinue to be the history of the future.
1t causes owners and publishers of f
newspapers to ask of themselves the +
question Does it pay to set aside
every consideration but that Of LOYALTY f
to party, right or wrong? For while
the Capital is today under q new man I
agement stronger financially than ever
before, a fortune has been sacrificed +
and a useful newspaper man dethroned +
for no other reason apparently. but +
that ne was too loyal to partisan poll +
tics
Upon the other hand, the Journal
although an evening paper started in
moaesLLN. Loozing only 70 The idaa Of !