The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1905-09-07

Death of Hon. Joseph O smith

Continued from 6rs' pace.
and respect of all who came IL G. n. t"'th
INN. lie was a man II clear miai an. saan@
Judgment whose view ueer fl.a# a. ht'g
weight IN party councils ar With nose
who went to him for advice. IL, tendencies
were all conservative. lie reached his lie.
cisions only after calm AM careful. thought,
but having once made up l., mind a 10 the
right course to pursue lie adhered with
courage and tenaeIty L als eenNtlohs. \
citizen Of the hucst type, h.s loss VII he leu
not merely IN the community I'D when ne
resided, and whose interests he had deepN
at heart, but ais III every section OF Name,
for there was no town within MS fmlis IN
which he could not number his trends, ms
long and honorable career as an ot9 aal, a
journalist, and member OF the Republican
state Committee having brought HIM IN
personal contact with representative men
from every part OF the state.
In his official life as i'll his private
life, Mr.. Smith was faithful TO every
trust. In several instances his duty
rs an executive officer led him counter
to personal preference, but with hlm
the trust of office was too sacred
to permit any compromise. The
decade 1S75-18S5 was one when nota-
BILE changes were required in the
clerical methods in the Secretary OF
States office and Mr.. Smiths decided
preference for the practical fastened
many of these needed innovations
This conscientious attention 10 every
detail of even the routine work was
the most important element in his
successful career us a public official.
September %, 1873, MIR. Smith pur-
chased the SOMERSET REPORTER from
Kilby x Woodbury.. Ten years be-
fore. his brother Col. Iemro A.
Smith had been proprietor OF this
paper. at which time the name was
changed from the Republican CLARION
to the present title, but two changes
in proprietorship interviewed between
this connection and the purchase OF
the property by Joseph o. Smith.
Edward ?. Mayo, at that time city
editor of the Portland Press, soon
became associated in the conduct of
the paper under the firm name OF
Smith < Mayo, this partnership con
tinuing until 1885, when the junior
partner retired. In 1855, Elmer b..
McNeelie, who had been connected
with the REPORTER since 1877, as
apprentice, foreman and local editor,
became a partner and the business
was thereafter conducted under the
firm name of j. o. Smith & Company
January /, 1904, the terms of copart-
nership were modified so that Mr.
McNeelie assumed financial response
bility and management of the bust
ness, while the senior partner re-
tanned for term of years the edlto-
rial control of the paper. This ar
rangement enabled Mr.. Smith when
in failing health to continue the
pleasant relations that had always
existed in the conduct of the bust
ness which had formed so important
a part of his life. He continued his
editorial work even after he was con
fined to his house, his last contribu-
ton to the REPORTER being an edito-
rial on the death of John Hay in the
issue of July 9Th.
In the quarter of a century that
Mr.. Smith retained control of the
REPORTER, the journal has been en-
larged and improved and the proper
ty has increased greatly in value.
These changes in the local newspa-
per have been no less marked than
the development of Skowhegan in
the same period. AS editor of the
REPORTER, it was Mr.. Smiths custom
from time to time to summarize the
growth of the town, deeming it i'm
portant that full recognition should
be given to those who were contrib
uting to the material betterment Of
SkoWhegan AS citizen as we'll as
editor, he was himself strongly iden-
titled with every public movement
and the success of his paper as local
organ has been largely due to this
endeavor to lead public opinion in
everything that promised to benefit
the community. 1t is therefore, per-
tinent to recall the principal improve
ments in Skowhegan since 1878. The
Public Library, three of the six
churches, three hotels, the Maine
Central station, freight house, and
round house, the addition to the
Court House, the county Jail, the
Grange Hall and the new engine
house constitute the greater portion
of our public buildings, while the
erection of the shoe factory, pulp
mill, canning factory, Marston worst
ed mill, and the enlargement of the
Anderson wooden mill have contrib
uted no less largely to the industrial
prosperity of the town. The best
business blocks have all been erected
since that date, and even the build
ings standing on Water and Madison
streets in 1878, like the REPORTER
block itself, have been so remodeled
as to be scarcely recognizable and it
can truly be said that no New Eng
land village has improved more in
this respect. The introduction of
electric lights, telephone service, the
electric road, the sewer and water
systems, the construction of macad-
amized streets and three iron bridges,
one of which cannot be excelled in
the State, and the identifying of Co
burn Park, indicate the development
of this town during this era.
Both in his editorial and personal
capacity, Mr.. Smith was even more
interested in the intellectual and
moral activities of the community.
He possessed a high ideal as to the