Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-12-15
row THE r.-R. WAS BORN.
BY H. L. .IERR1MAN.

| BY H, L. MERPIMAN.
I Scot,sb.uff. Neb., Editor Of Republican
/ and Times, Who Consolidated Papers.
In January, 1879. II. &. henderson
! AID myself purchased The Marshall
/ County Republican, paying Tor IL py
/ note in the amount OF $4,000 slSned py
ourselves and ten ii.diviGuals OF prom-
! l.ent financial standing n Marshall
town. III the early part Of 1880 1 pur-
| llAsei 1Ac. Henderson interest in the
| paper. l hao run the paper only d
: "a" months when an ,n.I.natlon came
| 10 me that there was hen ON over at
| The Times office. That set me 10 re-
sieytlns. got busy and thru a friend
Of m4ne learned that McQuiston q
EurneIi were the proposed purchasers
! Negotiations were peias conducted be-
hind closed doors. BIZ this friend ar
ranged a meeting between McQuiston
and Burneil and myself. l don't know
how he worked it, but that isn't ma
lerial. The result was that before Nc
| Quiston & Burnell closed the deal for
The Times we had snapped, The
Times newspaper plant being excnang-
ed Tor The Republican JOB pant. This
transaction eliminated two competitors
one from Tue JOO anu OIle lIOul IAS
newspaper business. McQuis,on &
Burnell were cunning for the job busi-
ness. was looking for the newspaper
business, and we each had got what we
particularly wanted.
Click Power Behind the Thorne.
That looks perhap9 like it was easily
done. Well, it wass bat it wouldn't
have been except for DR.. George Click.
When it comes right down to the real
facts Of the case. Doc" was the
patertal ancestor Of The Times-R Re
publican. Money is what does the
talking in deals of that sort. The Times
deal was all cash. In the deal l had
to take The Times building at $4,000
cash l didn't have 5000 cents to spare
and none to ram down rat holes. DIR.
; Click let me have the money on securi-
ties that were so shady that the prop
osition to pu, them. ;:tssAf er Scoiiateral
for that amount would have thrown a
reasonably prudent bank cashier into
fits
was now carrying $4,000 Indebted
ness at 10 per cent interest. l was in
the newspaper business heap and did
not know much more about it, practic-
ally. than a rabbit. (Mr. Henderson
and myself had made considerable
money with The Republican but in
stead Of applying it ON Indebtedness,
we had put it all into Hmproven1 ents
Of the plant-and Hcali!ston G. Bur-
nell absorbed all OF thena)
How Circulation Was Built.
The Times published daily and week.
ly editions. The weekly was a good
property and. I think exceeded The
Republican somewhat in value, but the
daily was burden. 1t had no circula-
ton outside the city and mighty little
IN that. It printed only about fifteen
quires and was loser financially. BY
this time my pecuniary status was such
that Of anything on earth I was unable
to successfully cortend with. 1t was a
money-losing proposition. Before long
made up my mind that the daily must
get off the reservation or be made in
fact what it's title innnled. But the
latter meant money again 1t meant
he divert!ng Of earnings from the pay
nlent Of dehts to investment in ven
ture of questionable outcome. The only
way out that could see was to cut out
the daily or strike out for state wide
! circulation. This latter involved the
| increase of EXPENSES from about $4,000
year to $4,000 70 $4,000. OF course
! the thing in order was another con-
| ference with Click and B;rchard The
result was an edict to turn myself
| loose" proceeded to do 80. The
venture proved or promised we'll rath-
| gard. and the paper seemed In the
| course of few months to be be pretty
| fairly on it's feet.
DIT al
physically unable to stand the strain
ard-another trip to Click and Birch
ard.
How Mcfarland Was Secured.
| told them that I was getting on
pretty we'll so far as pushing the paper
was concerned. but that had bitten off
more than I could "fletcherize." that
besides that the proper care Of local
paper such as the paper had come to
be, was beyond the capacity of one
man without aid. to give, and that I
needed city editor. suggested that
if could, for moderate cost. secure
a competent combined compositor and
local editor, ! would have what was
imperatively needed and at compare
lively little additional expense. At this
juncture Alb Click, who was nearby.
volunteered the information that he
had young friend down at Des Moines
whom he believed to be the man I was
looking for. 1t was arranged that Alb
should write. asking his friend to come
at u think) $40 a week. Alb did so and
his friend showed up shortly in the
person Of S. G. Mcfarland.
Mcfarland never went on the case
except on brief, rush occasions. and
devoted his entire time to local and
Geographic and. IN the fore part 81
1885. on the editorial
Legislative Rsports rsVk % oea9s i 4