Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1910-12-02
The Beacon's Anniversary.

y NNaeD 0toO viz Att1<lAV4
passed its sixty first anniversary
Never before has it had so man,
subscribers as now nor published
so large a paper. Its job offic,
shows the same growth.
The BEACON his consistently
worked for the upbuilding Of
Noxubee county and Macon anc
done ali it could to advertise theil
resources and. possibilities. In
return for the patronage of the
people of the county it has made
an honest, earpest effort to make
a fair return.
The following editorial appeared
in the paper a few years ago, and
it is considered worth reproduc-
ing:
"THE BEACON feels that it has
reached that age and seniority
that will allow it to speak of it.
self without imputation of vanity.
From it's institution fifty-six years
ago down to this good day, with
out a single interruption, has
been owned and conducted und ar
the editorial and business man
agement of it's founder, Henry C.
Ferris and his descendants, the
present owner and publisher be-
ing of the third generation. It |
is believed that THE BEACON is
the Oldest inhabitant of Macon,
there being no one living here
now who was a resident here in
1849, its natal year. Some per-
haps now live in other localities.
but most have passed into the
great beyond. /,
Its first editor was its founder.
Henry G. Ferris; William Ward,
the poet and literateur, succeeded /.
him as editorial writer, and DR..
S. V. D. Hill was so frequent a 2
contributor to its editorial COL !,
umns as to be named among it's e
editors. For a quarter of a CEN = |,
tury the late P. 7. Ferris was ed y
itor as well as owner. Three Il
times the visitation Of fire swept =
down upon the BEACON but each :.
time it rose like the phoenix 7.
from its ashes. Not in the rec e.,
objection of the present owner has -
it missed a single issue. -
The BEACON has championed -
the cause of Franklin Pierce for
president, and Buchanan, and
Breckenridge who went down be-
fore Lincoln. Jefferson Davis was m,
it's candidate while the Confeder- Sa
acy lasted. Again in the Union, be
it advocated the election of Nc W. ",
of Horace Greedy, Tilden, sir
and at last in the dem ar
)cratic anus mirdhis, 1884, it be
for the first time since the war ms
mad the pleasure of heading it's Iel
columns with the rooster ram ~
pant when Cleveland was elected. ev
When the paper was established lat
slavery was in full force, Macon me
was built entirely of wood, the en-
Atlantic cable was only talked IL h,'
about, gold was but lately dis ito
covered in California; the United the
States had a population of less eff
han thirty million, Japan was a me
'ealed country and Macon was a es IVY
Jillage of a few hundred inhabi- est
ants. eft
THE BEACON cannot say, as Bu'
loes the Aberdeen Examiner, sei'
hat no article has ever appeared Blu
n its editorial columns not writ WA
en- by one of its own staff, but it
an assert with justiiable pride
hat no sentiment has ever found Tor
oppression there in which the
ditor did not fully and heartily
oincide. And while in its news
nd correspondence columns it \
as always sought to be fair and int
ustl to opposing views, and to RE,
i've, publication there to the side def
f public affairs other than it's thi
wn, yet even in this function of not
ewspaper, it has had a care that Ne
othing the editor believed to be apr
alse or not in the interest of fair gra
Law should he sanctioned hv ire of