University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1911-02-03

Ipurely local industry does not ddtt
back 10 the period which a Kentucky
r l''colonel" would designate as "Befo
j. the wah," yet it was only few years
d. latter that when f. w. Stephens is
lsucd the initial number of the Colum
bia Herald, and began his long career
y as printer and publisher. On the
:. upper floor of a building that occupies
y the site of the Mis- DURAN Office today
Mr.. Stephens began the publication
OF the Columbia Herald in April, 1869
For twenty years. Mr.. Stephens gave
5 mis- entire time TO his newspaper. and
: the Herald came TO be one of the
most influential weeklies OF Missouri.
Then Mr.. Stephens reached out for
business in the special line of the pub
lication of law books and state codes.
, The field proved so fert lie that in 1905
= he disposed of the Herald so he could
devote the entire capacity of his large
plant to the orders that came 10 him
This solved question OF much mo-
ment to Mr. Stephens. He had de-
veloped the Herald TO the maximum
C: its earning capacity, and had
reached point in his career as a
newspaper publisher where he must
leither restrain the ambitions which
lwere his or leave Columbia for the
larger field of city newspaper oppor-
ltunitieS. The success which soon
came to him as a publisher of law
books left him no uncertainty for his
future course
It's long road from the little coun-
try printing office of nearly half a
century ago to the big industrial in
stitution of today that occupies every
foot OF space in a two-story building
planned especially for its needs. and
employs from seyenty-five 10 one hun
dred skilled workers.
Yet it is a road marked by no devia-
ton from a fixed and definite purpose.
a clear-cut business pol;cy-to rise By
double-edged merit-iirst quality OF |
product at fair cost.
In the difficult branch of publica- |
ton chosen by Mr.. Stephens he has |
:hown marked progress and growth.
for today there is only one printing
house in the country that has larger |
business in this particular line of work !
than his
For twenty-five years the Missouri |
State and Supreme Court reports have |
been printed in Columbia. This is a
remarkable record but il is only one |
of the many achievements that stand /
to the credit OF Mr.. Stephens as pub
Usher. Into the East. the South. the
Southwest, the West and Northwest he
has reached out for the particular
class of work in which he has spec
ialized for so many years.
Numerous volumes of New York's
history in legal form bear the imprint
"E. W Stephens, Publisher. Columbia,
Missouri" and the same is true OF Illi-
nois, with the great printing houses of
Chicago as competitors. For ten years
the codes of New Mexico were printed
in Columbia. Her neighbor, Arizona.
came here TO have her statutes put |;
into lasting form by printer and book
binder Fifty volumes of the statutes
and decisions of the supreme court of
Arkansas are from the press of Z. w.
The great San Francisco fire de- Il
stroyed much of California's compiled |,
legal history. and the order for the
reprinting of the codes for that state 1t
came half way across the continent I
to the Columbia establ .shment. Oregon
has had many of her codes printed IL
here. II
Tennessee's legal history intact.
from volume one to the present day t
l2l volumes-is all owned in copyright 5
and plates by Mr.. Stephens. The codes
of Iowa and Texas for many years were
printed in Columbia.
The textbooks of law firms, repre-
'enting wide range of territory in
Eastern and middles states, bear the
imprint of Columbia.
Mr.. Stephens is now engaged in '
printing Utah's codes and the third
et of statutes or codes for Oklaho-
ma.
TO give comprehensive conception
# the field from which Mr.. Stephens
raws patronage, imagine a map of "
he United States. Now, put a circle r,
round Columbia, as the big railroad nj
ystems do to indicate an important n,
oint on their lines. Then run radia-
ing lines:( one northeast a thousand
liles or more into New York state.
mother into Illinois, beyond into Ohio "
orth into Iowa southeast to Tennes- f.
ee, south TO Arkansas, southwest to 4,
klahOma, Texas and New Mexico. ,r
lousand miles in the same course t.