The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-06-28

nnu ne Douknt IL on cfeult. Inen nt
began his progresslveness.
Pretty soon after he landed and
began Operating" his newspaper
there was a street car strike In the
city, He operated" his paper by act
ing as managing editor, city editor
telegraph editor, business manager
and editorial writer. Between times
he begged the banks to give him an
other day to raise the money to pay
the note that was due. or hunted up
somebody who had a dollar he didn't
reed for a week He doesn't have
TO put in any time in that soul-trying
toll OF borrowing money these days,
for his newspapers take care OF them
selves and Of the incidental expenses
of Jimmy" besides, He now owns
also the Springfield Daily News, as
we'll as the Dayton Daily News.
The street car strike gave him an
opportunity of showing the people Of
Dayton what manner of young fellow
he was. The whole town lay pros
trate, with never a soul. It seemed,
who could end the trouble. It was
a bitter strife, with everybody mad at
everybody else, and brickbats filling
the air with music.
Cox went to the railway officials
and told them they must settle the
strike. They smiled, of course. Then
he went to the street railway EN-.
ployes and told them they must settle
the strike They wanted to know
what he had to do with it. But both
sides saw the man was in earnest
and ION the square"
The street railway men told him
their side Of the trouble. The en-
ployes gave him their grievances.
Then he made a proposition that both
tides were not afraid to accept, and
the strike was settled. And both sides
were satisfied, while the old gray
boards" about the place began talk
ing about this young chap" who had
brought the warriors together. OF
course, his newspaper made the most
OF it-and sold papers.
Gets Scalp Of Boss.
Then he took up the lighting situa-
ton through his newspaper. It was
no secret in those days that the city
was dominated by a Republican boss,
who also dominated the lighting stu
alton. In fact, the whole city adj
ministration was operated for the
benefit of the lighting company.
A contract was about to be let-to
the political boss, of course-with
never a competing bid, for the boss
had seen to it that there was no COM
petition. The Daily News, "ximmy"
Cox's newspaper, went after" the
boss and his gang, and fought for low
er lighting rates and equitable deal.
lngs all along the line.
The boss filed libel suits against the
paper-the way of the boss. He tried
to kill the paper and drive Jimmy"
Cox out of Dayton. Later on, when
he had been compelled to furnish arc
lights at $6S.5O per year, instead Of
800 per year, as he demanded, he Of.
fered also to settle his libel suit for
81, but Jimmy" Cox thought that too
much, and the suit was withdrawn.
But the war upon the lighting com.
pany and its allies was not discontin.
ued. An echo of it-or, rather, a
thunderclap-was when the secretary
Of a gas company was indicted, and
1t was shown that thousands of dollars
Of the company's funds, or profits,
were used annually to control local
politics. Incidentlly the price of
gas as we'll as electricity was reduced,
and the Daily News did not keep tho
facts hid under a bushel.
Probably the most picturesque fight
ever pulled off by a newspaper was
what is known in the Daily News
Office as the Appleyard war. Apple
yard was an eastern adventurer who
blew into Dayton one day with
quart of diamonds and volume of
big words and proposed to revolu.
rionize transportation and banking.
He got hold of some sort of char
ter and proposed to run steam road
through the streets of Dayton at
grade. The Daily News got a line
Cn Appleyard and told the truth about
him-who he was. what he was doing
in Dayton and the danger of allowing
his proposition to proceed.
The "Appleyard War"
Then Appleyard resorted to the
courts, Under an old statute he swore
out warrants against Cox, sued his
paper and attached the Office The
sheriff took charge of the keys and
locked the door. Cox insisted upon an
appraisement in order to give a re-
delivery bond, and while the sheriff |
was making the appraisement, Jim
my" was hustling for men with nerve
enough to go on his bond for 100000. |
The printers were allowed to work |
while the appraisement was proceed
Ing. Within an hour the bond was |
secured, the office reconveyed to the |
owner and the News was on the |
street with an extra" denouncing Ap- |
Dleyard and his whole thieving bunch |
Appleyard finally found the climate
II the Miami valley uncongenial. He
moved the scene of his operations to |
Buffalo, N. Y, when it was found /
hat he had obtained options on three
banks in Dayton and that a part OF
lis plan had been to take money out /
If the banks to pay for them-a piece
J. high financing that has seldom
been eQualled in boldness.
Appleyard did that very thing in 1
Buffalo, where he wrecked the Ger
nan Savings bank and was indicted |
md his career ended. The Appleyard
war didn't do the Daily News-or
Jimmy Cox-any harm. But it did L