Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-11-18

LIES NdOlIleS, NOV. lo.--At WVuIN nav 2
been within the field OF the late w. W..
Wilmer, owner Of the Slavery Hotel, to
have written history Of the news
apers Of Des Moines In the past forty
years. If any one should desire to go
further back in the history he should
consult Frank M. Mills, of Sioux Falls
Mr.. Wilmer had large hand in max
ing and developing Des Moines news
papers. His was a period when the
newspaper business was very unset
tied and when newspaper man hao
to be an editor and not merely getter
of business. Mr.. Wilmer was both. He
was really able editor, but he was
careful and wise business man. That
is why he made more of a success oAt
of a democratic daily paper in Des
Moines than any other man. The Des
Moines Leader, which Mr.. Wilmer de-
veloped, traced it's lineal ancestry back
to territorial days and it was the old
est Des Moines newspaper. But 1t had
never prospered until Wilmer came
from Muscatine and started an evening
daily. That was in 1871. He continued
publication until 1882 or 1888, when he
sold to the Goode brothers, who later
SOlo IL ~ IdIIllS, lucll II peiSSSu
into the hands of Welch and Watts.
and later was taken over by company
which included John Olsen and A. H.
F. Zeigler. Clarity had no editorial
ability, but Watts was fine editor He
came from Ames. Under Olsen and
Zeigler the late Judge Kline became
the editor for time, removing here
from Tama, where he had been editor
of paper as well as district judge.
When WEIGH and Watts owned the
paper. the Goodies started a morning
paper the Hawkeye Blade-of which
the writer was managing editor, and
this forced the Leader ultimately to be-
come morning paper and to absorb
the Blade. Mr.. Wilmer was very
strongly urged to become a candidate
for governor, while he was at the head
of the Leader but he firmly declined.
There were many able persons con-
nected with the old Leader-Henry
Shaver, John c. Kelly, and Henry J..
Philpott. But Wilmer was the best
all around newspaper man who had
anything to do with it.
But while Wilmer made a success, in
a way. of his newspaper he had a
hard struggle. He has told how that
when he first took hold OF the Leader
he placed himself and family on a
Very small allowance for household
expenses, a sum that would hardly keep
a present day Johnnie in cigarets. He
said that it simply had to be done and
it was done. He never spent cent of
money for anything except 1t was alb
solutely necessary. Many times his
bills Went unpaid for long periods. He
was able te sell his property in due
time for enough to give him a start
elsewhere With w e. Andrews he
started the Western Newspaper Union.
aud later wner w H WEIGH had sold
the Leader 10 Olson and Zeigler WEIGH
paid Andrew over 100000 for his
interest in the Union and Andrews
"b!owed 1t in" on typewriter Ga ma
ehine)l. Bui aWitmera started the New
England Loan and Trust Company and
commenced TO make money rapidly.
Whcn that company went TO the wall,
Wilmer had seen to ii that his outside
interests did not suffer- 1T was in 1889
thai Wilmer conceived the idea Of
fine new hotel for Des tMoines. The
hotels then were the Kirkwood, the
Ahnrn. the Morgan the Given. the Cap
itaI CITY the ,Sabin, the Central the
Cali and the flaming But there was
sneed OF another and larger Mr. Wit
mer Interested Frank p. Risley in the
project. Risley had long been a the
kirkWood az manager, associated with
Cnitnei Booze. Risley quit the Kirk
wood and devoted himself to preparing
for tho, new hotel Wilmer furnished
practically every dollar that went into
II The only exception was the con-
tribution of James c. Slavery. The lat
ter felt peevsd because the old Slavery
had had its name changed by Mr..
lngham.. the owner He gave a bonus
of $4,000 to the Slavery Hotel Company
just to have his name given the hotel
Beyond that he had nothing to do with
building the new hotel. Ii was always
the especial pride of Mr.. Wilmer that
he built the spacious lobby. which has
been for twenty-five years the meeting
place of Iowa people who do the larger
work of the state Yet, as he said,
the lobby was not source of profit.
1t was his contribution to the good of
the state. 70
Nj wilmer "as 9 ds::iSc "Ss the
old school, whatever that means. He
believed there were fundamental Diff
ferences between the democratic party
and the republican party and that these
related to the broader policies of gov
ernmentai control rather than to de-
tails or to transient issues. With him,
as with the older democrats, the one
true test was the attitude toward the
tariff. He had been schooled by the
writing of David A. Wells and followed
the deep philosophy of John Stuart
Mill. He had been an admirer of men
OF the type of Carlisle Morrison,
Springer. Never free trader, in the
strict sense. he believed the tariff
schedules should not be used as bon
uses. II was while he was on the
Leader that Henry J. Philpott came to
Iowa and began writing. Now Phil
pott was without a rival in handling
the tariff He did more than any other
to give, not only to Iowa but to the
nation, clear cut arguments on the
tariff question. That was all he thought
about. Later he started paper called
The Million" to be the special expo,
nent of free trade ideas and at one