The Glenwood post., 1920-07-24
Uacie Tets Bed Tine Stories
Current Events For the Ohtldran
and 0rown-ups, Too
HARDINa's Twoo HuNDRER
POUNDS OF TYPE

You remember, Uncle Ted,' said
Jack, "when you were telling us about
the life of Senator Harding, that you
said it was another story about his !
newspaper, and some day you would
tell US all about it."
Eyes, jack answered his uncle,
"the story of how Senator Harding
started in the newspaper business is
one of the most interesting stories
know. Call Ruth out here in the yard
-it's too hot in the house-and IN
tell you all 1 can about what one boy
did with two hundred pounds of type"
"We re all ready" called Ruth.
"When Warren Harding,'' began
Uncle Ted, "was eighteen years of
age, his family moved to Marion, o.,
where his father still continues the
practice of medicine. Warren had
just enough touch of newspaper work
on his college paper to give him an
ambition to become journalist He
finally got job in the office of a little
Democratic weekly, the Marion Mirror
where he did everything from setting
type and turning the press to scrub
bing floors. There were two other
papers in Marion at that time, one
well run and going paper Ian indie
pendent weekly and the other small
weekly that had taken the name of
''The STAR which was taken over by
the sheriff on November 25, 1884 be-
cause the owner was broke and unable
to pay his bills. Warren's boss, the
publisher of the Democratic paper, was
afraid that the Star would be sold 70
someone who would make it real pa
per to the injury of the Independent.
But the owners laughed at such pos
sibility, which made the Democratic
publisher angry. So he told Warren
to 90 to the Court house and bid on
the paper, saying to the astonished
Warren, who had no idea that he could
own a paper and little money. You
So it was on Wednesday, November
26, 1884, that young Harding started
his career as newspaper publisher.
It was no easy road that he. and his
ehum had to travel There were many
bills to be paid and all they really had
to start with was 200 pounds of type.
1t was Young Harding who hustled fer
the news and advertising while his
chum set the paper.
''The Star commenced. to grow so
fast that the men who ran the lnde-
pendent no longer laughed at Warren
and HIS chum but commenced to fight
them in every way possible, No mat
ter how bad things went and no mat
ter how many bills there were to meet
when there was little or no money in
sight, Warren smiled, bit his lip and
worked harder than ever. He finally
decided that to help the paper grow
as it should they should have tele
phone. His partner did not agree and
thought it an unnecessary expense
But Warren would not agree and the
telephone stayed, with the result that
he bought out his chum and placed HIM
on the payroll thereby becoming the
sole owner of the paper. With this
added expense he soon realized that
the original purchase price of the pa
per had to be met within six months
from the day he bid for the Star at
the court house. There was no use
thinking of getting new machinery or
type. When the type broke he kept it
in a box to be sold for what little he
could get aa junk.
''It was long struggle, kiddies, .un-
til finally the Star came out of all
financial troubles the last bills were
paid and Warren G. Harding found
that he not only really owned the pa
per but that it was success. He felt
so good about it that he wrote an edi-
torial IN which he told of the strug-
giles through which he had gone.
"At times the men who ran the In
dependent became so bitter toward the
Star and its success, which had hurt
their business, that they attacked
Warren personally, but the future