Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1920-07-22
HARDING's TWO HUN
DRIED POUNDS OF TYPE


about his newspaper and some day
you would tell us all about it,"
Eyes, Jack" answered his uncle,
1.-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 I'll tell you all can about what
one boy did with two hundred pounds
, of type"
Were all ready" called Ruth.
when Warren Harding" began
| Uncle Ted. was eighteen years of
age, his family moved to Marion,
Ohio, where his father still continues
the practice of medicine. Warren
had Just enough touch of newspaper
| work on his college paper to give him
| He finally got job in the office of
| a little democratic weekly, the Ma
rion Mirror, where he did everything
| from setting type and turning the
press to scrubbing floors. There
| were two other papers in Marion at
! that time, one a well run and going
paper Tan independent weekly and
| the other a small weekly that had
| taken the name of the Star, which
| wa staken over by the sheriff on No
vember rs, 1884 because 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 to some
one who would make it a real paper
| to the injury of the Independent.
| But the owners laughed at such
possibility, which made the demo-
Rcratic publisher angry. So he told
| Warren to go to the court house and
| bid on the paper, saying to the as
| tonished Warren, who had no idea
that he could own paper and little
money, You go ahead and ii will
work out all right So it was on
! Wednesday, November 26, 1884, that
young Harding started his career as
newspaper publisher. 1t was no
easy road that he and his chum had
| to travel. There were many bills to
be paid off and all they really had to
start with was 200 pounds of type.
1t was young Harding who hustled
| for the news and advertising while
his chum set the paper.
1.-THE Star commenced to grow so
| fast that the men who ran the Inde-
pendent no longer laughed at War
rem and his chum but commenced to
fight them in every way possible. No
matter how bad things went and no
matter 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 a telephone. His partner did
not agree and thought it an unnecs-
sary expense. But Warren would
not agree and the telephone stayed,
with the result that he bought out
his chum and placed him on the pay
roll-thereby becoming the sole
owner of the paper. With this add
ed expense he soon realized that the
original purchase price of the paper
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 box to be sold for what
little he could get as junk.
ut was a long struggle, kiddies,
until 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
paper but ii was a success. He felt
so good about il that he wrote an
editorial in which he told of the
struggles through which he had
gone
Eat times the men who ran the
Independent became so bitter toward
the Star and its success, which had
hurt their business, that they attack
ed Warren personally, but the future
senator and president of the United
States kept his head above water and
refused to be drawn into a nasty
newspaper fight. 1t got so bad
though that once when Warren met
one of the proprietors of the weekly
Independent on the street he told
him that If he didn't stop his cam
paign OF personal abuse he would
lick the dickens out of him. That
seemed to be enough, for the INDIE
pendent publisher saw that young
Harding meant what he said.
Fourteen years after Harding and
his chum bad purchased the five col
umn daily full leased telegraphic
service was put in that brought the
news of the world on the instant to
the very doors of Marion, Ohio. To-
day the star has the latest type cleo
trio presses, eight linotype ma
chimes, force of more than fifty
people and Is one of the most pow
erful papers in the great state of
Ohio.
Jack. this story should make
you, as we'll as every other boy in
the country stop and realize what
hard work and faith will accomplish.
Warren G. Harding, as a boy start
ed on his nerve, bought out his part
ner because they disagreed over a
telephone, put the partner on his
payroll, and kept smiling and work
ing every minute with the result that
today he controls plant that every
years brings in a sum equal to that
or daily papers in cities twice the
size OF Marion. Besides that he has
helped his city to grow, held office
two terms as state senator in Ohio,
was elected lieutenant governor of
the state and then United States SEN
ator and today he is the candidate of
the republican party for the greatest
and highest position with which the
people of the United States can honor
a man-president And next No
vember he, will be elected in order
that the United States may return to
a government under the constitution
instead of a government by one
man."