The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-02-02
"REMINISCENCES ON F'IFTIETH
ANNIVERSARY OF FOUNDING
THE KEOSAUQUA DEMOCRAT
10y Geo. F. smith.]

Time rolls his ceaseless course
Scott.
Monday OF last week, January 10
marked the fiftieth year since the
first appearance of the Democrat
Fifty years is only a speck IN the
eternity of time. but it is quite a
space in human experience Few
publications attain the distinction Oh
having a record of half century be.
hind them, and especially under the
same ownership and management
/ The Democrat first saw the Light at
Bonaparte, Van Buren, county. Iowa,
January 10, 1870. Geo. F. Smith and
r. |. Holcombe were the editors ana
proprietors. The latter remained
! with the paper about three months
only, but the former has continued IN
the ownership and practically in the
management ever since. The Demo
crat is the only democratic paper
ever published in the county, and
there have been six or eight OF them
from time TO time, that lived TO De-
come one of the county's fixed and
established institutions.
Boosted of Progress.
| 1t does not seem so very long since
We put out the first Democrat in 1870.
yet fifty years is quite span in hu-
man life and history. Iowa at that
time as a state was only twenty-tour
years old and had population or
t1.194,020, which is less than hall It's
population today.
We boosted then as We do now OF
our great progress III everything ana
fondly believed we had arrived al the
very acme of Development and I'M
provement in every direction, but IN
known in that day were electric hghts'
the trolley car, the telephone, the
wireless, the linotype, the phonograph,
the auto, the tractor and the truck,
and a hundred other important in
yentions.
At that tine Des Moines was a
city of about 5000 inhabitants and
.Ottumwa 5000. There was not q
wagon bridge across the MISSISSIPPI
and none across the Des MONIES De-
tween its mouth and the Raccoon
Forks. There was but one railroad
line through the county, the ROCK
Island. There was no town CT Stock
port or OF CantriI. The population OF
the county was 1852. Bent0nsport
was the largest town in the county.
There was a gColen factory, a paper
mill. where wrapping and print paper
were made, and a Touring mill at
Bentons port, and WOODEN factory
and a Touring mill at Vernon
Public Life so Years Ago.
At that time General Grant was
president Of the United States, Sam
uel Merrill was governor OF Iowa;
James Harlan and J. B. Howell were
L. s. senators: George w. McCrary
was member of congress for this
district. Jacob C. Vale was state
senator and Joel Brown and G. No
Rosser were members of the general
assembly for the county. Robert
Sloan was Judge OF the circuit court
and Alex Brown was county auditor,
Joshua Sloan treasurer, James "
Latham clerk of the courts, q. w
ScmInerviIle sheriff, and Russell
Johnston recorder
The leading editors OF the state
were Frank Palmer of the Des Aoines
Register, Perkins Bros. of the Sioux
CITY Journal. c. E. Potter Of the Day
Gazette and Richardson Bros
OF the Democrat, Judge Thayer OF the
Clinton Age, John Mahin OF the Mus
catine Journal, c. A Berker OF the
Gazette. Judge Claggett OF
the Keokuk Constitution and Sam NJ
Clark of TEa Gate City, Frank Hatton.
postmaster general, OF the
Mt. Pleasant Journal, Junkin of the
Fairfield Ledger and NJ. NJ. Bleak
more OF the Democrat, and Hedrics
G. Warden OF the Ottumwa Courier
and Mccullough & Exams OF the Cop
lerhead. and T. o. Walker OF the
Democrat. +
Early Van Buren, County Newspapers.
Prior to the establishment of the
Democrat, there had been number OF Z.
democratic papers published In the /
county from time TO time, and some Of 2.
hem very excellent ones-better and
tbler in some respects than any coun-
Y papers we know of at present The
iret paper published in the county
vas the Des MOines Valley News,
ounded by Col James Shepherd in ,
S43. Col Shepherd was from Spring I
ield. III. and was colonel of militia !
egiment, the regiment we believe in
which Lincoln was a captain in the
}Iackhawk war, This paper was edited
or some time by Delazon Smith, Col.
son-in-law, who was after
Yards /. S. senator from Oregon. who
S said to have been one of the most
Eloquent speakers in the state. This
,aper was succeeded by the Democra-
ic Mirror by J. NJ Estes, who moved
he plant here from Vernon. and that
~ the Jcffersonian Democrat by Or
-saE- IL
PAPER. and that by the Democratic
MON, published by r. Summerlin.
Then came the Valley News by Oliver
Taylor, who was brilliant writer,
md later J. Sherman Shepherd pub
ished an excellent paper here, the
Jews we believe it was in the early
LII A I. L.