Evening star., 1924-07-03

Forty-six years ago, when he was
| boy of thirteen, Senator Arthur
Capper of Kansas started learning to
be typesetter and other things
about the printing trade on the Gar
nett Journel, a small-town weekly
| newspaper.
Forty years ago. Immediately after
graduating at the head of his class
| from modest little country high
| school, he landed in Topeka, lone
some and without funds, but because
| he was a good printer he Immediate
| ly secured work in the composing
room of the Topeka Daily Capital.
Thirty years later he was COVER
nor OF the state and four years after
that United States senator, elected by
| the largest majority ever given any
United States senator.
Now Great Publisher.
Today he not only owns the Topeka
Daily Capital, but eleven other pub
lications, with combined circula-
| ton of 100000 copies month,
! which have an extensive circulation
in every state in the Union, and he
is thus the third largest publisher in
the United States.
The Capper plant at Topeka is
largest and most completely equipped
publishing house west of Chicago.
He has more than 1000 persons en-
ployed in the office and mocha nical
departments of his publishing plants.
His circulation department employs
700 travelling subscription solicitors
and 1900 local representatives.
He maintains branch advertising
offices with stats working exclusively
I e IL; N.Nyu
York, Chicago, Cleveland. Detroit, St
Louis, Omaha. Oklahoma City. Kan
sas City, Washington and san Fran
cisco. The postage bill for his pub
lications is half million dollars
year.
Has Enormous Plant.
In addition to the Topeka Daily
Capital his publications include eight
farm papers, a national weekly news
paper, a monthly magazine for women
and a daily newspaper published in
Kansas City, Kan. Staffs of artists
are kept busy at his Wichita and To-
peka photo-engraving plants. He op-
Wichita, Topeka and Cleveland. He
| also has a job printing plant in To-
peka entirely separate from the
| Capper publications. 1t requires a
| carload of white paper. day or 1o.s
600 tons year to keep Cappcr's
| presses in Topeka busy.
The slogan of the house of Caoper
| is given by the senator himself, who
| says: My chief aim is to make a
steadfast friend of every man, woman
and child who subscribes for or ad-
vertises in my papers. or transacts
business of any nature with my office :;
| the underlying principle that has
built up the Capper business is to
knowingly have one dissatisfied
| patron
| Before he had reached his teens
Capper had decided that he was going
| that he would have to work to do it.
| He took the first work that offered
and on Saturdays, after school and
during vacations he did all manner
newspaper. Thus he learned to be a
good all-around printer.
| Goes Out to Win Way.
The. night he graduated from high
| school he told his parents that he
could see no future for him in the
old home town and the next day he
left home never to return to it again
as dependent.
The following Monday, desperately
homesick but gritty, Arthur Capper
began working s a typesetter on the
| Topeka Daily Capital, of which he is
got the job on the Capital simply be-
cause it was Monday. The capital
city of Kansas had saloons in those
days, plenty of them. and the paper
working day after pay day. 1t was no
trouble for him to make good the first
day. He proved to be one of the
best workmen the Capital had ever
had.
But Arthur Capper was not satis-
fed just to set type day after day
| He wanted to learn the whole of the
publishing business. This determina- :
| important fact-his knowledge that
he ought to save MONEYS just what
! made him big publisher. He Joined
building and loan society, paid in
his share every week, and kept it UP
even after he had given up a good job
for one apparently only half as good
| Asked for New Job.
| Maj. J. X Hudson was the owner
and editor of the Capital. Young
| Capper worked only few weeks as
typesetter before he went to the
major and said: "When's there's an
branches Of the newspaper business
The major remembered and three
months later called him into his office
I can make you our North Topeka
only SO a Week" capper nv was T then n
earning from twenty to twenty-five
a week at typesetting, but he prompt.
ly accepted the district" job, and his
| ITIeHOS Among tne typeSetterS calleC
him nine varieties of fool.
His first beat was North Topeka
which then was the tough part OF
town. He did his work so well thai
he was soon reporting the legisla.
tive news at the state house. 1t wa.
then that he tucked away in the bach
of his head the thought that some
day, after he had fitted himself, hi
would like to be governor. After fou,
years at reporting he was appointed
city editor and then managing editor
Wanted to Go East.
THAT was about as far as I couIt
go in Topeka" Mr.. Capper explained
"and I wanted some experience il
the east, although 1 hoped to go bacl
west where I belonged and have m!
own paper"
He gave up his position as man
aging editor of the Topeka Dali,
Capital and, after some trouble a
job hunting. landed a place on tn,
first assignment was to cover yach
race-and he had never seen tn,
ocean. much less yacht! He missed
the press boat, but chartered another
for himself. saw the race, and wrot,
what he saw. His fresh. natural, un
trammeled story from the viewpoin
of an inexperienced. untotored OBJ
server created a sensation.
At the end of six months he ha(
enough OF New York and wrote (,
Maj. Hudson that he would like t,
come back to Topeka. Instead h,
!, was onered a place rs Washingtol
correspondent, and while coyerinl
the Senate he stored away In th