of interest to the reading public, it being the desire of the library that the people of Kansas City become more generally cognizant of the aim and influence of the library work. The Library Quarterly presented itself to the reading public, pleading as a raison d'etre, a supplementary catalogue of new books, accompanied by several pages of local library notes; this purpose has been strengthened by publishing with each number a complete dictionary catalogue of some one class of books. The Twentieth annual report of the public library for the year ending June 30, 1901 was published in the January 1902 issue of the Kansas City Public Library Quarterly, with a view of placing the annual reports more generally before the library patrons. The reports since have been published in the quarterlies following the close of each fiscal year.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE PRESS.

Years before Missouri had become a territory, Western enterprise had established a newspaper within its boundaries that was published under difficulties unknown to modern journalism. At one time, publication was suspended temporarily for want of white paper; again, mails were delayed for two months; on another occasion dearth of news made publication impossible. But these hindrances were regarded as mere incidents by the pioneer journalists.

The St. Louis Republic, the father of Missouri newspapers, was established as the Missouri Gazette, a weekly periodical, July 12, 1808, in St. Louis, then a village of less than one thousand inhabitants. It was printed on foolscap paper with an old fashioned hand press. The newspaper was a success from the beginning and increased steadily in size and in importance. It appeared as the Louisiana Gazette, December 7, 1808, so as to appeal to a general rather than a local field, Missouri being then a part of the territory of Louisiana. When Missouri became a territory, the newspaper resumed its original title. The publication having changed editors, became known as the Missouri Republican, in 1822, under which title it was known until 1888, when it became The St. Louis Republic. This paper was changed from a weekly to a daily on Sept. 20, 1836. The second newspaper established within the borders of Missouri, the Western Journal, was first published in 1815, and was a rival of the Missouri Gazette. Under a variety of names, it lived a checkered career until 1832, when it expired as The Beacon. The St. Louis Times, founded in 1829, lived

and died four times and finally, in 1881, was bought by the owners of the Missouri Republican and absorbed by that publication. The St. Louis GlobeDemocrat was evolved from the Workingman's Advocate, a Democratic newspaper established in 1831. The Advocate was transformed into The Argus, again into the Missouri Reporter, the Union, the Missouri Democrat, and finally, in 1875, was merged with The Globe, becoming the Globe-Democrat. The first newspaper published west of St. Louis was the Missouri Intelligencer, established in Franklin, Mo., in 1819.

Kansas City's first newspaper, the Kansas Ledger, was established in 1851, when the town had a population of about 500. At the end of two years it suspended and for eighteen months Kansas City was without a newspaper. The Kansas City Enterprise appeared in October, 1854; later it was known as the Western Journal of Commerce and finally became The Kansas City Journal. The Western Metropolitan was established in 1858 as a rival of the Western Journal of Commerce. It afterwards was known as the Kansas City Enquirer, one of the newspapers that suspended publication during the Civil war. In the border war in 1856, a newspaper named the Border Star was published in Westport. Its politics were extremely pro-slavery.

At the close of the Civil war there were only two newspapers in Kansas City, the Western Journal of Commerce and the Daily Kansas City Post, German. The first newspaper that was established after the Civil war was the Advertiser, which struggled for four years and then was discontinued. With the growth of the city the field of journalism broadened and there was a demand for better newspaper service.

The first issue of The Kansas City Times appeared in 1868. For two years it found existence a hard struggle, but, in 1870, having changed management, a successful era began. Publication of the Evening Mail began in 1875 and continued until 1882 when it was consolidated with The Kansas City Star. Another newspaper known as The Mail was established in 1892. It continued until October, 1902, when it was absorbed by the Kansas City Record. The Kansas City Star, an evening newspaper, was founded in 1880. The publication, under the management of William R. Nelson, has had a career of unbroken prosperity. The Evening News was published from 1885 to 1890. One of its editors was Willis J. Abbott, distinguished as a writer of stories for boys, and who became political editor of the New York Journal. The Kansas City Globe was established in 1889 and lived two years. Louis Hammerslough was the editor and owner. The Kansas City Presse, established in 1883, has become one of the leading German daily newspapers of Western Missouri. The Daily Record, the official newspaper of Jackson county, was established in 1888. The Kansas City World, an evening newspaper, was published from

1894 to 1908. The Independent, a weekly newspaper, was founded in 1899. The Kansas City Post, a Democratic evening newspaper, was founded in 1906.

When the Kansas City Enterprise was established, September 23, 1854, William A. Strong of North Carolina, had charge of the editorial department and David K. Abeel, from Michigan, of the mechanical department. Andrew J. Martin of Tennessee became associated with Mr. Strong in the editorial management of the newspaper in the spring of 1855. Robert T. Van Horn bought the Kansas City Enterprise, October 1, 1855. Under his management the newspaper prospered and became a power in the community. Colonel Van Horn related how he happened to buy The Enterprise:

"I purchased, or rather bargained for the paper when it was ten months old, agreeing to take possession at the close of Volume 1, or on October 1, 1855. It was then a five-column, four-page weekly, and called The Enterprise, a very descriptive title for the time and the circumstances. In July, 1855, I was in charge of a steam boat belonging to my brother-in-law. I had lost an uninsured printing office by fire and was putting in time steamboating until I could find a location and paper suited to my money and means.

"At the Virginia hotel in St. Louis, where I stopped, I was introduced to a gentleman, William A. Strong, a lawyer from Kansas City, and he finding my real vocation was that of a printer, told me of The Enterprise of which he was one of the editors. He was a fine talker as was proved by his prevailing on me to go home with him and look over the situation, assuring me that the paper was for sale. Accompanying Mr. Strong on his return, I landed from the steamer "Polar Star" at Kansas City on the last day of July, 1855. Looking over the situation and talking with several of the owners, I was referred to Jesse Riddlebarger, a commission merchant, and Gains Jenkins, who had been delegated to sell the paper. As they offered to take five hundred dollars for it, two hundred and fifty dollars cash and a note for the balance in a year, I accepted the offer and left for St. Louis and Ohio to get ready.

"On the last day of October, I called at the business place of Mr. Riddlebarger and informed him that I was there to pay the money and take possession of the printing office. He seemed surprised and very frankly told me that he was very glad to see me as he had not expected to do so and was waiting that day simply to keep his own word. To my inquiry why he was so surprised, he said that everybody had said he was a fool for taking the mere word of an utter stranger and keeping others from buying. But as they had never said anything about it before me he was 'mighty glad' I had come to take it. He gave me a receipt for the first payment, took my note for the other, and walking with me a block, from Delaware to Main street on the levee, put me in possession of the office and the paper. But at the end

of the year came my surprise. On my calling to pay the note when due, it was handed me receipted 'by valuable service' and so it was that the price paid for the paper was actually two hundred and fifty dollars."

D. K. Abeel, who had had charge of the mechanical department since the paper's first issue, purchased a one-half interest from Colonel Van Horn, January 1, 1857. The following October the newspaper was enlarged and its name changed to the Western Journal of Commerce. In 1858, the name of the newspaper was changed to The Kansas City Journal and June 15 of that year it appeared as a morning daily and since has continued as such. A telegraph line was completed from St. Louis to Boonville, Mo., in June, 1858. The owners of The Journal made arrangements for the telegraph news reports, receiving them by express from Boonville.

The Kansas City Journal, at first, appeared six times a week, including Sunday, but omitting Monday. The Sunday issue was regarded with disfavor by some members of the clergy and some of the citizens. On one occasion Colonel Van Horn invited a number of the censors to his newspaper office and showed them just why a Sunday issue involved no Sabbath-breaking, explaining that all editorial and mechanical work was done on Saturday and that a Monday issue would require all this work to be done on Sunday. Thus it was seen that a Sunday issue preserved the sanctity of the Sabbath, which a Monday issue could not do.

Previous to the Civil war, The Journal accomplished an important work in encouraging civic improvement in Kansas City. It gave plans and schemes for the betterment of the city, encouraging the building of railroads and fostering other projects. Through the intervening years the newspaper has been ardent in advocating local improvements.

Colonel Van Horn was a Douglas Democrat and a Unionist. His newspaper was Democratic until the close of the presidential campaign of 1860, in which it supported Douglas as the representative of the Union element in the Democratic party. Colonel Van Horn could not be induced to advocate the cause of the South, and his newspaper declared in favor of the Union and soon became the leader and exponent of the loyal element. The position of The Journal was made known immediately after the close of the campaign of 1860. Thus The Journal became a Republican newspaper in 1861, and it has ever since continued as such.

Colonel Van Horn sold his interest in The Journal to D. K. Abeel in the summer of 1860, but he remained on the editorial staff until the beginning of the Civil war. Mr. Abeel continued the publication of the newspaper until June 14. 1863, when T. Dwight Thacher purchased it. The newspaper ceased publication, March 7, 1861, and was suspended for about one year on

account of the hostilities. It was issued as a daily news bulletin from May

16 to August 20, 1861.

Colonel Van Horn, with A. H. Hallowell bought The Journal from T. Dwight Thacher, March 23, 1865, after the close of the Civil war. With Colonel Van Horn once more at its editorial head, The Journal, with renewed vigor, used all its power and influence in helping to upbuild the city. It resumed its former aggressive campaign in favor of the advancement of railroads and municipal improvements. It urged and was instrumental in the reorganization of the Chamber of Commerce, which had ceased to exist during the Civil war. The Journal is credited at this particular time with having done more than all other agencies combined to encourage the commercial development of the city. Colonel Van Horn retired from the newspaper March 2, 1867, having been elected to Congress.

In the fall of 1867, The Journal moved from Main street and Commercial alley, Commercial alley being then the first street from the Levee, running east and west from Main street, to a building on the east side of Main street, just south of Second street. This was the first move the paper had made in ten years. The Journal's first place of publication was on the second floor of a brick building on the southeast corner of Main street and the Levee, the lower floor being occupied by "Kit" Cole's saloon. But as the whole building later was taken by the Shannon Brothers for the first exclusive dry goods house in Kansas City, The Journal moved to a new frame building one-half block east of Walnut street on the Levee. This proved to be too far from the business center, and William Campbell of Clay county erected the three-story brick building at the corner of Main street and Commercial alley where the newspaper was published until the fall of 1867. It was while The Journal was at its first place of publication that there "occurred an incident fraught with larger consequences than any one event connected with the enterprise of The Journal, but which has been strangely overlooked the beginning of the Pike's Peak gold excitement and the consequent opening and wonderful growth of Colorado."

Not only did it print, as an editorial, the first newspaper article ever published concerning gold in Colorado, but The Journal alone of the newspapers west of the Mississippi river, continued to exploit the new field in spite of ridicule, until the emigrants began to buy outfits to cross the plains. So bitter was the press of Leavenworth, Kas., and St. Joseph, Mo., that at one time mob violence against The Journal was threatened and covertly encouraged.

When The Journal printed the first article concerning the discovery of gold in Colorado, Pike's Peak was the one popularly known topographical feature of the Rocky Mountain region. Cherry creek, the site of Denver, where