Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/606

 546 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI organ of the Republicans in Wayne county, the rival paper, The Journal, being Demo- cratic. Later the paper was published by J. S. Marsh. At the present time its editor is Chas. Barrow. It is still Republican in politics. The Williamsvillc Iron News was estab- lished in 1905. The principal purpose in pub- lishing the paper was to push the iron ore in- dustry in the county, which had its center at Williamsville. It is independent in politics. Before The News, W. D. Wright had pub- lished an independent paper called the Buzz- Satv, which was soon discontinued. The record of newspapers in this section, incomplete as it must be, is a long one. It includes the names of many papers, some of them at present prosperous and active, many others long since discontinued and almost, if not quite, forgotten. Such a list indicates the strong attraction which newspaper work has for many men, and the feeling of the necessity of the establishment of papers in this part of the state. To the men who have labored at the great task of giving this section adequate news- paper facilities is due a great debt. The task cf circulating newspapers here was a hercu- lean one. The wrecks which strew the path of journalistic progress is sufficient attesta- tion of that fact. It was a task which must be performed. Few appreciate the tremen- dous importance of the local paper in the de- velopment of the life of a comnnmity. Too often it is referred to with a sneer and com- pared to its great disadvantage with the met- ropolitan daily. Its limitations are apparent. Much less apparent, but far greater is its use- fulness to the community. It is safe to say that the newspapers of Southeast Missouri have been one of the strong forces for up- building this section. No great movement for public improvement has been pushed to success or doubtless could have been pushed to success without the aid and support of the local papers. They have formed the medium of exchange for ideas, a forum for discussion, a means of comparison of one part of the territory with another. Drainage, rail- roads, education, religion, all of these and scores of other enterprises have received help from the papers. Too often this contribution to the good of the public has been gift for which no ade- quate return has been received. The papers which have ceased to exist here did not go out of existence because their editors desired to give up their work. In most cases the failure was due to a lack of financial support. Small subscription lists and little advertising have caused the downfall of mo.st of the papers that are no longer published. As one goes over the roll of the papers he is struck by the number of times that a few names occur. Certain members of the pro- fession have had experience in many places and on many papers. These wei-e the men ."or whom the life of the editor had an at- traction too strong to be resisted. Not meet- ing with the desired success in one place they have sought it in another. The conclusion is forced upon us in many cases that some really qiiit the profession because of lack of returns from it and then found its lure too strong. Sometimes they have at last found the op- portunity for which they sought and achieved that prosperity which their talents and in- dustry richly deserved. Others were less for- timate and finally drifted away from the work they loved, into other fields. It is not possible to review the work of all. the worthy men whose names live on the pages of the papers of this section. From T.