Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 April 1919 — THE DEMOCRAT 21 YEARS OLD [ARTICLE]

THE DEMOCRAT 21 YEARS OLD

Starts Out This Issue on Its Twen-ty-Second Year of Service. ■With this issue The Democrat starts on its twenty-second year, practically all of which time —all except first three months —it has been under its present management. In looking back .over the vista of years since the writer cast his lot in Rensselaer and purchased the youthful publication that had been started by the Democratic county Chairman less than three months previous under far from favorable urospects, it is with pardonable /■ride that we note the continued Success The Democrat has met with since its establishment, showing that honest effort to print the news and tell the truth without fear or favor, dealing fairly and honestly the public, is not unappreciated. In looking over our old cash book -we find that during the first year the total receipts of the office were but $1,404.13, while the expenditures during the same period was $1,035.59. Not a very encouraging showing surely, when one considers that we had less than S4OO for our year’s work. Then one page of the day book was sufficient to cover from one to two weeks’ business, and the weekly payroll was from $7.50 to $lO. Sach succeeding year since has shown a steady increase of business, until now the receipts each month average almost as much as for the entire first year, and the present payroll is about S9O per week. Notwithstanding the many dirty efforts'* of its enemies to put The Democrat out of business, it has gone right ahead and has never missed an Issue during all these

years. It was the flrat paper in this vicinity to add a standard linotype to its mechanical equipment, and today It has one of tfhe best equipped news and Job offices In this section of the state. It employs three experienced men in Its mechanical department regularly and enjoys the well-earned reputation of turning out a superior class of Job printing and very neatly set advertisements. For the past seven years It has occupied Its own building, and its well appointed and neatly kept office Is a" source of pleasing comment by commercial salesmen and visiting newspaper men. Today The Democrat goes Into a large majority of the homes of Jasper county and hundreds of former residents look forward with pleasure to its semi-weekly visits in the several states they have cast their lot since leaving “old Jasper." While it is a source of pleasing satisfaction to note the success that has attended our efforts to publish a clean, reliable and newsy county paper, it has taken lots of hard work to do this, and when we see the much greater financial success that has crowned the efforts of many others in different lines we feel that we might have accumulated more dollars with perhaps a great deal less hard work and mental strain in something else, for the country newspaper game does not bring the financial returns that It should.

However, we are very thankful that we have not dropped by the wayside and we appreciate the patronage extended, especially that of the hundreds of staunch friends who have stayed with us during all these years. They have been real friends and were such at a time when their patronage meant much more to us than It did in later years. We hope to continue to merit their good will and continued patronage in the future, as well as that of many new friends and patrons, assuring all a square deal so long as we remain at the helm of The Democrat.