After the departure of the Cass County Advocate the citizens of Cassopolis evidently felt the void caused by no local newspaper. A stock company was organized, George B. Turner was selected as editor, and on March 17, 1850, the first number of the National Democrat was given to the public. Fifty-six years have passed since that date, and the National Democrat still flourishes. H. C. Shurter was the publisher for the original company.

The first few years of this paper's existence were not unmarked by vicissitudes, at least in ownership. In 1854, Mr. G. S. Boughton bought the paper, and within a few months sold it to W. W. Van Antwerp. During the latter's proprietorship the late Daniel Blackman was editor. When the original stock company resumed control of the enterprise in 1858, Mr. Blackman continued as editor, with Mr. H. B. Shurter as publisher. But, however well the paper may have served its ostensible ends, its financial condition remained discouraging. In 1861 the plant was sold at sheriff's sale. The purchasers were Pleasant Norton, D. M. Howell and Maj. Joseph Smith. It was transferred by them to L. D. Smith, who managed it two years—the first two years of the war, when news was at a premium everywhere. In March, 1863, the paper reverted to Messrs. Norton, Howell and Smith, Major Smith taking the editorial end of the business.

In 1862 the proprietors had employed as their publisher a young man, then twenty-two years old, named C. C. Allison. Born in Illinois in 1840 and coming to Cassopolis when eight years old, the dean, as he now is, of the newspaper profession in Cass county began his career, and is likely to end it in the National Democrat office. He entered the office as an apprentice in 1855. He set type, wrote news items, and in a few years was master of the business. On May 5, 1863, he bought the paper, and from that date to this he has owned, managed and edited the oldest paper in Cass county.

The National Democrat is published weekly, is Democratic in politics, and it has been the steadfast policy of its proprietor to keep it in the first rank, an impartial and comprehensive disseminator of news, and at the same time an advocate of progress and public spirit in the affairs to which newspaper influence may be legitimately directed.

The Republican interests. of the county are represented at Cassopolis by the Vigilant, which is also far more than a partisan journal; it is well edited, has live, clean news, and its standard of newspaper enterprise is the very highest. The Vigilant has witnessed an entire genera

tion of human progress, and its columns have contained the history in epitome of Cass county since the 16th of May, 1872, when its first copy was issued. D. B. Harrington and M. H. Barber were the founders of the paper. It went through several changes of ownership during the first years. C. L. Morton and W. H. Mansfield purchased it in February, 1873, and in the following July Mr. Mansfield became sole proprietor.

In 1876 Mr. Mansfield associated with himself Mr. James M. Shepard, a dentist by profession, and having followed from 1868 to that date the practice of dentistry in Cassopolis. Mr. Shepard, whose subsequent career in public affairs is so well known, became the sole owner of the Vigilant in 1878, and has conducted the paper under his personal supervision except while engaged in his public duties. For seventeen years Mr. W. H. Berkey has been connected with the office, and for about ten years has been managing editor of the Vigilant. He is a thorough and alert newspaper man and shares in the credit for the success of the Vigilant.

Although the plant of the Times and Cass County Republican was destroyed by fire in 1854, Dowagiac did not long remain an unoccupied field for newspaper endeavor. In the same year Mr. James L. Gantt established the Dowagiac Tribune. The Tribune held undisputed possession of the field until 1858. In the meantime the policy of its editor was bringing upon him a storm of disapproval that ended in a small newspaper war.

It should be remembered that the newspapers of that time were more of political "organs" than even the strongest of modern partisan journals. To advocate the success of its party and to give much the greater part of its news and editorial space to that cause was often the sole cause of a country newspaper's existence. And the change from that custom to the later "news" paper is recent enough to be remembered by all..

Hence it came about that when the course of the Tribune had become distasteful beyond endurance to the Republicans of the county, the officials and leaders of Cass county Republicanism met to consider and take action concerning their newspaper "organ." As a result of this meeting, which was held in January, 1858, overtures were made to Mr. Gantt either to dispose of the paper or to allow a committee to select an editor, in which case the expense would be borne by the party organi

zation. Mr. Gantt had no mind to surrender his prerogatives or policies, and his paper was issued as before.

But there remained another method. The party leaders induced W. H. Campbell and N. B. Jones to establish another paper in Dowagiac. This rival was called the Republican. Mr. Jones retired at the end of three months, but Mr. Campbell conducted the paper with such energy and was so well supported by his constituents that in 1859 Mr. Gantt sold him the good will of the Tribune, and moved the plant of the latter away. Thus the Republican was left master of the situation, and continued for many years as the only Dowagiac paper. The names of the committee who were responsible for the establishment of the Republican were Justus Gage, Jesse G. Beeson, W. G. Beckwith, Joshua Lofland and William Sprague.

The Republican, like other Cass county papers, has passed through a series of ownerships. Mr. Campbell continued its publication until January, 1865. At that date Mr. Charles A. Smith, a young man of only twenty-one years, but a practical printer and energetic newspaper man, took control and conducted the business successfully for two years. Mr. Jesse G. Roe was the next purchaser, but being unacquainted with the practical side of newspaper business, after three weeks he sold the plant to its founder, Mr. Campbell. In 1868 Mr. H. C. Buffington was installed as proprietor and editor, and continued the publication until September, 1875, when the business passed to Richard Holmes and C. J. Greenleaf. These partners gave much space to purely local matters, and their management throughout was quite successful. In September, 1880, another transfer was made, when Mr. R. N. Kellogg bought the Republican plant. Under Mr. Kellogg's ownership the name was changed from the Cass County Republican to the Dowagiac Republican.

Successive owners of the Republican were E. H. Spoor, Becraft & Amsden, Becraft alone, then a Mr. Rose, Becraft & Son, and J. O. Becraft. Mr. Becraft was publisher of the Republican until 1904, when he sold it to Mr. H. E. Agnew, the present proprietor.

In 188c Mr. W. M. Wooster entered the lists of Cass county journalism. He had been proprietor of the Van Buren County Republican, which he sold to Mr. Buffington, the former Republican editor. Buying the equipment of the Lawrence Advertiser, he removed it to Dowagiac, and on September 1, 1880, he issued the first number of the Dowagiac Times, as an independent in politics-an unusual course for a paper to take at that time. In 1881 the Times was sold to Mr.

A. M. Moon, who has been identified with Cass county journalism nearly thirty years, and who came to Dowagiac from Marcellus. Mr. Moon conducted the Times until 1885, when he sold it to its present proprietor, James Heddon. In 1897 Charles Heddon established the Daily News, which was issued from the same office as the Times, and the two papers are practically under one management. In this connection it is of interest that Ward Bros. established a paper called the Daily News in Dowagiac about 1880, although its existence was short.

The third paper of Dowagiac is the Herald, which was established in 1892 by Mr. N. Klock as the Standard. R. E. Curtis bought this paper in 1897, and it later became the property of J. A. Webster, who changed the name to the Herald. In April, 1903, A. M. Moon became the proprietor of the Herald and has since issued it every week.

Marcellus has a somewhat disconnected newspaper record, but the News has a record of nearly thirty years, and has been a good paper, ably edited and well patronized, since its start. The Messenger was the first paper in the village, established by S. D. Perry in 1874. The Goodspeed brothers, Volinia farmers, soon came into possession of the plant and issued a paper known as the Standard under the management of Rufus Nash. The last issue appeared in August, 1876, and in 1877 Mr. A. M. Moon bought the plant and brought out the first number of the Marcellus News. When Mr. Moon moved to Dowagiac he took part of the equipment of the News, but left the intangible interests and subscription lists of the News to his successors, C. C. Allison and J. J. A. Parker, who issued the first number under their management on December 24, 1881. Mr. Parker soon bought the interest of Mr. Allison, who had entered the newspaper field at Marcellus as a branch enterprise to his Cassopolis paper. Following Mr. Parker, the proprietor of the News was Mr. White, then Dr. C. E. Davis, who sold to the present proprietor, A. E. Bailey.

The Vandalia Journal was established by William A. DeGroot, and the first number was dated June 14, 1881. The paper later passed to Jos. L. Sturr, who, after a short time, discontinued its publication and moved the type and presses to Chicago.

Several years ago Mr. F. M. Viall established a small news sheet at Vandalia, but after about six months gave up the enterprise without having won fame for himself and brought the paper to any dignity in newspaperdom.

The Edwardsburg Argus, whose present proprietor is Henry Andrus

(see sketch), was established in 1875, its first issue appearing October 5th. William A. Shaw, H. B. Davis, F. M. Jerome and G. F. Bugbee were connected with the paper until 1879. In February of this year Dr. John B. Sweetland took charge of the paper, which he thereafter conducted in his vigorous and virile way, "neutral in nothing, independent in everything," and was the proprietor for twenty years, until his death in 1899. Dr. Sweetland, in conformity with his principles, kept his paper independent in politics, and if he favored any movement especially it was the Prohibition. Mr. Henry Andrus was local editor of the Argus a long time under Dr. Sweetland, and since the latter's death has conducted the paper, maintaining it at the high standard of former years. The Argus is issued regularly every Thursday.

Illustrative of newspaper politics of half a century ago, is an incident related by C. C. Allison, the veteran editor of the Democrat. In 1840 Ezekiel S. Smith had been appointed by Gov. Woodbridge to the position of attorney in Cass county. Smith was a Whig, of the same brand and stripe as his political chief. He made it a point to emphasize his beliefs and aggrandize his party whenever possible while in Cass county. At that time the Democratic party was dominant in this section, its official organ at the county seat being the Cass County Advocate, with its pioneer editor, Abram Townsend.

Townsend was not succeeding in making his paper pay dividends, however successful it may have been as a political and news organ. One day, in this financial stress, he applied to Attorney Smith for a cash loan. "No more loans on that paper," replied Smith, who was already Townsend's creditor; "why don't you go to Asa Kingsbury?" Kingsbury was a leader in Democratic affairs at that time, and his financial support to the Advocate had also been drawn upon to the limit. On being informed of Kingsbury's unwillingness to extend further credit, Attorney Smith, acting upon a sudden idea, asked, “What will you take for that newspaper over there?" "Do you really want to buy it, Mr. Smith?" "Yes, I will buy the equipment and you can continue as my editor," was the decisive manner in which the transaction was closed. "Now," continued Smith, after counting out the stipulated amount less what Townsend owed him, "let us go over and get out this week's paper." The make-up was about ready to go to press, and after looking it over the only change that the new proprietor requested was that the leading editorial be withdrawn and one written by himself substituted. This was done, and the Advocate appeared on the regular