The Rome News & 1924 Mayoral Election

OGRADY, MCLAUGHLIN, STANLEY, KINNON, BRENNON, GRESHAM, LEE, MESSER, OLAUGHLIN

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 11/22/2007 at 06:34:38

It pays to advertise. The other day we advertised for an authentic copy of a newspaper. The Rome Advertiser, which we seem to have missed in our fine-toothed comb search for all newspapers appearing between 1848 and this date. The other day, Mrs. Raymond Scarff came to our office with three copies of the Rome - not, not Advertiser - but News, the Rome News. Another new one indeed. Now it is up to George Tomlinson to prove that he actually did publish a paper called the Rome Advertiser. If two newspapers are being dug up since our story of the papers was printed, how many more town or county papers have been overlooked amid the debris of our journalistic catastrophies?

The Rome News is authentic. There is no doubt about that. We have before us Volume I, Numbers 5,6,8 and 16. The paper was started by the American Printing company of Rome, Iowa, and entered as second class matter Jan. 12, 1924. James O'Grady was editor. The paper was a four page weekly edition and for the first few weeks printed at Lockridge. Later at Rome. In the issue of April 8, 1924, appears a good picture of Editor O'Grady and a list of his contributing editors, Flora McLaughlin, Charles Stanley, Wesley Kinnon, Carol Brennon, Grady Gresham and Lester Lee. At first the News was issued on Saturdays, then changed to Tuesdays.

In the Rome News of April 8, 1924, was a report of a city election held the week previous. There were two tickets in the field. The Citizens Ticket was headed by Freeman Messer for mayor and the Peoples Ticket with J.J. O'Laughlin for mayor. O'Laughlin was 30 to 14 over Messer, but the Citizens ticket was solidly elected aside from Messer.

Editor O'Grady in the issue of his paper following the election, editorialized as follows on the result:

Last Week's Election

"For many, many years a battle has been waging between the north part and the south part of Rome. Whenever the north part of town would plan or suggest anything for the improvement or progress of the town, the south side would do all in its power to keep that plan from materializing. And whenever the south side WANTED anything, the north side DIDN'T want it. So the battle of discontent and jealousy has been fought for so many years. But at last, the battle has come to an end.

"The people of Rome have learned they could not accomplish anything by everlasting quarrelling among themselves. They have finally decided that COOPERATION is their only salvation (this editorial is based upon the result of the last city election.)

"The extent of the progress this town could make if it would get down to business, is unlimited. We have every thing here contributory to our advancement any town could wish for: nice level business sites, nice fertile lowlands for truck farming, with our river for power, a splendid location for factories. Nice place for a bathing beach and pleasure resort, or summer camp down at Rock Riffle. Everything a town, or community could wish for. All we lack is somebody to LEAD. With Mr. O'Laughlin as mayor, together with a new city council, we look for a great change to take place."

-- “Bystander’s Notes“ by Charles S. Rogers, Publisher-Editor of The Free Press [weekly newspaper published in Mt. Pleasant, IA] Monday, January 22, 1945 p. 2