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“But mightiest of the mighty means,

On which the arm of progress leans,

Man’s noblest mission to advance,

His woes assuage, his weal enhance,

His rights enforce, his wrongs redress—

MIGHTIEST OF MIGHTY IS THE PRESS.”

         The Tipton Times and Cedar County Conservative was the title of the first newspaper published in Cedar County. It was a small monthly paper, favoring the Whig party, and was printed at the Gazette office, Davenport, under the proprietorship of William H. Tuthill and John P. Cook, then attorneys at law in Tipton. The first number was issued Saturday, April 6, 1850. It was continued for one year. Dr. Richard Hall had gone to California in that Spring, and, in order to avoid the personal editorial accountability peculiar to pioneer journalism, the name of Dr. Hall was used as that of editor, although he knew nothing whatever of the publication for some time. About the time the paper was discontinued, John P. Cook removed to Davenport, where he became a prominent lawyer. He had previously been a partner of Mr. Hall, in the drug business, under the firm name of Hall & Co.

         The Cedar County News Letter was established at Rochester, by Nelson C. Swank, who settled there July 9, 1839, and continued to reside there, afterward in mercantile business until his death. Of this paper a memorandum made by him in 1859, says:

         Mr. Swank owned the first printing press, and published the first weekly newspaper in the county. He called the paper The Cedar County News Letter, the first number of which appeared September 13, 1852. He continued the publication one year and then sold the press, type and fixtures to Charles Swetland, Esq., who removed them to Tipton.

         Rush Jobbs and Samuel Dunn were compositors, and an attorney, then there, named Brown, wrote for the paper. It was a small, six-column folio. No copy of it is known to be in existence, although the following “New Year’s Address,” written for The Cedar County News Letter, for January 1, 1853, . . .

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. . . by Hon. William H. Tuthill, has been preserved. It is particularly interesting on account of the many local allusions:

NEW YEAR’S ADDRESS

EXORDIUM.

News Letter patrons, friends of the Press,

In aiding our cause you ensure its success,

Typographical hearts to cheer;

And so one and all I will cordially thank

In the name of the editor, Nelson C. Swank,

And wish you a happy New Year.

An address is expected in meter and rhyme,

Sentimental, perhaps, with a touch of sublime,

As the work of a poet should seem,

And I thought I could do it up brown, and steep,

But in getting up steam fell soundly asleep,

When I dreamed this singular dream.

DREAM

Methought, as the old year passed away,

That the new one came swiftly along,

With hosts of admirers, happy and gay.

A merry, delighted throng,

Singing a song, with a chorus too,

That was wondrous strange to me,

Contrasting past actions in Fifty-two

With the future of Fifty-three.

SONG.

Let us lift our voices, and sing and shout,

We have precedent good for the noise;

For is it not said by the truly devout,

“Tis the way to win Heavenly joys?

Though rouges and hypocrites, not a few,

Pray loudly on bended knee.

But the scoundrel who cheated in Fifty-two

Will swindle in Fifty-three.

Farmers will growl because wheat is low,

And merchants that freights are high;

Debtors will grumble because they owe,

And the day of payment is nigh;

Many a lawyer will grind and screw

And be bought by a paltry fee,

T’was the practice prevailing in Fifty-two,

T’will not vary in Fifty-three.

Cook* in Congress, old Cedar will show,

While Clarke† his triumph will grudge;

Bissell,‡ though lazy, as all of us know,

Is of horses an excellent judge.

But though office holders never knew

The blessing of feeling free,

Yet, as they sought station in Fifty-two,

They will seek it in Fifty-three.

Political hacks, on either side,

The truth will distort and vary;

Judge Grant§ his hobby undaunted will ride

‘Till his Railroad crosses the prairie.

In Iowa, riches must accrue,

If her citizens but agree

To bury the follies of Fifty-two

In the progress of Fifty-three.

*John P. Cook, then Member of Congress from this District.

†Lincoln Clarke, his predecessor.

‡S. A. Bissell, then Judge.

§James Grant, Esq., of Davenport, one of the originators of the C, R. I. & P. R. R.

Leland‖ will lecture, grin and grimace,

And picture the drunkard’s condition;

Twining¶ will lead us to glory and grace,

And Cobb** to free-soil abolition;

Tuthill†† the law will profoundly construe,

John Huber‡‡ will disagree—

And preachings and practice of Fifty-two

Will be followed in Fifty-three.

Peripatetic feelers of heads

Will lecture so seemingly fair.

Descanting on organs, from Clay’s to Old Red’s, §§

To show what our faculties are;

And soft-headed men, and women, too,

Believers in bumps will be;

They caught the distemper in Fifty-two,

They’ll retain it in Fifty-three.

Wandering teachers of common schools

Will present themselves to be hired,

And though half knaves, and the balance fools,

Will doubtless be praised and admired.

Directors will meet, and spit and chew,

And empty their heads will be;

There was little learning in Fifty-two,

There’ll be less in Fifty-three.

And rappers and writers of spirit lore,

And mediums, foul and fair,

Will humbug the people more and more,

Such a credulous race we are;

And tables will walk like the Wandering Jew,

And wonderful things we’ll see;

There were spirits in hundreds in Fifty-two,

There’ll be thousands in Fifty-three.

The golden fever will carry away

Our surplus population;

‘Tis a blessing, indeed, that those who stay,

May gain by the operation.

Let us sing and rejoice, and our revels renew,

For to-night is our jubilee;

We’ll join in the wake of old Fifty-two,

And the birth of Fifty-three.

CLOSE.

Such was the dream and the song I heard,

And I noted it down, every letter and word,

Although it was strange, I confess;

It may not be talented, novel or new,

And yet I believe it may possibly do

For the News Letter’s New Year’s Address.

         Mr. Swank died of consumption, in 1855.

         Cedar County Advertiser—In November, 1853, Charles Swetland, then a merchant of Tipton, purchased the printing office of Mr. Swank and removed it to Tipton, where, November 12th, Number 1, Volume I, of the Cedar County Advertiser was issued, with Wells Spicer and H. C. Piatt as editors. The latter were then attorneys at law in Tipton, and the newspaper received but a small portion of their attention. In a lengthy introductory, Mr. …

‖Levi Leland, the temperance lecturer.

¶ Methodist minister in Tipton,

** Congregational minister in Tipton

†† William H. Tuthill, then in legal practice.

‡‡ Then practicing law, also; since deceased.

§§ “Old Red”—C. S. Hastings, then a lawyer of Muscatine, now a wealthy banker in San Francisco.

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. . . Swetland said: “Political matters will be beneath our notice. We will eschew them as an owl does daylight.” Though born thus dumb to politics, we do not have to look far down the history of the young paper to find it uttering political yells.

         The office was then in Wells Spicer’s residence, the cement house now occupied, in part, by Lemuel Hepner. The first three issues of the paper were made under the old Cedar County News Letter heading, as the proper head had not been received.

         It was a weekly, six-column folio; subscription price, $1.50 in advance, or $2.00 at the end of the year. It contained advertisements from many neighboring villages. March 25, 1854, Swetland & Spicer became publishers.

         In June, 1854, the old printing office was sold, and taken to Cedar Falls, Black Hawk County, and a new one purchased; consequently no paper was issued from June 17 to July 15. At that time, the size of the paper was increased to seven columns, and Wells Spicer became sole editor and proprietor. Charles Swetland continued in the mercantile business until his death. H. C. Piatt is still a prominent member of the Cedar County Bar.

         With the beginning of Volume III, the title was changed to the Tipton Advertiser, and in the Winter of 1856-7, Samuel Dewell became a partner of Mr. Spicer, and remained with him until April 25, 1857. May 16, 1857, the paper was enlarged to eight columns. September 12, 1857, S. S. Daniels, N. C. & H.P. Moffett, became proprietors, with the former as editor. Mr. Spicer is now an attorney in Utah. Mr. Daniels has since gone from Tipton, and taken with him the files of the paper for 1858-59-60-61-62, and to May 7, 1863. At that time, it was a six-column folio, being Number 18, Volume X. The following number was published by E. W. Clark and L. M. Mulford, while Mr. Daniels continued editor until February 15, 1866, having conducted that department for eight and a half years. William P. Wolf took editorial charge and continued until March 7, 1867. Charles L. Longley succeeded him, although his name did not appear as editor until September 2, 1869. He purchased the half interest of Mr. Clark, who has since been Postal Clerk on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad.

         January 1, 1878, Mr. Mulford sold his interest to W. T. Peet, and removed to York County, Nebraska. The firm is now Longley & Peet. The Tipton Advertiser is now an eight-column folio, of neat typographical appearance; Republican in politics.

         The Cedar Democrat (weekly) was established at Tipton in the Spring of 1856, in the interest of the Democratic party, by a stock company, with A. C. Appler as editor and manager. Early in 1857, Carlisle Curtis and Richard B. McGill purchased and continued the paper. As the files of the paper cannot be found, the exact dates cannot be given. In 1858, the paper was published by Mr. Curtis who sold to David Roush about the Winter of 1859-60. Mr. Roush was a War Democrat, and continued the paper until 1864, when it was discontinued for want of support.

         The Cedar County Clipper.—In the Summer of 1866, J. T. Rice opened a law office in Tipton, having previously edited the Record, in Linn County.

         In September, 1866, David Roush and “Tom” Rice established the Cedar County Clipper, a weekly Democratic paper, at Tipton. This, however, did not prosper, and in December of that year it was discontinued, Mr. Rice going to Toronto, Tama County, Iowa, where he established a paper. The Clipper office was sold to L. D. Durbin, who removed it to Missouri.

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         The Cedar County Post was commenced at Tipton, Wednesday, August 30, 1871, by W. H. Morrow and Jesse James. It was a large, weekly, eight-column folio, supporting Republican principles. January 17, 1872, the title was modified to the Cedar Post, and May 15, 1872, Mr. A. Kerns became a co-manager. August 14, 1872, Jesse James became sole editor and proprietor, Mr. Morrow going “over the fence” as an editorial expressed it, to the Greeley and Brown party, while Mr. Kerns moved “West” to “grow up with the country.”

         Mr. James continued the publication until December 31, 1873, when the office was sold to Mulford & Longley, of the Advertiser. The files of the Cedar Post indicate careful and able editorial management, and contain many valuable historical items. Mr. James is at present with the County Clerk, as abstract, loan and insurance agent.

         The Cedar County Advance was established by W. H. Morrow, at Tipton, immediately after his separation from the Cedar Post, in the interest of Greeley and Brown. The first number appeared Saturday, August 31, 1872, and was continued but two months, as, October 20, 1872, Mr. Morrow, then Postmaster, absconded. The office was sold at Sheriff’s sale, and removed from the county.

         The Patrons of Husbandry was a small five-column folio, issued from the Cedar Post office, in support and behalf of that order, by a stock company, with the following officers: Wm. M. Knott, President; P. M. Vest, Vice President; L. L. Sweet, Secretary; C. Rush, Treasurer; Editor, L. L. Sweet, of Tipton. The first number appeared April 30, 1872. It was discontinued May 31, of the same year.

         The Cedar County Farmer was a weekly paper, established at Tipton in February, 1874, by L. W. & W. L. Raber, with Isaiah Doane, of Webster City, Iowa, as editor. For want of sufficient patronage, the paper was discontinued, and L. W. Raber moved to West Branch April 1, 1875. Mr. Doane was a candidate on the Democratic ticket, a year or two later, for the office of State Superintendent of Schools.

         The Conservative immediately succeeded the Farmer, at Tipton, its first issue being dated Wednesday, March 31, 1875. It is a weekly Democratic paper, of seven columns, established by M. R. Jackson, the present editor and proprietor. July 14, 1875, the paper was increased in size to an eight-column folio. Mr. Jackson is a practical printer of many years’ experience; knows how to conduct a newspaper profitably, and has the reputation of being one of the keenest Democratic editors in the State.

         Several advertising sheets have appeared, from time to time, at Tipton, the most prominent being Our Banner, by F. P. & H. L. Dean, afterward by F. P. Dean.

         In 1869, the West Branch Index, a small paper on brown paper, was published occasionally by George Barrington. In 1870 (about September 10, 1871?) this was taken up by A. M. Russell and C. M. Craighhead, who continued it about one year.

         The West Branch Times, a weekly paper, was established there April 1, 1875, by L. W. Raber, who sold the office and paper to Edward Grinnell.

         Mechanicsville, Stanwood and Clarence have each been ambitious to maintain newspapers, and several ventures were made in that direction, most of which were attended with some degree of disaster. The present Mechanicsville Press, under the able and judicious management of the present proprietor, has most successfully battled against the circumstances that surround the country press.

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         The Press was established August, 1866, under the name of the Journal, by Ragsdale & Bundy. The name was soon changed to that which the paper still bears. The struggles of pioneer newspapers are plainly manifested by the records of the Press. The change of editor’s name was made almost as regularly and frequently as the date line, during the early years of the paper’s existence. Since files of the Press are no longer in the archives of the office, precise information as to times of, and reasons for, the periodic alterations of the editorial heading cannot now be given. All that is known of the numerous successions may be briefly stated. After the founders came the firm of Bundy & Andrews; then C. W. Andrews; then Andrews & Weeks; then Andrews, Weeks & West; then Andrews & Golding; then John Golding; then John and George Golding; then John Golding; then Hugh Leslie; then Leslie & Connible; then Edward Connible; then John Golding; and finally the present proprietor, F. H. Williams, who took possession March 18, 1870, and has succeeded in making the Press not only an attractive but profitable paper, satisfactory alike to all parties interested, the Press has always been independent in politics, although the long list of editors who preceded Mr. Williams were Republicans, while the present occupant of the chair editorial is Democratic in belief.

         Incidentally it is proper to mention the fact that the press upon which the first copies of this journal were printed was the pioneer printing press of Iowa. It was a most peculiar and fearful piece of mechanism, and is now lost sight of. At present the office of the Press is supplied with more modern and convenient materials.

         The first newspaper venture at Clarence was made before Clarence was named. The paper was called the Onion Grove Record, and was under the editorial management of M. Cummings, at that time a leading merchant, and said to have been one of the driest wags that ever graced a sanctum. The Recordwas simply intended as an advertising sheet, it was small in size, but contained many items of local interest, and is now conceded to have been a spicy, peppery little sheet. Its life was short, only surviving two or three issues. Mr. Cummings removed from Clarence in 1863, and is now located at Omaha.

         Iowa Age.—The first printing press was brought to Clarence by Judge Edmond H. Thayer, in 1868, when the publication of the Iowa Age was commenced. It was a handsomely printed eight-page paper, of five columns to each page. It was Democratic in politics, and one of the ablest weekly newspapers ever published in Iowa. In a little less than one year Mr. Thayer was induced to remove to Clinton, where he met with brilliant success, and where he continues to publish the Age. A citizen of Clarence says: “Not an abler editor or more genial gentleman can be found in Iowa or any of the adjoining States.”

          Clarence Gazette.—The next newspaper undertaking was the Gazette, by Messrs. Crane & McLaughlin, law partners. The undertaking was not a successful one, and the Gazette died an early death.

         Then came the Independent, which was commenced by E. L. Derby and then sold to D. W. Carothers. The latter gentleman after a short trial, sold out to Messrs. Wood & Wooster, who failed to make a living success out of the undertaking, and the office material reverted to Mr. Carothers, who finally removed the outfit to Wheatland.

         True Delta.—Next after the Gazette came the True Delta, by Burton &Co. After a few months this paper “gave up the ghost”, and followed where so many good newspapers had gone before, and Clarence was again left without a newspaper.

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         Dana McNiel.—Among the business interests of Clarence may be mentioned that of Dana McNiel, son of Wm. McNiel, the successful stock raiser. Dana is a bright boy about 12 years old. Having obtained possession of a miniature printing press, Dana has become an expert at job printing, and interferes very materially with “Printing House Square.”

         Stanwood Express.—In the Spring of 1872, E. I. Derby was induced to undertake the publication of newspaper at Stanwood, which he called the Stanwood Express. It was about the size of the New York Tribune—of eight pages and five columns to the page. It was an ably conducted paper, but the expenses of keeping up so large a newspaper exceeded the receipts, and its light flickered out in 1873. Its career was brief but glorious. After the death of the Express, the material on which it had been printed was removed to Clarence.