JOHN J. ADAMS
John
J. Adams, former owner, publisher and editor of the Seymour
Leader, has been engaged in newspaper work since 1891. He was born in
Henry county, Iowa, October 12, 1867, and after having
completed his education was engaged at various schools as a
teacher for about ten years.
In 1891 he bought the Seymour Press and retained
ownership of this journal for two years, when he sold out and
purchased the Montezuma Republican, which he disposed of in
turn to buy the Seymour Leader.
This paper was established in 1891 by A. W. Maxwell as
a weekly publication and was run for two years thereafter as a
semi-weekly. Mr.
Adams bought out Mr. Maxwell in 1904 and upon acquiring the
paper re-equipped the whole plant and installed a linotype
machine to enable him to more quickly turn out composition and
greatly facilitate his news service. By the purchase of this machine he was
enabled to duplicate and even triplicate the local news
columns and make the paper one of great interest to the
community. He
also installed new presses, which, from a typographical point
of view, turn out a good looking sheet, and bought at that
time a great quantity of new type faces, which he uses
effectively for his display advertising columns. The paper was
originally a democratic organ, but in 1904 Mr. Maxwell changed
its politics to that of the republican party. It is an eight page
publication, well arranged, and carries a creditable quantity
of local display advertising, which is ever increasing. The news columns
are of the greatest interest and Mr. Adams endeavored to give
a complete account of all the happenings of the community and
vicinity, also giving sufficient space to state and national
politics and general happenings all over the world of
importance. His
editorials were forceful and always stood for the promotion
and betterment of the city and its people. He advocated clean
politics in local as well as in state and national matters and
his editorials had a decided influence upon public opinion in
this section. Mr.
Adams, in the conduct of his paper, also underwent the
vicissitudes so many a publisher experiences who freely and
openly utters his opinions upon any question or circumstance. In 1907 he was sued
as the owner of the paper for five thousand dollars in a libel
suit, but won out on the decision. At that time he had accused one of the
citizens in the district as a whiskey peddler, but in this
suit his assertion could not be disproved. Mr. Adams became a
power for good in this locality through the medium of his
valuable paper and his influence in the local councils of the
republican party, to which he belongs, is widely felt. His paper always
advocated righteousness and stood for those measures which
will ultimately result to the benefit of the city and its
people and he is a foe to underhand political methods, graft
and lawlessness. On
the 1st of August, 1913, Mr. Adams sold the paper
to L. A. Glassburn.