story of the Argus [. R^'^k JsU^i li>-] 
 
fit 
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UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 ILLINOIS LIBRARY 
 
 AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 
 
 ILL. HIST. SURVEY 
 
i 
 
371.7339 
 aRG2a 
 
 Ike STORY of THE ARGUS 
 
 
"PREFACE 
 
 ^^^^ HE STORY of The Argus is one of success in the 
 £ '^ newspaper field for a reason which binds it for- 
 ^-^ ever close to the interests of the people of its 
 territory — and that reason is its unfailing service to the 
 community at the sacrifice of all else. If it were not for 
 this ideal, The Argus would long ago have joined the 
 ranks of those Rock Island newspapers which for one 
 reason or another have passed into oblivion while The 
 Argus continued on its straight course. 
 
 Keeping* faith with its growing community, guided not 
 always by the majority but always by what it believed 
 to be right and ethical in the handling of its news and the 
 conduct of its business, The Argus has enjoyed prosperity. 
 
 It has ever been abreast of the times. Changes for the 
 better, in policy, in equipment and in methods of man- 
 agement, have always been adopted by those who hap- 
 pened to be in control when new theories along these lines 
 came to their attention. The Argus was among the first 
 newspapers in the middle west to drop the practice of 
 what was known as " personal journalism," when printing 
 the news unalloyed by personal observations, and con- 
 fining what was printed in the news columns to facts, 
 became recognized as the ideal of the newsnaper business. 
 
 Where before the editor had eliminated all matter, whether 
 it was live news or not, which for any reason might be 
 construed as favorable to political or other enemies of 
 the naper, or harmful to its friends, the present policy 
 of " All the News All the Time " was adopted. In adopt- 
 ing" it the management recognized in full its obligation 
 to its subscribers, that they were entitled to receive com- 
 plete information on every matter of public interest. 
 
 That this course has won the public's favor is evident in 
 the physical g-rowth of this institution. As a result of 
 its prosperity, and because of its conviction that the 
 pursuance of its ideals will bring even greater achieve- 
 ments with the advancing years. The Argus has erected a 
 new home to house its plant, allowing for considerable 
 growth, and in which to serve the public in greater 
 measure than ever before. This booklet contains the 
 story of The Argus from its earliest chapters down to 
 the present busy episode. 
 
 / 
 
PhotograpJi of bronze tablet of the late John W. Potter in bas-reiief ivhich 
 occapieH a panel on north wall of business office in new Argus building 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/storyofrockislanOOaled 
 
Seventy-fire Years 
 in Business in Rock Island 
 
 A Small 
 Beginning 
 
 IN 1851 a rear room in the Whittaker 
 & Evans building, located just east of 
 the most recent Argus plant on Second ave- 
 nue, was converted into a crude printing 
 shop, and therein was issued, on Oct. 18, the 
 first edition of the paper which was to be- 
 come eventually The Argus. The room was 
 on the second floor and did not communicate 
 directly with the street, but there was no 
 rush about getting copies down on the street 
 or into the mail without a moment's delay, 
 as has since become the case. 
 
 Second-hand 
 Equipment 
 
 J. B. Danforth, Jr. 
 Buys Interest 
 
 The Rock Island Republican, as it was called, 
 was issued weekly. Its proprietors were 
 Fred S. Nichols and John W. Dunham. Their 
 machinery and other apparatus had been pur- 
 chased in St. Louis, Mo., second hand. Both 
 men had formerly been employed on the St. 
 Louis Intelligencer and had considerable ex- 
 perience in newspaper work. 
 
 Dunham, being a southerner, while his part- 
 ner was a northerner, became tired of the 
 undertaking after six weeks, and sold his 
 share in it to Nichols, returning south. Until 
 1852 Nichols continued in sole charge of the 
 enterprise, and in November of that year he 
 sold a half interest to J. B. Danforth, Jr., 
 v;ho was destined to continue on the publica- 
 tion's staff from 1852 to 1869. 
 
 Nichols sold out to Danforth in the spring 
 
 of 1853, and during the next three years 
 
 the latter continued in sole charge. This brief 
 
 [7] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 poriod was an eventful one for the growing 
 publication. It saw the removal of the plant 
 into new quarters, saw the paper become a 
 daily and witnessed the changing of its name 
 and another partial change in ownership. 
 
 Eventful Years: 
 Location and Name 
 Changed; Becomes 
 a Daily 
 
 During these three years, in 1854 to be exact, 
 the Buford block, at the northeast corner of 
 Second avenue and Seventeenth street, east, 
 was completed. In this, the first four-story 
 structure in Rock Island, The Republican at 
 once took up quarters, which it retained 17 
 years. On July 13, 1854, the first daily was 
 issued. At that time there was no other 
 daily nearer than Dubuque, la. 
 
 Present Name, 
 "The Argus,'* 
 in Use 70 Years 
 
 Shurley Buys 
 Share in 1856; 
 Many Changes 
 
 The present name. The Argus, was adopted 
 in 1855 in conformance wath a change in the 
 country's political nomenclature. It had been 
 given the name of the Republican as merely 
 an expression of its endorsement of the re- 
 publican type of government, for the Repub- 
 lican party had not yet been formed as a 
 political entity and the term was still used 
 only in its governmental sense. In 1855, 
 however, a group whose political beliefs were 
 opposed to those championed by the publish- 
 er of The Republican had organized a party 
 under the name of the Republican party. Lest 
 there should be a misunderstanding in the 
 public mind as to the principles for which the 
 publication stood, its name was changed, in 
 1855, to The Argus. That has continued to 
 be its title for the last 70 years. 
 
 At the end of this eventful three-year era, 
 Mr. Danforth, in 1856, sold a share in The 
 Argus ownership to Robert V. Shurley. The 
 next 25 years saw frequent changes in man- 
 agement, a condition which, in those davs of 
 
 [9] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 newspaper governance 
 by personal political be- 
 liefs and the holding of 
 radically opposed politi- 
 cal creeds, was not a 
 healthful one. Many al- 
 terations in policy, and, 
 indeed, in the form of 
 the paper itself brought 
 on apace the inevitable 
 failure. The eclipse, 
 however, was destined 
 to be only temporary. 
 
 First of the changes dur- 
 ing this era was the pur- 
 chase, on Sept. 16, 1857, 
 by Pershing & Connelly, 
 the latter Major H. C. 
 Connelly, of the interests 
 not owned bv Mr. Shur- 
 Tube and phone central station j^y^ Pershing & Connelly 
 
 were then publishers of the Rock Islander, 
 and the two publications w^ere combined as 
 the Rock Islander and Argus. 
 
 The Argus " 
 Again Used, 
 Issued Tri-weekly 
 
 A week after this transaction Mr. Shurley 
 sold out to Milton Jones, who held an edi- 
 torial position on the paper until 1881. On 
 Sept. 16, 1859, J. B. Danforth again obtained 
 an interest, buying out Pershing & Connelly, 
 and the paper once more became The Argus. 
 In the meantime, on July 18, 1859, the daily 
 had been suspended and a tri-weekly was 
 begun. The daily, however, was resumed 
 Sept. 1, 1861. 
 
 Danforth Sells 
 ie McNeal 
 
 Robert F. McNeal bought out the Danforth 
 holdings in 1869, and in turn parted with 
 them to J. S. Drake on Jan. 1, 1870. Three 
 
 [10] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 years later The Argus company was formed 
 and incorporated with a capital stock of 
 $32,000. 
 
 In Its First 
 
 Exclusive 
 
 Quarters 
 
 The paper went into its first exclusive quar- 
 ters in 1871, when the Buford heirs erected 
 The Argus block next to the alley on the 
 east side of East Seventeenth street. Ten 
 years later, Richardson & Powers acquired 
 a controlling interest in the company and 
 for a brief year they waged a struggle 
 against adversity. At the end of that time, 
 however, in 1881, financial reverses neces- 
 sitated a suspension of the paper. This 
 would have been the end of The Argus under 
 all ordinary circumstances. 
 
 Potter Takes Over 
 Control; New 
 Lease of Life 
 
 Stereotyping department ^'"" 
 
 There was a different fate in store for it, 
 though, and its new lease of life began with 
 the advent of J. W. Potter, publisher of the 
 Freeport Bulletin, into its affairs. He bought 
 the wrecked newspaper, and sent his son, 
 the late J. W. Potter, Jr., 
 here to manage it. The first 
 issue under the new man- 
 agement came out Aug. 2, 
 1882. In May, 1885, the eld- 
 -^. n> er Mr. Potter died, and the 
 son became the sole owner. 
 
 Little but the name was left 
 to The Argus when Mr. Pot- 
 ter took charge of the publi- 
 cation, and the task of plac- 
 ing it on a paying basis was 
 one which required a great 
 amount of persistent effort 
 and of journalistic ability. 
 The old quarters on East 
 Seventeenth street were out- 
 
 [11] 
 
 UBR'^W^ 
 
 \LUN01S 
 
 rSiK= 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 grown in 1888, and the building on Second 
 avenue, most recently occupied, was pur- 
 Art Outg 'own cliased by Mr. Potter and remodeled, to be- 
 come the paper's home. The removal took 
 place during June of that year. 
 
 During six years of The Daily Argus' his- 
 tory it was a morning paper. The first Daily 
 Six Years as Argus was issued as an evening paper on 
 
 Mmnmg july ^3 1^54. It was changed to a morning 
 
 paper on Dec. 17, 1855, and published as 
 such until Nov. 18, 1861. From that date 
 until the present time it has been an evening 
 publication. 
 
 After Mr. Potter's death in 1898, the J, W. 
 Potter company was organized, and the pa- 
 per has since been published under that cor- 
 
 Da% Union, porate name, with Mr. Potter's widow, Mrs. 
 
 Long Time Rival J. W. Potter, as president of the company. 
 
 Prior to the erection of its new home, the 
 last principal passage in the story of The 
 Argus was its absorption of the Rock Island 
 Daily Union, in 1920. The Union was found- 
 ed in 1862, and at the time of its purchase by 
 The Argus was published by the Union 
 Printing company. It was an evening daily, 
 and the leading features of its service were 
 incorporated into The Argus. 
 
 [12] 
 
The Argus' New Home 
 
 Healthy Growth 
 Makes Old Plant 
 Obsiolete 
 
 W 
 
 HEN THE Second avenue building 
 which The Argus has just vacated 
 was first purchased and occupied, in 1888, 
 its size was ample for the needs of the 
 newspaper plant. Spacious and comfortable 
 quarters, they seemed at that time, and so 
 they were for nearly two decades. But as 
 time went on and the staff and equipment 
 expanded, the building became less adequate. 
 Even the acquisition of the store room ad- 
 joining the business office on the east, and 
 its conversion into work space, five years 
 ago, only temporarily relieved the situation. 
 
 Begin Making 
 Provisions for 
 Removal 
 
 Plans were already under way, however, for 
 the erection of a modern publication plant 
 for The Argus. Its publishers had realized 
 for several years that the old building had 
 outlived its usefulness as far as The Argus 
 was concerned, and were arranging their af- 
 fairs to provide for the eventual necessary 
 removal to a new headquarters. 
 
 Building 
 Crowded Past 
 Capacity 
 
 The year 1924 saw cramped conditions exist- 
 ing in the old building. The newsroom was 
 crowded to the last inch of work space. The 
 press was working beyond its capacity. In 
 the composing room there was a similar con- 
 dition, a crying need for more equipment, 
 and yet no place to put it. It was time to 
 replace the makeshift arrangements which 
 resulted with a plant of an adequate and 
 permanent nature. Therefore the long con- 
 sidered plans were made to materialize. 
 
 An ideal site for the new building was found 
 at the southwest corner of the intersection 
 
 [13] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 of Eighteenth street and 
 Fourth avenue. Easily ac- 
 cessible to all office build- 
 ings, business houses, banks 
 and municipal and county 
 buildings, a block from the 
 principal! business dis]trict 
 but in the only direction in 
 which that district can ex- 
 pand, the location which was 
 chosen will undoubtedly be 
 increasingly strategic. Cer- 
 vin & Horn, Rock Island 
 architects, w ere commis- 
 sioned to design the struc- 
 ture. They were instructed 
 to make it such a building 
 as the organization and the community could 
 view with continuous pride. Among other 
 things they were instructed to make the 
 structure roomy enough to provide for at 
 least 100 per cent expansion of all depart- 
 ments. Both of these admonitions, the pub- 
 lishers of The Argus feel, have been capably 
 carried out. 
 
 Business office public space 
 
 Ample Room 
 
 for Future Growth 
 
 Erect Thor«iiph]y 
 Modern Plant at 
 Cost of $300,000 
 
 The new home of The Argus is as modern in 
 all particulars as is any newspaper plant in 
 the country. The total cost, inclusive of 
 new equipment, is $300,000. It is appointed 
 and arranged with but one purpose in view 
 — to better in every possible way its service 
 to its readers, through promoting efficiency 
 by providing modern equipment and arrang- 
 ing it conveniently. The distinctive features 
 of the plant were not evolved in a single 
 week, a month or a year, but over a course 
 of years of thought and investigation on 
 the part of the companj^'s executives. Dur- 
 ing the last three years they have made fre- 
 [14] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 quent trips of inspection to the newer news- 
 paper plants far and near, obtaining ideas 
 for the building. Plans already made were 
 shaped to conform with their findings, until 
 it is now believed that all of the more com- 
 mon faults found in this type of building 
 have been eliminated and that every portion 
 of The Argus plant is 100 per cent service- 
 able. 
 
 Worked to 
 Make Edifice 
 Most Serviceable 
 
 Construction 
 Is Fireproof 
 Throughout 
 
 The neiv home 
 
 Its location gives the building both north 
 and east exposures for the main facade. 
 Consisting of two stories and a basement, 
 with a mezzanine floor around the business 
 office and the press room, the construction 
 up to the second floor level is of reinforced 
 concrete and the second floor is built of 
 structural steel. Thus, the entire structure 
 is fireproof. 
 
 ^ Its style is Italian renais- 
 
 sance, and the material of 
 the exterior is select buff 
 limestone from the famous 
 Indiana quarries. The gen- 
 eral character' of the ex- 
 terior would be described 
 as a series of seven arches 
 flanked by larger masses 
 of masonry on the east ele- 
 vation and one large arch 
 on the first story of the 
 north elevation. The alley 
 and court side is faced with 
 a vitreous buff colored 
 brick. The interior court, 
 which will be entirely filled 
 when the next extension is 
 made, is faced with com- 
 mon brick. All sash is steel. 
 The main entrance doors 
 [15] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 Exterior Is 
 One of Beauty; 
 Limestone Finish 
 
 Details Simple 
 
 and frame are iron and glass. All hardware is 
 bronze. Pockets were left in the sidewalks ad- 
 jacent to the building at intervals and ivy 
 plcints are being trained to grow over the 
 walls. Additional landscaping has been effect- 
 ed on the Eighteenth street side by a row of 
 Lombardy poplar trees, each surrounded by a 
 barberry hedge. Simple cut stone carving 
 of motifs relating to the Greek mythology 
 from which The Argus received its name has 
 been introduced in the walls adjacent to the 
 entrances. Two flag poles, one for the 
 American flag and the other for weather 
 flags, surmount the facade, where there will 
 also be placed a large electric sign bearing 
 the one word, Argus. The second story has 
 rectangular openings of pleasing size and 
 proportions. The beautiful effect is obtained 
 by the perfection in the proportions of the 
 masses and openings, as the detail has all 
 been kept very simple and refined. 
 
 A Rock Island 
 Building in All 
 Particulars 
 
 Rock Island architects designed the build- 
 ing and Rock Island contractors, the Henry 
 W. Horst company, erected it, the sub-con- 
 tracts being let to Rock Island concerns 
 wherever possible. All materials which 
 could be obtained in Rock Island or through 
 Rock Island firms were so purchased. It is 
 a Rock Island building through and through. 
 
 Built on Rock 
 Stratum Underlying 
 Entire City 
 
 As the name of the city indicates there is a 
 stratum of rock which appears from twelve 
 to fourteen feet under the surface of the 
 ground, and all structural portions of the 
 building and the foundation rest on it. 
 
 Owing to the proximity of the great Missis- 
 sippi river with its large volume of water, 
 special precautions were necessary to assure 
 [16] 
 
THESTORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 waterproofing of the basement. Not content 
 with providing only one means of guarding 
 against the danger of water seeping into the 
 building, The Argus has incorporated three 
 distinct and separate methods to supplement 
 each other. 
 
 Extra Care 
 Taken With 
 
 Waterproofing 
 
 Valves and 
 Electric Pump, 
 Flood Safeguard 
 
 The entire lot was equipped with a system 
 of porus drain tile, all of which terminated 
 in a sump four feet in diameter and eight 
 feet deep located under the boiler room. 
 Valves were located on the ends of these 
 drain tiles so that at seasons when the water 
 is low these valves are closed, and at times 
 of high water the valves are opened. The 
 sump fills with water from these drain tiles 
 and this water in turn is discharged from 
 the sump into the sewer by means of an 
 automatic electric pump. 
 
 The reinforced concrete, of which the walls 
 and floors are composed, was made inte- 
 grally waterproof by the addition of 10 per 
 cent hydrated lime, which securely fills the 
 pores in the concrete. 
 
 Pitch Membrane 
 Under Concrete 
 Floor 
 
 A waterproofing membrane was placed un- 
 der the floor on the outside of all basement 
 walls. This consisted of two layers of fabric 
 with separate coats of pitch, very similar to a 
 heavy " composition " roof properly caulked. 
 In order to get the floor thoroughly water- 
 proofed, a thin slab of concrete was first 
 poured over the entire basement area. 
 L'lpon this was laid this waterproof mem- 
 brane, then the final floor slab was set on 
 top. 
 
 Inasmuch as the bulletin board is the most 
 
 important feature on the exterior of a news- 
 
 [17] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 rm 
 
 
 ± 
 ^ 
 y 
 
 
 Corner of 
 7ie2vs room 
 
 Bulletin Board 
 in Prominent 
 Location 
 
 paper plant, it was given the 
 most prominent position by 
 cutting the corner of this 
 building at an angle of 45 
 degrees and placing the bul- 
 letin board directly above 
 the corner entrance. This 
 location enables the paper 
 to accommodate a great 
 crowd of spectators on the 
 sidewalks and streets, as it 
 is at the intersection of two 
 streets. The experience in 
 the old building was that 
 where the bulletin board is 
 located in the middle of the 
 block the street is not deep 
 enough to take care of the 
 crowds present. By placing the bulletin 
 board on the corner there is no obstruction 
 of private business houses which would oth- 
 erwise be located across the street. 
 
 Most Modern 
 Facilities for 
 Bulletining 
 
 The bulletin board is set behind a large sheet 
 of plate glass and all operations such as 
 keeping the score boards and operating the 
 animated football or baseball game boards 
 will be accomplished from behind in the bul- 
 letin board pit. This pit is directly above 
 the vestibule over the main entrance and be- 
 low the news room, and is reached by stair- 
 way from the news room. The, rear. wall oq 
 the bulletin board room has a large opening, 
 which will enable The Argus to place a pro- 
 jection machine on the mezzanine floor and 
 project bulletins such as election returns on 
 a transparent screen located directly behind 
 the plate glass of the bulletin board. The 
 location and special details of this bulletin 
 board system are an innovation in the news- 
 [18] 
 
THE S r O R Y OF THE ARGUS 
 
 Marble Counter 
 Feature of 
 Business Office 
 
 paper industry and sets a high standard for 
 providing the public with information. The 
 bulletins will be lighted at night by a row of 
 electric lamps located in the cornice which 
 overhangs the board. 
 
 Beautiful Floor 
 of Stone and Slate. 
 Plaster Ceiling 
 
 The business office occupies the north half 
 of the first story. The main entrance is on 
 the corner and a minor entrance near the 
 west side. One passes through the iron en- 
 trance doors and a vestibule into the public 
 space of the business office. The public 
 space is separated from the work space by 
 a long curving counter with a beautiful verd- 
 antique marble top and base, and a madre- 
 veined Alabama marble die. 
 
 ?»?/),s'r of 
 
 The floor of the public space is most unusual, 
 consisting of beautifully variegated shapes 
 and colors of stone and slate. Stone and 
 slate floors have become very popular for 
 high grade buildings in the 
 last few years, as they are 
 beautiful, more easily kept 
 clean than is tile, and very 
 lasting. One of the shades 
 used in this floor, particu- 
 larly noted, is called the 
 mettowee stone and comes 
 in variegated tones of red. 
 
 The ceiling is of ornamen- 
 tal plaster of exquisite 
 shape and proportion, with 
 ornamental plaster details 
 of rare charm and beauty, 
 being deeply coffered and 
 conforming in general con- 
 tour and outline with the 
 architectural quality of th*^ 
 
 COW.p<>i<l)ifj )•(>(}))) 
 
 [19] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 Stair Colors 
 Harmonize With 
 Slate Office Floor 
 
 room. The work space back of the counter 
 is covered with linoleum. The walls of this 
 entire room are built with a Caenstone finish 
 and a verd-antique marble base. The mez- 
 zanine floor, which is located on the west and 
 south, has a balustrade of slender wrought 
 iion bars. The main stair leading to the 
 mezzanine and from there to the news room 
 on the second story is made up of reinforced 
 concrete with terrazzo treads and risers. In 
 the terrazzo on the stairs were introduced 
 various colors of dark marble to harmonize 
 pleasingly with the variegated shades of the 
 slate floor of the business office. The balus- 
 trade is made up of twisted wrought iron 
 rods with a wood handrail. 
 
 Private Offices 
 Adjoin 
 Business Space 
 
 The private office of the treasurer is located 
 on the first floor adjacent to the business 
 office on the Eighteenth street side. It is 
 in close contact with all business operations 
 and readily accessible to the pubhc. It is a 
 beautiful room of excellent proportions, hav- 
 ing a wainscot of genuine walnut panelling 
 with a lozenge pattern worked into the fin- 
 ish. Walls and ceilings are decorated attrac- 
 tively. 
 
 Are Finished 
 in Walnut 
 and Glass 
 
 The business manager's office is also located 
 within the business space and adjacent to 
 the circulation manager's office. The walls 
 are composed of walnut and glass, giving 
 complete supervision of operations of the 
 business office and placing the business man- 
 ager not only in touch with the business of- 
 fice but the circulation, mailing and press 
 rooms. 
 
 At the foot of the stair and adjacent to the 
 reporter's entrance near the west wall is lo- 
 
 [20] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 cated a vital part of the newspaper plant. 
 
 Jiere are the terminals of the telephone sys- 
 
 ,^ . , tern, inter-phone system and pneumatic 
 
 Phonc! rerminal , 11. 1 - , 
 
 a Vital Part of tubes, placed m such a convenient position 
 
 News Plant that the Operator in charge can also give out 
 
 information, as she is in constant communi- 
 cation with all departments of the plant and 
 is located at a point where she can observe 
 everybody going in or going out of the busi- 
 ness portion of the building. The public 
 space will be served by two private telephone 
 booths. 
 
 In addition to the main stairway leading to 
 Mezzanine Linked the mezzanine and second story a service 
 With First Floor stairway connects the business office di- 
 
 hy Two Staircases ,, -ji .i • ^ • /• 
 
 rectlv with the composing room. Going irom 
 the business office up the main stair one 
 reaches the mezzanine floor where is located 
 the women's rest room, a charming apart- 
 ment having windows overlooking the busi- 
 ness office and being completely equipped 
 for the comfort and convenience of the wom- 
 en patrons and employes. At the other end 
 of the mezzanine floor is located the men's 
 wash room. All wash rooms and toilet rooms 
 in the business office have terrazzo floors 
 and marble wainscots. The balance of the 
 mezzanine floor is available for future work 
 space. The floors are of terrazzo and com- 
 position. 
 
 Continuing up the main stair to the second 
 News Room story, which contains the editorial rooms of 
 
 Located on f\^Q building, one enters first the reception 
 
 Second Floor , . , .. ., , ,, 
 
 room w^hich opens directly onto the news 
 room, editor's office, consultation room and 
 managing editor's office. The reception room 
 has sand finished plaster walls, terrazzo floor 
 and arched openings leading to the private 
 
 [21] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 3nN3AV uxunoi 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 offices. Directly across one entire side is a 
 beautiful walnut counter with a linoleum top, 
 at which information is obtained regarding* 
 any portion of the editorial department. 
 
 Daylight 
 Lavishly 
 Supplied 
 
 The news room occupies more than half of 
 the front portion of the building. It is light- 
 ed by numerous windows both on the east 
 
 and on the north, as 
 the center. 
 
 well as a skylight in 
 
 The editor's office and consultation room, 
 adjacent, are located on the north side. The 
 editor's office has a walnut wainscot with 
 built-in bookcase and all cabinet trim with 
 a sand finish plaster walls and modestly or- 
 namented ceiling. 
 
 Library a 
 Pleasing Feature 
 
 The managing editor's office is on the other 
 side of the reception room and reached by 
 a small private passageway. Adjacent to 
 this room is the library, lighted by skylight, 
 and accessible from all portions of the editor- 
 ial department. There are ample wardrobes, 
 two long distance telephone booths and a 
 specially equipped and sound-insulated tele- 
 graph room located between the news room 
 and the composing room. 
 
 Composing Room 
 Has "Saw Teeth 
 Skylights 
 
 The Argus composing room occupies most of 
 the space back of the editorial rooms. It is 
 lighted from two sides and from a series of 
 saw teeth skylights located in such a way 
 that the light from the skylight is entirely 
 from the north, to do away with the annoy- 
 ance of sunlight and to insure a steady flow 
 of light at all times. Saw teeth skylights 
 for composing rooms are considered the very 
 best equipment and are used by the most 
 up-to-date plants. The sash extend the en- 
 
 [23] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 Umh 
 
 tire width of the skyhght 
 and are operated for venti- 
 lation by chains and pul- 
 leys. Special care has been 
 taken throughout t?iis com- 
 posing room to provide 
 adequate light and ventila- 
 tion. The floor is made up 
 of creosote wood blocks set 
 on end, and is practically 
 everlasting, an exceedingly 
 comfortable floor on which 
 to work. 
 
 The linotype machines are 
 
 located in two rows along 
 
 ^ the Eighteenth street side, 
 
 ' ^'*^ the balance of the equip- 
 
 ■i met ion, 1924 m e n t being distributed 
 
 throughout the composing room. The walls 
 
 and ceiling have been painted white and the 
 
 wainscot and steel work gray. 
 
 other Features 
 of Second and 
 Mezzanine Stories 
 
 Plenty of 
 Ventilation 
 
 The stereotyping room is located adjacent to 
 the composing room in the southwest corner 
 and unusually well lighted and ventilated. 
 Supplementing the natural ventilation of 
 windows are two electric fans, while the 
 fumes from the melting pots will be taken 
 off directly by flues. The stereotyping room 
 is also in direct connection with the large 
 freight elevator. A small lift is provided for 
 sending the plates directly from the stereo- 
 typing room to the press room. The balance 
 of the second story is taken up by the wash 
 room and toilet room for the composing room, 
 and the freight elevator, service passageway 
 and stairs. The service stairs are located in 
 the southeast corner and lead down to the 
 mezzanine floor which provides a splendid 
 
 [24] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 Buildinio- Has 
 Auditorium for 
 Public Benefit 
 
 outlook, at a high level, of the entire press 
 room. On this same level is located the lunch 
 room and recreation room for employes of 
 the composing and press departments as 
 well as a general meeting room which will 
 accommodate between one hundred fifty and 
 two hundred people. This meeting room will 
 be used for gatherings of public or semi-pub- 
 lic nature and is very conveniently located 
 to be accessible either from the front or rear 
 of the building. It overlooks the press room 
 and operations can be observed from this 
 point. 
 
 Modern ]^>alures 
 Introduced in 
 Press Room 
 
 The entire south half of the first story of 
 the building is occupied by the press room, 
 mailing room and news boys' room, the press 
 room being located on the Eighteenth street 
 side and visible from the street through 
 five of the large arched windows. It is a 
 high room, running through the first story 
 and mezzanine floor, and contains the Duplex 
 press. This room is lined with a wainscot of 
 brown salt-glazed brick to a height of six 
 feet. The balance is sand-finished plaster 
 with a smooth plaster beamed ceiling. Run- 
 ways for the Brownhoist, a crane for general 
 use in connection with the press, have been 
 located on the two long 
 walls. On the south end of 
 the press room is located the 
 press foreman's office and 
 all electrical controlling de- 
 vices. Adjacent to the press 
 foreman's office is the 
 freight elevator, which is 
 used for hoisting rolls of pa- 
 per to the press room floor 
 as well as for unloading the 
 paper from trucks into the 
 
 [25] 
 
 P)-e8s )-oont 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 Large Mailing 
 Room Well 
 Located 
 
 basement. This elevator is conveniently lo- 
 cated for all operations connected with the 
 handling of paper and the fact that it is a 
 full size elevator makes it useful for many 
 other operations. Adjacent to the press room 
 and under the mezzanine floor is located the 
 mailing room, provided with the necessary 
 tables, counters and racks, both for the dis- 
 tribution of local papers and wrapping or 
 bundling of those that are mailed out. 
 
 Load Trucks 
 From Mailing 
 Room Under Roof 
 
 A special room has been built for the news 
 boys, where they obtain their papers. This 
 news boys' room is accessible from the court. 
 The wash room, which is fitted up with 
 showers, is located adjacent to the mailing 
 room. From the mailing room there is a 
 large opening protected by steel rolling shut- 
 ters which open out into the garage and load- 
 ing room. As a large portion of each issue of 
 The Argus is distributed by trucks, these 
 trucks drive directly into the garage and 
 loading space and receive their consignments 
 while under a roof. The garage is large 
 enough to accommodate the trucks which de- 
 liver The Argus, as well as the several otlier 
 company vehicles. 
 
 Paper Storage, 
 Vault for Files 
 and Heating Plant 
 in Basement 
 
 Most of the basement is used for paper stor- 
 age. The paper is loaded directly from the 
 trucks onto the elevator and dropped to the 
 basement where it is placed on hand trucks 
 and taken to racks which are set three or 
 four inches above the floor. In addition to 
 the basement storage space, there is a large 
 vault located conveniently at the foot of the 
 business office stairs. It is equipped with 
 up-to-date steel shelving and will contain the 
 bound files of The Argus, valuable because 
 of their age, which goes back as far as 75 
 
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THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 if 
 
 S3 
 
 o 
 
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THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 years. The boiler room is located at the 
 .^oiith end of the building and contains two 
 Kewanee smokeless firebox boilers. 
 
 Wired for All 
 Possible Electric 
 Facilities 
 
 Just as the day lighting has been arranged 
 on a scale as lavish as possible, so the elec- 
 tric lighting, too, has been made generous. 
 The inspection trips made by owners and 
 architects have demonstrated that a newspa- 
 per plant rarely has too much light and us 
 ually not enough. Outlets, therefore, have 
 been distributed at intervals where there 
 might be any chance of their being used, 
 providing local desk illumJnation as well as 
 general illumination. The electric fixtures 
 of the business office and private offices are 
 works of art, consisting of the very finest 
 bronze and high grade glass in charming de- 
 signs. 
 
 Compressed 
 Air to Clean 
 Big Press 
 
 The building has been equipped with an ade- 
 quate number of wash rooms and toilet 
 rooms and all plumbing is of the very high- 
 est grade. Ice water has been piped to the 
 fountains in the various parts of the build- 
 ing. Compressed air has been supplied for 
 cleaning the various parts of the press. 
 
 The Dunham vacuum system of steam heat- 
 ing has been installed and is to be supple- 
 mented by ventilation from several univents 
 which provide fresh warmed air. 
 
 Well Screened 
 and Ventilated 
 
 All openings throughout the building have 
 been screened with copper screens in metal 
 frames. 
 
 The roof of the building is of gypsum ti4e 
 covered with Trinidad Lake asphalt. 
 
 [28] 
 
Most Intangible 
 of Raw Materials 
 
 How The News Becomes 
 a Newspaper 
 
 IN THIS manufactory the most intangi- 
 ble of raw materials — the spoken word, 
 a thought, or the observation of an occur- 
 rence — is made into something concrete and 
 of great importance to modern man, the 
 daily newspaper. Entering the plant through 
 one of two principal channels, this raw ma- 
 terial follows a course scientifically worked 
 out. It is received in the front end of the 
 new Argus building and moves rearward, 
 taking on a more substantial and orderly 
 form at every handling, and emerges at the 
 rear of the plant set down in black and white 
 and ready to be swiftly distributed to its 
 readers. 
 
 For instance, observe the route followed by 
 a piece of advertising matter. It is tele- 
 phoned or mailed in, or brought in by one of 
 the advertising solicitors to the business of- 
 fice, which occupies the front section of the 
 ground floor. 
 
 Ads Handled in 
 Business Office 
 
 The main entrance opens directly into the 
 spacious and handsomely decorated business 
 office with its Caenstone-finished walls and 
 an ornamental white plaster ceiling. Inside 
 a curving counter are the desks of those em- 
 ployes who handle display and want ads, 
 those who supervise the distribution of The 
 Argus to subscribers and news agencies, and 
 those who attend to the purchasing of ma- 
 terials, collection of accounts and other fi- 
 nancial matters. Offices are provided here 
 for the treasurer, business manager, adver- 
 tising manager and circulation manager. 
 [29] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 Carefully Looked 
 Over Before Going 
 Lpstairs 
 
 The advertisement received here is convert- 
 ed into copy, being marked with directions 
 for the printers, indicating its size, the kind 
 of type to be used and what illustrations it 
 is to contain. Then it is sent, in pneumatic 
 tubes, to the composing room at the rear of 
 the second floor. In the composing room it 
 is converted into type, either set by hand or 
 on Linotype machines. 
 
 News and Other 
 Copy Meet in 
 Composing Room 
 
 As the advertising and news matter meet in 
 the composing room, to traverse the rest 
 of the route together, the subsequent process 
 is common to the entire body of matter of 
 which the newspaper is composed. There- 
 fore, consider the news-gathering section of 
 the plant. 
 
 Central Control 
 for Telephone 
 Calls 
 
 From the central switch board through 
 which all telephone calls into and out of the 
 building, as well as between departments, 
 are handled, located in the northwest cor- 
 ner of the first floor, just west of the Fourth 
 avenue side entrance, lines extend to tele- 
 phones on each of the desks in the news 
 room, which occupies the entire front of the 
 second floor. These are kept busy during 
 working hours, carrying into The Argus of- 
 fice news of all sorts from the city and near- 
 by territory. In this large, well-lighted 
 room, typewriters chatter incessantly, as the 
 reporters set down the events of the day, 
 and the editors alter or ** head up " their 
 copy. 
 
 Getting the News 
 in Shape 
 
 All of the news-gathering resources of The 
 Argus have their terminals here. At a desk 
 beside the room where the Associated Press 
 telegraph news from the wide world comes 
 in over a special leased wire, is the news 
 
 '■■■ [ 30 ] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 ai 
 
 Si 
 si 
 
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 uj Q 
 
 ^ I- -5 
 
 S2? 
 
 1- .. 
 
 S^ 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 News Editor 
 Directs Force 
 of Reporters 
 
 editor. Surrounding him is the copy desk, 
 or rather a group of four desks at which the 
 telegraph editor, sports editor, state news 
 editor and city editor are placed. This group 
 heads all of the departments of news-gath- 
 ering. Besides the state, national and world 
 news which comes in press association wires 
 and special dispatches, and the Rock Island 
 city and tri-city news, this group supervises 
 the covering and handling of feature stories, 
 church news, sporting news, music, dra- 
 matic and motion picture news, and miscel- 
 laneous matter. The news editor supervises 
 all of it and assigns reporters to their work, 
 while his four associates on the copy desk 
 edit and head up the copy. Theirs is the re- 
 sponsibility for the correctness of facts, 
 phrasing, spelling and punctuation of all of 
 The Argus news as it appears in the printed 
 form. Nearby is the row of desks where the 
 city news reporters work. In the north end 
 of the room is located the society editor and 
 her assistant. The managing editor, who 
 writes editorials and prepares copy for the 
 editorial page, has an office just off the 
 southwest corner of the news room. 
 
 Electric Conveyer 
 for Copy 
 
 From the copy desk, an overhead electric 
 conveyer extends to the composing room, 
 which occupies the rear of the second floor. 
 Copy is sent to the printers on this conveyer. 
 
 From "Hot 
 News " Into 
 " Cold Type '* 
 
 When the news copy arrives in the compos- 
 ing room it is placed on a table at the ter- 
 minal of the electric conveyers, and later 
 sorted into classifications according to the- 
 type of news it deals with. It is then hung 
 on several hooks, from which the printers 
 take it to transfer it into type. In the mean- 
 time, the advertising copy is arriving 
 
 [32] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 through the pneumatic tubes. It is sorted 
 and classified also, some going to the print- 
 ers who set into type by hand, and some go- 
 ing to the type-setting machines. 
 
 Most of 
 Type-setting: 
 Accomplished by 
 iVIachinerv 
 
 The eight type-setting machines, all Lino- 
 types, probably the most intricate, certainly 
 the nearest '' human " mechanical devices 
 used in the process of publishing, are ranged 
 in two rows along the east wall. On these 
 operators set up all of tjie news material and 
 most of the advertising copy, into lines of 
 type. To do this the operator presses keys 
 arranged on a keyboard similar to that of 
 a typewriter, and operates several small lev- 
 ers, the Linotype doing the rest. Thus a 
 huge saving of time is effected, over the 
 amount required to set all type by hand. In 
 another part of the composing room is the 
 hand-setting department, with its many 
 cases of type and its several printers, who 
 set up display advertising and a few varie- 
 ties of the news headlines requiring large 
 type. 
 
 Molded in 
 Pasteboard, Then 
 in Metal 
 
 Here the type, and pictures or advertising 
 copy in the form of *' cuts " or *' casts," are 
 fitted into metal '' forms," oblong frames 
 just the size of newspaper pages. In fact, 
 they are the original negatives of pages of 
 the newspaper. These forms are rolled into 
 a back room on '' turtles," which are wheel 
 tables of steel, for the stereotyping process. 
 In this room the form is covered with a spe- 
 cially prepared pasteboai'd sheet and run 
 through a roller which presses the paste- 
 board down so heavily that an impression of 
 the type and other matter in the form is left 
 upon it. After a baking process to harden 
 this mold, which is called a ** matrix," it is 
 [33] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 And, Finally 
 the Finished 
 Product 
 
 placed in a curved position in another mold, 
 and metal then poured around it hardens into 
 a semi-cylindrical plate. This plate is cleaned 
 and trimmed and carried down to the first 
 floor on a small lift provided for that pur- 
 pose. 
 
 Directly into the press room comes the plate, 
 to be locked in place on its roller on The 
 Argus' new $60,000 Duplex press. All of 
 the pages are thus put in place, the print 
 paper webs adjusted, and the cogs of the big 
 electrically driven machine start grinding 
 out the edition. 
 
 Getting the News 
 to You With All 
 Possible Speed 
 
 Near the press, in the mailing room, a score 
 of men and boys then battle against time to 
 wrap and address the papers and get them 
 to depots or the postoffice in time to make 
 early trains for their destinations. They 
 also count papers for the carrier boys, and 
 these papers are taken by truck to the start- 
 ing points of the various routes out in the 
 residence districts. Soon afterward, at his 
 home or place of business, each subscriber 
 receives the day's news of the world, and the 
 people of The Argus have completed another 
 day's work. 
 
 [34] 
 
speed of Production Increased By 
 
 Augmenting and Improving 
 
 Mechanical Equipment 
 
 -^ri ^DDITIONS to the mechanical equip- 
 ^^J ment of The Argus, notably a $60,000 
 press, and improvements made in the sys- 
 tem generally, have all tended to speed up 
 production. 
 
 The press, which may be seen from the side- 
 walk on the Eighteenth street side of the 
 60,oTo pipers"""^ building through several of the large arched 
 
 an Hour windows, is equal to that in any office in any 
 
 city of similar size in the United States. It 
 is a Duplex unit type low construction sex- 
 tuple press. Having a capacity of 48 pages, 
 it will run up to a speed of 60,000 papers an 
 hour, printed, folded and counted. It is ar- 
 ranged in units so that it may be added to 
 at any time to take care of future needs. 
 
 As installed, this machine consists of three 
 
 16-page printing sections arranged in tan- 
 Low Construction , -xi i i i ^ i i i j i x 
 Type All Parts oem. With double folders placed betw^een 
 
 Accessible From units. Being of the low construction type, 
 
 every part is accessible from the floor, this 
 innovation in press construction proving 
 vastly superior to the old '* decker " type of 
 machine, which towered in the air and could 
 be added to only by placing additional decks 
 one above the other. The press is so ar- 
 ranged that it may print two 24-page papers 
 and deliver them into separate folders, each 
 side of the press being devoted to the print- 
 ing of a distinctive paper if desired. The 
 rolls of paper are placed overhead. 
 [35] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 Can Never Be 
 Entirely " Out of 
 Commission " 
 
 Any one or two of the three printing sec- 
 tions may be silenced when not in use. This 
 is a most desirable feature in case of break- 
 down, as it would be practically impossible 
 for the entire press to be out of commission 
 at any one time. Because of the independent 
 drive of each folder, insurance as to folding 
 and delivering is also obtained. The press 
 is driven by electric power through a long 
 drive shaft, the power being transmitted to 
 the units and folders by a bevel gear drive, 
 all of which mechanism is concealed under 
 the floor and is entirely out of the way of 
 the press room force. 
 
 Fitted to Last 
 Thousandth of 
 an Inch 
 
 The entire equipment, which was built by 
 the Duplex Printing Press company of 
 Battle Creek, Mich., is fitted for the most 
 strenuous service, all materials entering 
 into its construction being the best obtain- 
 able and in accordance with the most 
 approved methods of engineering. The 
 workmanship entering into the manufacture 
 of this equipment is superior also, as only 
 the most proficient mechanics are capable 
 of doing the fine and accurate work required 
 by the Duplex Printing Press company in 
 the construction of its machines. Every 
 working part is ground down to the last 
 thousandth of an inch and many of the im- 
 portant parts that require this accuracy are 
 brought down to even a quarter of a thou- 
 sandth of an inch. 
 
 New Stereo 
 Equipment 
 
 The additional speed provided by this new 
 press is only one such feature of many to be 
 found in the new plant. New equipment in 
 the stereotyping room, where metal plates, 
 in which form the type reaches the press, 
 are made from pages of type and cuts made 
 
 [36] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 ^ o 
 
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THE STORY OF THE ARGU.S 
 
 up in the composing room, makes that de- 
 partment capable of better and faster 
 service. 
 
 Air Tubes Connect 
 All Departments 
 
 Conduits for 
 Phones and 
 Electricity 
 
 A pneumatic system with tubes 2V^ inches 
 in diameter, similar to the type seen in up- 
 to-date department stores for sending cash, 
 has been installed to connect various depart- 
 ments. This tube system will supplement 
 the phone system and is especially valuable 
 in a newspaper plant. It will permit the 
 transmission of written messages from one 
 station to another. A message which orig- 
 inates in the editor's office, for example, 
 which is to reach the composing room, is 
 placed in one of these containers and quickly 
 drawn to the operator's room on first floor 
 from which it is transferred to the proper 
 tube to go to the proper department. Action 
 is very rapid and this installation is consid- 
 ered valuable. Its principal function will be 
 to connect the advertising department and 
 the composing room. The stations that are 
 connected by the tube system are the follow- 
 ing: Editor's office, treasurer's office, busi- 
 ness office, news room and composing room. 
 Supplementing the tube system, there is a 
 special Baldwin air line conveyor going di- 
 rectly from editorial desks in the news room 
 to the composing room, depositing its con- 
 tents there and returning to the editorial 
 desks in the news room, automatically. 
 
 T'^lephones are very generously distributed 
 throughout the building, with special outlets 
 at all desks in the news room and points 
 wliere connections are desirable. Conduits 
 are placed in all floors to make it possible to 
 tap in at numerous points. Conduits are also 
 placed for a system of electrical clocks in 
 principal rooms, operated by central control. 
 [38] 
 
Serving the Public in 
 the Ne'w Building 
 
 Three Features 
 Increase Usefulness 
 to General Public 
 
 Auditorium 
 Available for 
 Public Meetings 
 
 '•yi'LTHOUGH The Argus has always rec- 
 ^ l^ Qgnized its obligation to serve its 
 community in every way possible, and to 
 provide all conveniences within its scope for 
 every one residing in the territory whether 
 a subscriber or not, this branch of endeavor 
 is increased greatly by the facilities provid- 
 ed by the new Argus building. An auditor- 
 ium for public gatherings, bulletin service 
 which may well be termed perfect, and bet- 
 ter provision for telephone information are 
 the principal features to be noted. 
 
 The auditorium will be available for public 
 or semi-public gatherings upon application 
 to the publishers. It is a well-appointed 
 room on the mezzanine floor, opening off the 
 southwest corner of the gallery which ex- 
 tends around two sides of the business office. 
 The dimensions of the auditorium are 24x60 
 feet, and it will accommodate about 200 per- 
 sons. 
 
 More Room and 
 Better Bulletin 
 Service 
 
 When crowds gather at The Argus office to 
 obtain the results of big athletic contests, 
 news of elections or the other information 
 of great interest which draws thousands an- 
 nually to observe the bulletins, many of the 
 inconveniences which were experienced by 
 such spectators in the old days on Second 
 avenue will be absent. 
 
 The specially constructed bulletin window 
 placed in the northeast facade, just over the 
 main entrance, is like a large show window 
 with its pane of clear plate glass, lighted 
 
 [39] 
 
THE STORY OF THE ARGUS 
 
 from above by a row of concealed incandes- 
 cents. Inside the window, in a small room 
 provided for that purpose, the baseball or 
 f ^^ p hr ^^^^^" football playing board will be erected, or, in 
 
 Service ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ election returns, a picture pro- 
 
 jector screen will be fixed. The regular 
 daily baseball bulletins, giving the results by 
 innings of all principal league games, will 
 be provided in enlarged form in the big bul- 
 letin window. Election returns will be pro- 
 jected from the mezzanine gallery inside the 
 building. 
 
 All ganglia of the new building's 
 S3^stem " center at the point where telephone 
 information is given out. Frequently there 
 are many calls for information on events of 
 national or extreme local importance, espe- 
 cially on the nights of election or of big base- 
 ball or football games. Subscribers and non- 
 subscribers alike are freely given the latest 
 bulletins on such affairs by telephone. The 
 telephone switchboard operator, who also is 
 required to give out this information, will 
 be more than ever able to obtain the news 
 Nerve Center." quickly and authentically through the sys- 
 
 Also Source of tem incorporated into the new plant. For 
 
 Phone Intcrmation . mi j i i • • j* n • 
 
 she will not only have supervision of all in- 
 coming and outgoing calls, but of inter-de- 
 partmental calls as well, and of the pneumatic 
 tube carrier system which penetrates to all 
 parts of the structure. The switchboard 
 mclosure, in the northwest corner of the first 
 floor, adjacent to the business office and 
 the main doorway, will also be the central 
 station for the tube system. Through the 
 tubes and inter-departmental phones a great 
 part of the information she will disseminate 
 by phone reaches her as soon as it arrives in 
 the building. 
 
 [40] 
 
/ Am the ^Tslewspaper 
 
 BORN of the deep, daily need of a nation — I 
 am the Voice of Now — the incarnate spirit 
 of the Times — Monarch of things that Are. Ti My 
 '* cold type " burns with the fire-blood of human 
 action. I am fed by arteries of wire that girdle 
 the earth. I drink from the cup of every living 
 joy and sorrow. I know no death, yet I am born 
 again with every morn — with every noon — with 
 every twilight. I leap into fresh being with every 
 new world's event. T[ Those who created me cease 
 to be — the brains and hearts'-blood that nourish 
 me go the way of human dissolution. Yet I live 
 on — and on. Tj I am Majestic in my Strength — 
 Sublime in my Power — Terrible in my Potentiali- 
 ties — yet as democratic as the ragged boy who 
 sells me for a penny. Tj I am the consort of Kings 
 — the partner of capital — the brother of toil. The 
 inspiration of the hopeless — the right arm of the 
 needy — the champion of the oppressed — the con- 
 science of the criminal. I am the epitome of the 
 world's Comedy and Tragedy. 1[ My responsibil- 
 ity is Infinite. I speak, and the world stops to 
 listen. I say the word, and battle flames the 
 horizon. I counsel peace, and the war-lords obey. 
 I am greater than any individual — more powerful 
 than any group. I am the dynamic force of 
 Public Opinion. Rightlj^ directed, I am a Creator 
 of Confidence. A builder of happiness in living. 
 I am the Backbone of Commerce. The Trail- 
 Blazer of Prosperity. I am the teacher of Pa- 
 triotism. ^1 I am the hands of the clock of Time 
 — the clarion voice of Civilization, 1j I am the 
 Newspaper. 
 
 From address delivered by Joseph H. Finn. 
 at the Associated Advertising- Clubs of the 
 World Convention. Chicag-o, June 22. 1915. 
 
Aledo Democrat PuWisKing Companj) 
 Aledo, Illinois 
 
1 
 
 1 
 
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 
 
 071.7339ARG2A C001 
 
 THE STORY OF THE ARGUS, 1851-1925 ALEDO, 
 
 iillllllillllilll] 
 
 3 0112 025274819