Illinois newspaper directory. History of the Illinois press association

Illinois Newspaper Directory and Historyneighbors.' (Whether Peoria or its neighbors have changed since then, is left to thejudgment of each to determine.) The situation is said to be 'beautiful beyond description,'which will probably not be contradicted here. Due mention is also made of thefamous Renault grant, which may have been heard of before, and a valuable coppermine is said to exist in the vicinity."Ten years later Jacksonville was probably the largest town in the State, havingan estimated population of 1,800, while Chicago was credited with seven or eighthundred. Belleville was about as large as Chicago and Galena was fifty per cent larger."The list of distinguished names connected with the second era of Illinois journalismwould be still longer, if there were space to enumerate them. I shall name only a few:And first, these were Dr. C. H. Ray, the Boanerges of the Republican press, first of theGalena Jeffersonian, then of the Chicago Tribune and lastly of the Chicago Post, wherehe died in harness, and his sometime coadjutors, John L. Scripps and William Bross,founders of the Democratic Press, afterwards merged into the Tribune. John Wentworthbegan his career in the first era, and served nearly through the second. All theseare dead—Governor Bross within the past few weeks. Then, there was their associate,Joseph Medill, who, by virtue of age and long-time experience in journalism, is entitledto rank as the Nestor of the Illinois Press. Charles L. Wilson, so long at the head of theChicago Journal, crossed the silent river years ago; B. F. Taylor, the musical poet andwar correspondent of the same paper, has written his last dispatch and sung his last song;Governor Shuman, their honored co-laborer and successor, has sensibly retired torecuperate his shattered health; George Schneider, as editor of the Staats Zeitung, oneof the earliest to give direction to the sentiment of the German population of the Northwestin opposition to the spread of slavery, after holding various positions of honor andtrust in the service of the Government, has pursued a successful business career and isnow President of the National Bank of Illinois; Sheahan, the founder of the Times, hasgone to prove the mysteries of the unknown, as also has his successor, the fiery andimpetuous Wilbur F. Story. Charles H. Lanphier, the successor of his brother-in-law,Walters, in the State Register, at Springfield, having controlled the destinies of thatpaper for more than twenty-five years, retired about the time of the organization of thisAssociation, and in quiet attention to private business realizes how'Far more true joy Marcellus, exiled, feelsThan Caesar, with a Senate at his heels';while his competitor, E. L. Baker, formerly of the Journal, has for nearly sixteen yearspast, filled the position of United States Consul at Buenos Aires with credit to himselfand profit to his Government. Major Bailhache, the associate of the latter, was connectedwith a paper at San Diego, California, a couple of years ago, and may be therestill. Your own gifted and genial Burdette, who, if I mistake not, began his journalisticcareer in this city, belongs to the period covered by the life of this Association. I believehe was one of your earliest members. Discarding the tread-mill of journalism for thelecture platform, he enjoys well-won fame and fortune in a suburban town nearPhiladelphia."Another Illinois journalist of the middle period, who has made his mark in thehistory of the nation, is John C. Nicolay, who began newspaper life on the Free Press,at Pittsfield, in the early part of the 1850's, went to Springfield in 18 57, to assume theduties of Chief Clerk in the office of the Secretary of State, became President Lincoln'sprivate secretary and went with him to Washington, retaining that position until thedeath of his chief, served for several years as Consul-General of the United States atParis, became Marshal of the Supreme Court at Washington, and is now approachingthe completion of his life-work and the most important history of the century, the Life98