Cassville Republican
Encyclopedia
The Cassville Republican was a weekly newspaper
in the town of Cassville, Missouri
, the county seat
of Barry County, Missouri
. The newspaper was founded in 1872 and ceased operation in 1984, after 112 years of operation. The newspaper was established to provide the Republican Party
viewpoint to counter the Cassville Democrat
, which had been established a year prior. For its entire history, it competed with the Cassville Democrat and then with the 1967 establishment of the Barry County Advertiser
, Cassville, with a population of less than 3,000, became home to three publications all competing for limited advertising revenue. Of the three, only the Cassville Republican folded, with both the Cassville Democrat and the Barry County Advertiser continuing to this day.
, Populists
and a coalition party with the name "Demopops" (or "Popocratsy") and ridiculed the opposition with mock prayers that he asserted were uttered at their meetings.
In 1908, Elihu Newton Meador (1878-1959) purchased the Cassville Republican and went on to serve as editor and publisher for 41 years. In addition, Meador also served as the mayor
of Cassville and president of the Cassville school board.
In December 1949, Meador sold the Cassville Republican to Emory Melton, who was then the prosecuting attorney of Barry County and later a state senator
, and Wayne Ennis, who was a linotype operator for the paper. When Wayne Ennis died in 1963, his wife, Lillian, purchased Melton's half of the business and became editor and publisher, during which time she also served as secretary for the Missouri Press Association. In 1978 she married W.L. Townsley and together they published the newspaper until their retirement in 1984, when they permanently folded the paper, with the last issue being produced on May 2, 1984.
Weekly newspaper
A weekly newspaper is a general-news publication that is published on newsprint once or twice a week.Such newspapers tend to have smaller circulations than daily newspapers, and are usually based in less-populous communities or small, defined areas within large cities; often, they may cover a...
in the town of Cassville, Missouri
Cassville, Missouri
Cassville is a city in Flat Creek Township, Barry County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,266 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Barry County. Crowder College offers 2 year degree programs in Cassville...
, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Barry County, Missouri
Barry County, Missouri
Barry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2010, the population was 35,597. Its county seat is Cassville. The county was organized in 1835 and named after William Taylor Barry from Kentucky, a United States Postmaster General....
. The newspaper was founded in 1872 and ceased operation in 1984, after 112 years of operation. The newspaper was established to provide the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
viewpoint to counter the Cassville Democrat
Cassville Democrat
The Cassville Democrat is a weekly newspaper located in Cassville, Missouri, the county seat of Barry County, Missouri. It has a weekly circulation of around 5,000 and has been published continuously since its founding in 1871....
, which had been established a year prior. For its entire history, it competed with the Cassville Democrat and then with the 1967 establishment of the Barry County Advertiser
Barry County Advertiser
The Barry County Advertiser is a free weekly newspaper located in Cassville, Missouri, the county seat of Barry County, Missouri. The Advertiser is funded purely by advertising and is distributed through the U.S. Postal Service...
, Cassville, with a population of less than 3,000, became home to three publications all competing for limited advertising revenue. Of the three, only the Cassville Republican folded, with both the Cassville Democrat and the Barry County Advertiser continuing to this day.
Editors & Publishers
George E. Harris (1862-1953) served as editor of the Cassville Republican in the 1880s and 1890s and oversaw a period when the paper was at its most political. Harris chided DemocratsDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Populists
Populist Party (United States)
The People's Party, also known as the "Populists", was a short-lived political party in the United States established in 1891. It was most important in 1892-96, then rapidly faded away...
and a coalition party with the name "Demopops" (or "Popocratsy") and ridiculed the opposition with mock prayers that he asserted were uttered at their meetings.
In 1908, Elihu Newton Meador (1878-1959) purchased the Cassville Republican and went on to serve as editor and publisher for 41 years. In addition, Meador also served as the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Cassville and president of the Cassville school board.
In December 1949, Meador sold the Cassville Republican to Emory Melton, who was then the prosecuting attorney of Barry County and later a state senator
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
, and Wayne Ennis, who was a linotype operator for the paper. When Wayne Ennis died in 1963, his wife, Lillian, purchased Melton's half of the business and became editor and publisher, during which time she also served as secretary for the Missouri Press Association. In 1978 she married W.L. Townsley and together they published the newspaper until their retirement in 1984, when they permanently folded the paper, with the last issue being produced on May 2, 1984.