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Watertown Daily Leader
Watertown Weekly Leader
1908
07 17 DAILY LEADER SUSPENDED / WEEKLY READER CONTINUES
The Watertown Daily Leader, which was established two years ago last April in this city, suspended publication last Friday. The management have always published a good paper, and attended strictly to business, and it is through no fault of theirs that the paper has not been a paying investment. In its last issue The Leader says: "It is not a case of The Daily Leader dying with a struggle and all the other appurtenances thereto. It is a desire on the part of the management of the morning paper to bring to an end what has been a continuous grind in the publication of the morning visitor, which was set forth recently in an announcement that was made that The Leader would be "switched" to an evening sheet. The phase of a second evening paper, also gave glimpses of a future struggle for both papers. The questions involving the change announced this morning have been carefully considered for some time with the mutual resolve that there was in Watertown a field for one daily paper. The Leader, being the latest candidate in the local journalistic field, has consented, in view of a satisfactory consideration, to clear the track and give its competitor the right-of-way.
In the signed agreement between the principals to this transaction, the management of The Leader has amply protected its subscribers. There are some who have paid in advance. Any who are taking The Daily Leader and not the Times, will be given such credit as the time in which they are paid in advance, on the subscription list of the Times. There are some cases, perhaps, where parties have paid in advance for both papers. In case of such payment to The Leader, the credit will likewise be given, so that none will be the loser. This is an agreement between the parties interested and will be carried out to the letter by The Times people.
The publication of The Weekly Leader will be continued and the management will be continued and the management solicits the patronage of the public, not only in the matter of subscriptions, but in job work and advertising.
To our friends of The Times, we wish them the greatest of success and trust that the public will appreciate the value of a daily paper to the extent of extending them a generous patronage - a very necessary factor in the manipulation of a daily paper.
There are many in the city who have stood loyally by The Leader - who have encouraged the management in numerous ways. To those friends we wish to extend our hearty thanks collectively and will take occasion to do so individually.”
Ward L. Swift has accepted the position of state political writer for The Milwaukee Journal. His family will reside here for several months longer, but he will make his headquarters in Milwaukee. His many friends here wish him success in his new field of labor. WG
1913
Watertown Weekly Leader, 108 Second, newspaper
1915
09 23 RELIGION IS SACRED
The Watertown Weekly Leader,
published by non-Catholic editors, in its issue of last Tuesday beautifully
expresses the sentiment of every good American citizen and of every good
Christian man or woman, in the following patriotic, Christian language:
RELIGION IS SACRED.
“As a man thinketh, so is he.”
The management of The Leader
has never entertained an ill thought against any religious denomination,
believing in the edict of the constitution of our government, that all men are
created equal and are privileged to worship God according to the dictates of
their own conscience. The Leader would in no way belittle
teachings of any denomination, believing that there is untold good in each and
all of them, providing the individual lives up to the letter of the teachings
and is so constituted as to absorb and profit by the inspirations sent out for
the sake of humanity.
No vile tongue or pen can assail so low in the degradation of
religious abuse without creating animosity in minds of broad-minded people,
whether they are Catholics, Protestants, or nonbelievers. The anti-Catholic lecture recently delivered
in Watertown has had a tendency to create a breach in the friendship of some
neighbors and heretofore friends. It is
a condition that should never exist . . .
This is not the mission of a legitimate newspaper, and, in fact,
is beneath the broad and charitable policy of The Leader, which would live up to the letter of the Golden Rule.
An advertisement which appeared in the columns of The Leader two weeks ago, gave offense
to some of our Catholic friends. It was
taken as an advertisement and did not in any manner whatever reflect the
sentiments of the publishers of the paper and they regret, exceedingly, that
any one should for a moment think that the advertisement reflected their
sentiments.
We have many personal friends among the Catholics, all of whom
should be convinced that prejudices are not entertained against that church —
or any other church. The Leader, under the present
management, will show no partiality to any denomination, and all churches and
the pastors of the same will continue to receive the most
friendly of notices, which would not be the case were the publishers of
the paper unfriendly to any denomination.
It is surprising that any person would consider for a moment that
the publishing of the notice of the lecture of one Spurgeon at Lake Mills
reflects any sentiment of the publishers of this paper. With this explanation, the incident is
closed, as far as The Leader is
concerned.
The followers of every Christian creed are striving for the same
goal. If they live up strictly to their
convictions and the teachings of their respective churches, there is good in
all of them and The Leader has the
most profound respect for the Christians, regardless of their denominational
affiliations.
The
Gazette might quote indefinitely sentiments of this kind, expressed by
all classes of people of different creeds and nationalities in the public
press, in the pulpit and on the rostrum, but deem the above quotations
sufficient to draw the attention of our readers to what well-meaning people the
world over believe, and that Watertown is no exception to the rule in harboring
that class of high-minded citizens.
Ever since the first white man, a non-Catholic, set foot on
Watertown’s soil, closely followed by Catholics, Watertown has lived in peace
and harmony so far as religious questions are concerned, and it remained for a
few misguided, practically new-comers to our city, to import an anti-Catholic
lecturer to insult at least 2000 Catholics who worship at the two large
Catholic churches here, and among whom are to be found many of the most
enlightened and respectable citizens of Watertown.
To the credit of the business men of Watertown, and of over 95 per
cent of our people, it can be said that this man's methods, and those who
encouraged his coming here, is denounced and condemned in very strong language.
However, it seems very strange, with such a splendid feeling existing here,
that a man of his character could find a hall in which to lecture. We understand he called for police
protection, and it was given him. Is
there a man, woman or child in Watertown who thought he needed it?
The Catholic people of this city are of a higher class of
citizenship and do not resort to mob law or the tactics of hoodlums. We believe there is a Wisconsin law which
leaves a man liable to arrest and punishment for using language that is
incentive to provoke an assault, and from what we leant of the late visitor’s
remarks, he has laid himself liable, under this statute, and he may be given an
opportunity to learn what good Wisconsin law is before many moons.
We have a complete record of the man and woman who saw fit to
traduce the Catholics in our city last week . . . WG
10 28 SELLS INTEREST IN LEADER
Ward
L. Swift has disposed of his interest in the Watertown Leader and he and his family will remove to Eau Claire,
where he has been offered his old position on the Daily Leader and a larger salary than he received when he last came
to Watertown to reside. Our people part
with Ward and his family with a great deal of regret and all our citizens wish
them long life and happiness in their new home. Mr. Swift’s successor on The Leader is H. A. Rogers of Milwaukee,
and the firm name as publishers of The
Leader will now be Rogers & Doerr, Mr. Doerr retaining his interest in that paper. Mr. Rogers was formerly engaged in the
newspaper business in Indiana, and for the past nine years he was
superintendent of the printing department of the T.M.E.R.&L. Co. in
Milwaukee. We wish The Leader success under its new management. WG
1916
02 01 LEADER FREE TO PROPOSING BRIDES
County Clerk John F. Welch Not the Only One Who Can Give Presents
County Clerk John F. Welch will give a marriage license free to the first couple to appear before him for a license where the young lady proposed.
The Leader, nothing loath to help the cause along, will show a liberality to the first bride who proposes, is accepted and married during the present leap year, and who will give the Leader her and her husband’s address.
To such the Leader will be sent one year free as wedding present, and we feel that in so doing we will be making a wedding present which will be appreciated by the happy couple.
To the second bride who fulfills the above requirements the Leader will be sent free for six months.
It would appear that the offers of Mr. Welch and the Leader would move some Jefferson county young lady to propose to her sweetheart and no doubt there are other liberal persons in the county who would be willing to offer inducements to a bridal couple under similar circumstances.
Who will be the next donor?
To assist the ladies who may care to propose the following may assist:
Propose to a man who has full, but not too full, lips. He will love you.
Propose to a man who has a good-sized bump at the base of his head. He’s a good family man and loves wife and home.
If you love a man who has a twinkle in his eye, propose to him. You’ll get him.
If you love a man with a frank, open manner, you’ll probably get him, too.
If you want a money maker, get me whose forehead is broad and square and long. He will bring the ash home every time. Watertown Weekly Leader, 02 01 1916
History of Watertown, Wisconsin