The Saline Republican Archive

Albert Rowland Grigsby established The Marshall Saline Republican in 1892, an eight-page weekly that was published on Thursdays. Grigsby sold the newspaper in 1899 to a Mr. Beatty who then leased the newspaper to Percy Van Dyke. The name was changed to The Marshall Republican in June of 1899.  With the title change, the paper expanded and was generally published on Fridays; however, during some months, it came out on Thursdays. Throughout its run, the paper was Republican in its politics.

The June 2, 1899 issue includes an editorial written by Percy Van Dyke in which he explained the purpose of the name change: “The Marshall Republican, though taking the cognomen of this city, whose interests it shall always attempt to uphold and promote will continue to be an organ, whose columns shall not be limited to any section of the county, but attempt to reach all.  It is almost essential that the name of the paper designate the city and not the county in which it is published.  Experience under our former heading has taught us this much, but our departure from ‘Saline’ will prove to be one only in name.” Van Dyke operated the Republican for several years before leaving to establish an independent newspaper in the town of Newport, Arkansas. The vacancy at the Republican was filled by John. J. Witt, who became editor and proprietor in 1904. 

In 1913, Witt was joined by Eugene L. Preston who covered local news while Witt maintained responsibility for editorials. J. J. Witt tended to embrace social reform but complained about the cowardice of Marshall’s reformers in the February 9, 1906 issue of the Republican stating: “Of course, we want to condemn in plain words all wrong-doing, but don’t expect us to do all the dirty work.”

Like many newspapers that relied heavily on subscribers’ support, the editors of the Republican did not like to get embroiled in squabbles--political or otherwise--and would often excuse themselves from picking sides: they declared in one of their final issues that the newspaper has “no time for quarreling nor occasion to start a fight with anyone, so we step down and out when such a thing occurs. […] Saline county people have nothing to fight over, so to quarrel is foolish.”

Witt and Preston controlled the Republican until publication ceased in 1914.