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Chronicling America
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Newspaper West Virginia Democrat (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890

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About West Virginia Democrat (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890

In 1884, several prominent businesspeople in Charles Town, West Virginia organized the West Virginia Publishing Company. The company’s goal was to establish a weekly newspaper in Charles Town for the benefit of its citizens and business interests. On January 9, 1885, the first issue of the West Virginia Democrat hit the streets of Charles Town. Every Friday for the next five years, the newspaper offered citizens a constant source of both news and Democratic politics for three cents an issue (or a one dollar annual subscription).

The Democrat‘s initial editors were David S. Eichelberger and Everett W. Bedinger, Jr., members of the West Virginia Publishing Company. Both men had prior printing and editorial experience: Eichelberger with the Martinsburg Statesmen and Bedinger, Jr. with the Roanoke Leader. Around 1887, Eichelberger and Everett passed their editorial duties along to James M. Mason and his son Thomas H. Mason, with Thomas Mason serving as the paper’s business manager. Eichelberger later worked for The Valley Virginian in Staunton, Virginia; Bedinger, Jr. published a digest of West Virginia Supreme Court reports.

As its title suggests, the West Virginia Democrat proved an ardent supporter of the Democratic Party and aspired “to be the Organ of the Democracy of West Virginia.” Though Democrats constituted the conservative political party of the late nineteenth-century, many Democrats joined Republicans in calling for greater economic regulations on corporations. The West Virginia Democrat reflected this scorn for “the money power” and lambasted the rise of large corporations such as Standard Oil. The Democrat‘s editors believed the Democratic Party needed to embrace the populist politics of working men. Although the paper enjoyed a relatively healthy circulation of approximately 1,500, the editors lamented their inability to obtain wider statewide circulation and influence. Besides politics, the Democrat provided readers with state and national news. Local affairs, including church updates, court proceedings, and social events also appeared in the paper’s columns.

In 1890, Ruthvan W. Morrow assumed control of the West Virginia Democrat and renamed it The Farmers’ Advocate. The paper’s new title reflected its populist politics and growing affiliation with the Farmers’ Alliance, an organization that lobbied for farmers’ interest against excessive railroad shipping rates and tariffs on imported goods. Although published with a new title under new editorship, the Advocate continued the issue numeration of its predecessor the Democrat.

Provided By: West Virginia University

About this Newspaper

Title

  • West Virginia Democrat (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890

Dates of Publication

  • 1885-1890

Created / Published

  • Charles Town, W. Va. : West Virginia Pub. Co.

Headings

  • -  Charles Town (W. Va.)--Newspapers
  • -  West Virginia--Charles Town
  • -  United States--West Virginia--Jefferson--Charles Town

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Began in 1885; ceased in 1890. Cf. Bushong, M. Historic Jefferson County.
  • -  Also available online.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 1, no. 38 (Sept. 25, 1885).
  • -  Farmers' advocate (Charles Town, W. Va.) (DLC)sn 85059779 (OCoLC)12889828

Medium

  • volumes

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn85059778

OCLC Number

  • 12889820

ISSN Number

  • 2768-4318

Succeeding Titles

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

West Virginia Democrat Charles Town, W. Va. -1890. (Charles Town, WV), Jan. 1 1885. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85059778/.

APA citation style:

(1885, January 1) West Virginia Democrat Charles Town, W. Va. -1890. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85059778/.

MLA citation style:

West Virginia Democrat Charles Town, W. Va. -1890. (Charles Town, WV) 1 Jan. 1885. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85059778/.