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Shoemaker editor of The Observer and temperance crusader
This feature chronicles the editor’s career at The Observer in DeWitt, detailing his temperance push, anti Copperhead stance, and political zeal. It notes his staunch opposition to liquor advertising, reported violence connected to drink, and his role as de facto chamber of commerce, plus threats against his life, fires, and relocations across years. It covers his fights for courthouse revival, industrial growth, and persistent editorial battles with rival papers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Shoemaker
Lincoln
Shoenmaker
Observer
Wm. Ferguson
de Witt
Jefferson Street
Lee
DeWitt
The
Guy Ferree
Retta Ferree
Frank
Jessie
Ferree
Mabel Lambertson Arey
Copperheads
DeWitt Copperhead
E. P. Hubbard
Copperheadism
Dave
Shoemakers
Jens
Chicago
Abraham Lincoln
Clinton Herald
Lyons Advertiser
Advertiser
Lyons
Herald
Chamber of Commerce
Clinton
Ing
Pacific Coast
Iowa
Luverne
Minn
J. C. Benedict
Jas
C. Benedict
Grand Mound
Doughty