The Topeka State Journal Archive

The Topeka [Kansas] State Journal is a continuation of the Topeka Blade, a paper founded by Clarke Swayze in August 1, 1873. George W. Reed bought the Blade in 1879 and changed its name to the Daily Kansas State Journal. Between 1879 and 1885, the paper underwent many changes in ownership, editors, and publishers. In 1881, Samuel N. Wood was editor and the State Journal Company the publisher. In 1882, Reed, Allen, and Co. became its publisher and later in 1883 its owner. The following year, the State Journal Company took over the paper and changed its name to the Topeka State Journal. In April 1885, the Journal went into the hands of a receiver, but in June, it passed back to the State Journal Company. Finally, in 1885, Frank P. MacLennan purchased the Journal; he published and edited the paper until 1940 when it was bought by Oscar S. Stauffer.

Frank MacLennan had worked for many years near newspapers. As a boy he folded papers and was a carrier for the Springfield Advertiser in Missouri. He then worked at nearly every department at the Emporia Daily News. When MacLennan saw that the Topeka State Journal was up for auction, he went to Topeka and won the rights. MacLennan was not initially pleased with his purchase and tried to sell the paper a year after he bought it. However, he was not able to get the price he wanted, so MacLennan kept the Journal and made vast improvements to its offices and equipment.

The Topeka State Journal was a daily and weekly newspaper, putting out editions every day except Sunday and weekly editions every Thursday.  The first weekly editions were established with the Blade in 1874, a year after the paper was established.  The daily editions were eight while the weekly editions were 12 or 16 pages.  The Topeka State Journal was the Official State Paper and the Official Paper of the City of Topeka.

The Journal is listed as being “Independent Republican,” views supported by MacLennan’s editorials and actions.  Fearless and outspoken, MacLennan was a staunch supporter of Theodore Roosevelt in 1912, then the candidate of the Progressive Party--at a time when most Republicans had returned to their traditional rate on deposits for all public funds instead of just for the school board fund.  Nine banks and two trust companies united against MacLennan and the Journal, in an effort to discredit them and to deny the city and county what MacLennan considered a just rate for separate funds.  MacLennan’s response was not to retract his position, but to rent a banking house and start the Kansas Reserve State Bank.