Editorial Association, State.—Wilder's Annals of Kansas (p. 372) says that on Oct. 7, 1863, a meeting of the state editors was held at Leavenworth, and that the next day a society was formed with John Speer as president; Hovey E. Loman, vice-president; D. H. Bailey, secretary; and Daniel W. Wilder, treasurer. This is the only mention of this organization to be found, and it does not appear that a second meeting was ever held.

In Dec., 1865, a call was issued for the editors of the state to meet at Topeka on Jan. 17, 1866, the anniversary of Benjamin Franklin's birth, to consider the advisability of organizing a state editorial association. At that time there were but 37 papers published in the state, and at the Topeka meeting 20 of these were represented as follows: M. W. Reynolds, Lawrence Journal; J. B. Oliver, Lawrence Tribune; W. H. Bisbee, Leavenworth Conservative; H. Buckingham, Leavenworth Times; J. A. Martin, Atchison Champion; F. G. Adams, Atchison Free Press; F. P. Baker and S. D. McDonald, Topeka Record; J. F. Cummings, Topeka Leader; J. P. Greer, Topeka Tribune; P. H. Peters, Marysville Enterprise; E. C. Manning, Marysville Union; R. B. Taylor, Wyandotte Gazette; D. B. Emmert, Fort Scott Monitor; Sol Miller, White Cloud Chief; Jacob Stotler, Emporia News; M. M. Murdock, Burlingame Chronicle; Joseph Bond, Humboldt Herald; Sol Miller, Mound City Sentinel; William Springs, Garnett Plaindealer; George W. Martin, Junction City Union.

A committee consisting of P. H. Peters, F. G. Adams and M. W. Reynolds, was appointed to draft a constitution and by-laws with a view to perfecting a permanent organization. This committee in its report, suggested the name of "Kansas Editors' and Publishers' Association," the objects of which should be "to promote the mutual welfare of the Kansas press, protect its rights, inculcate feelings of harmony, and elevate its tone and character."

The report of the committee was adopted and the following officers were elected: R. B. Taylor, president; M. W. Reynolds, John A. Martin, M. M. Murdock and J. F. Cummings, vice-presidents; S. D. McDonald, secretary; and P. H. Peters, treasurer.

For some years the annual meetings of the association were held on Jan. 17, the anniversary of the organization. Then the time, as well as the place, of holding meetings was left for the members to decide. In 1871 the meeting was held at Lawrence late in October, and the meeting of 1872 was held at Emporia in May. Following the custom of similar organizations elsewhere, the meetings of the association were generally accompanied by a banquet or an excursion to some point of interest. No meetings were held in 1876, 1880, 1881 and 1884, though in 1876 a number of the members got together and went as an excursion party to Philadelphia to attend the Centennial exposition. The old association continued in existence until it was replaced by the present one.

In May, 1892, the Kansas delegates, while on the way home from the meeting of the National Editorial Association, formed a temporary organization with D. A. Valentine as president and Ewing Herbert as secretary. These officers called a state convention to meet on April 21, 1893, when about 40 newspaper men from various sections of the state assembled at the Copeland hotel in Topeka and organized the present "Kansas Editorial Association." On July 25 a call was issued for a meeting of the association on Sept. 11-12, 1893, to be followed by an excursion to the Columbian exposition at Chicago during Kansas week. Meetings have been held annually since the organization in 1892. At these meetings papers relating to the interests of the press are read and discussed, and the business exercises are usually followed by a banquet or a visit to the state institutions.

The meeting of 1911 was held in Topeka on Jan. 30-31, when the following officers were elected: President, W. Y. Morgan, Hutchinson News; vice-president, Clyde H. Knox, Sedan Times-Star; corresponding secretary, Mack Cretcher, Sedgwick Pantagraph; recording secretary, Charles Brown, Horton Headlight; treasurer, W. E. Miller, St. Mary's Star. At that meeting 196 members were reported, and that all parts of the state are fully represented may be seen from the following list of presidents, together with the papers with which they are connected: In 1892, D. A. Valentine, Clay Center Times; 1893, Charles F. Scott, ]ola Register; 1894, J. E. Junkin, Sterling Bulletin; 1895, W. H. Nelson, Smith Center Pioneer; 1896, F. H. Roberts, Oskaloosa Independent; 1897, H. A. Perkins, Manhattan Nationalist; 1898, S. H. Dodge, Beloit Gazette; 1899, George W. Martin, Kansas City Gazette; 1900, L. F. Randolph, Nortonville News; 1901, G. T. Davies, Concordia Kansan; 1902, F. C. Raney, Fort Scott Republican; 1903, D. R. Anthony, Leavenworth Times; 1904, Ewing Herbert, Hiawatha World; 1905, Mack P. Cretcher, Sedgwick Pantagraph; 1906, W. E. Blackburn, Anthony Republican; 1907, Thomas Charles, Belleville Freeman; 1908, Sheridan Ploughe, Hutchinson Independent; 1909, Arthur Capper, Topeka Capital; 1910, H. C. Sticher, Belleville Telescope; 1911, W. Y. Morgan, Hutchinson News.