Arcadia Champion
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Arcadia Champion, Popular Paper
Transcribed by Spessard Stone from The Tampa Morning Tribune, Sunday, January 10, 1909
It has become a well established fact in all civilized countries that the best way to push a business
of any kind, fill a given part of a country with settlers or bring to the attention of the public your
schemes, propositions and wares is to advertise them in such a way as to reach the greatest
number of readers for the least possible outlay of money. This well established fact in the
economic development of our country has become so apparent that today finds every town or city
of any size supplied with daily or weekly newspapers, used for the purpose of conveying to their
readers the possibilities of their country and the marts in which products of kinds can be had at
the most reasonable price and sold to the best advantage.
It has been proven that there is nothing that wields a more potent influence in the development
and upbuilding of a community, making of it a cohesive mass that will act as a single person,
whenever anything of an important nature appears on the surface, that bears in any way upon the
future welfare of the community, than a clean, fearless, first class daily or weekly newspaper. A
paper of this type is deservedly worthy of mention whenever and wherever the facts of its
aggressive policy becomes known.
The Arcadia Champion is such a paper, and has been so for the past fourteen years. The
company now publishing the Champion is incorporated, Mrs. Neva C. Childs being editor and
publisher, and T. E. and Royal B. Childs publishers. The paper was established fourteen years
ago by the husband and father of its present owners. For the first eight months of its existence it
was published at Bowling Green, DeSoto county. Desiring a wider field for operation, the plant
was removed to Arcadia, and has continued there since. Three years ago the entire plant of the
Champion was consumed in the fire that devastated the business district of Arcadia. None of its
equipment or materials were saved from the flames. However, this did not deter it from coming
out with its regular issues, as its headquarters were removed temporarily to Wauchula, and until
such time as the new machinery could be placed in position it continued to be issued from that
place.
Mrs. Neva C. Childs
A full equipment of new and up to-date machinery was purchased, and the Champion of today is
better than it has ever been. Its circulation amounts to 1,000 copies weekly, it has correspondents
in all the thickly settled portions of the county and has an influence that has been built up wholly
through its unchangeable decision to always espouse the right. Its policy is independent; its
subscription rates are $1.00 per year; its pages are always filled with a fine line of
advertisements, and its jobs department is equipped to turn out as good work as can be had in any
printing office of similar size in Florida. It was largely through the efforts of the Champion that
the Tribune was able to make the success of this edition of DeSoto which it has.
December 12, 2001