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Evening Independent

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The Evening Independent was St. Petersburg, Florida 's first daily newspaper. The sister evening newspaper of the St. Petersburg Times , it was launched as a weekly newspaper in March 1906 under the ownership of Willis B. Powell. In November 1907, it became a daily paper as the St. Petersburg Evening Independent .

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46-583: The newspaper was known for its "Sunshine Offer", which was first enacted in 1910 by Lew Brown as a way to publicize St. Petersburg as "The Sunshine City". The paper offered copies free following days without sunshine in St. Petersburg. From 1910 until the paper folded in 1986, the Evening Independent made good on its offer 296 times. The Evening Independent was acquired by the Times in 1962, when its previous owner,

92-579: A coalition of poor, white cotton farmers in the South (especially North Carolina, Alabama and Texas) and hard-pressed wheat farmers in the Plains States (especially Kansas and Nebraska), the Populists represented a radical form of agrarianism and hostility to elites, cities, banks, railroads, and gold. The Free Silver movement arose from a synergy of farming and mining interests. Farmers sought to invigorate

138-540: A heart attack a few weeks later and was warned by doctors to take it easier. In response, the Brown family moved to Peewee Valley, Kentucky to grow peaches. However, the peach crop was not fit for eating and their house burned down. Brown then bought the Spencer Courier and resumed his newspaper work. On August 26, 1890, Barbra Brown was born. Later that year, the Spencer Courier printing office burned down, forcing

184-727: A hurricane . Brown averaged four free papers every year the Independent was published. In late 1910, Brown sold the Harrodsburg Democrat and bought a permanent residence in St. Petersburg. In 1911, Brown successfully advocated for the creation of Pinellas County to cover the Pinellas Peninsula . Brown, as the President of the Board of Trade, commissioned a road through the new county. During its construction, Brown discovered that

230-499: A Mulatto", he calls a mulatto child an abomination and states that the black in a mulatto's blood was somehow inferior to the white blood. He implies that whites have an obligation to not produce such children. Due to Brown's racist opinions, there were protests in August 2000 when the City of St. Petersburg announced plans to erect a statue of Brown on the St. Petersburg Pier. In a compromise,

276-469: A continuing trend downward from a high of 3 and 1/8 pence in 1891. In February 1895, the U.S. Government turned to private financial institutions to underwrite the sale of Treasury bonds , stabilize exchange rates , and return the Treasury to its gold reserve requirement. The result was a contract drawn with what was called "The Morgan-Belmont Syndicate". The persistent balance of payments deficit in

322-555: A contributing factor to the depression. The People's Party , also known as the ' Populists ', was an agrarian -populist political party in the United States. From 1892 to 1896, it played a major role as a left-wing force in American politics. It drew support from angry farmers in the West and South. It was highly critical of capitalism , especially banks and railroads, and allied itself with

368-582: A heart attack. Brown married Julia's sister, Mollie Amelia Struby on October 10, 1895. Barbra Brown died on November 17 from diphtheria. Amelia Louise Brown was born on September 14, 1898. In 1899, Brown ran for county prosecutor. He won handily due to his willingness to make a speech at bullet point. In 1900, Brown sold his law practice and the Spencer Courier, then bought the Harrodsburg Democrat . in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. He only defended at one last trial, and then stopped practicing law. In 1907, Brown

414-488: A move. Due to the Panic of 1893 , Brown decided to become a lawyer to supplement his newspaper income. After obtaining his law license, Brown became a Police Judge, then a State Attorney. Brown and his wife were baptized as Christians on August 28, 1894. Brown later become a Sunday school teacher, then the superintendent. On December 13, 1893, Albert Brown died of diphtheria. Six days later, his mother, Julia Brown died of

460-537: A run on gold in the U.S. Treasury . Specie was considered more valuable than paper money; when people were uncertain about the future, they hoarded specie and rejected paper notes. During the Gilded Age of the 1870s and 1880s, the United States had experienced economic growth and expansion, but much of this expansion depended on high international commodity prices. Exacerbating the problems with international investments, wheat prices crashed in 1893. In particular,

506-598: A series of failed attempts to restore reserves by issuing bonds and depreciating specie issued for legal tender , the Treasury negotiated a contract with the Morgan-Belmont Syndicate to restore confidence in the government's ability to maintain the convertibility of legal tender into gold. The full list of syndicate members was not made public, however the contract named Drexel, Morgan & Co ., A. Belmont & Co., J. S. Morgan & Co. , and N. M. Rothschild & Sons . The syndicate achieved its goals through

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552-662: A trial, Brown was acquitted, The Times published an apology the next day, along with the Independent's front-page coverage of the trial. In December 1913, Lew invested in an airline to get people across Tampa Bay . On July 23, 1916, Brown helped revive the Yacht Club. At the start of World War I began, Florida Governor Sidney Catts appointed Brown as Captain of the Home Guard for Pinellas County. Lew initially called for 100 men to enlist for one company, but he soon had four and

598-652: The Courier-Journal as a journeyman printer. He later became the foreman, journalist and poet for both it and the Louisville Times . On February 11, 1885, Brown married Emma Julia Struby. He then picked up a third job working as foreman for a Sunday paper called the Truth . On July 11, 1886, the couple had their first child, Llewellyn Chauncey Brown. He also became the editor of the Labor Record . In November 1886,

644-664: The Evening Independent in that city from 1908 to 1927. Brown was famous for the "Sunshine Offer" that offered a free newspaper for every day in St. Petersburg without sunshine. Brown was born in Madison, Arkansas on June 13, 1861 during the American Civil War . His mother was Amelia L. Brown and his father was George L. Brown, a captain in the Confederate Army . Lew had two younger sisters, Cora and Hattie. Brown

690-550: The National Cordage Company (NCC), then the most actively traded stock, caused its lenders to call in their loans immediately, and the company went into bankruptcy receivership as a result. The company, a rope manufacturer, had tried to corner the market for imported hemp. As demand for silver and silver notes fell, the price and value of silver dropped. Holders worried about a loss of face value of bonds, and many became worthless. A series of bank failures followed, and

736-584: The Northern Pacific Railway , the Union Pacific Railroad and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad failed. This was followed by the bankruptcy of many other companies; in total over 15,000 companies and 500 banks, many of them in the West, failed. According to high estimates, about 17%–19% of the workforce was unemployed at the panic's peak. The huge spike in unemployment, combined with

782-677: The Ozark Banner to publish himself. At age 10, after his father's health declined, Brown left school to help in the print shop. At age 13, Brown and his sisters began printing their own Saturday paper, the Monthly Visitor . George Brown died in April 1876. Brown's mother married Joseph William Cummings a few months later. The family later sold the Banner and moved to Cloverport, Kentucky and later Louisville, Kentucky . In Louisville, Brown joined

828-833: The Pullman Strike . After their defeat in 1896, the Democrats did not regain control of any branch of the Federal Government until 1910 . A rarely talked-about effect is the Love Canal disaster. People who were earlier keen to invest in the Love Canal stopped doing so, which led to the abandonment of its construction. Ultimately the canal ended up being a large toxic waste repository, with severe negative environmental effects. Love Canal remains synonymous with environmental pollution and degradation. The Panic of 1893 affected many aspects of

874-511: The Thomson newspaper chain, threatened to close it down. Roy Thomson had originally bought the Independent so he would have a place to moor his yacht. The Evening Independent was merged into the Times in November 1986, initially as part of the Times 's "City Times and Independent" section; the "Independent" name would soon be dropped. Every issue of the Evening Independent , along with

920-400: The Times , is available for viewing on Google News Archive . This article about a Florida newspaper is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lew Buford Brown Llewellyn Buford Brown , also known as Lew Brown , (June 13, 1861 – August 16, 1944) was an American lawyer, newspaper publisher, and promoter for Saint Petersburg , Florida . He owned and edited

966-526: The U.S. Treasury fell to a dangerously low level. This forced President Cleveland to borrow $ 65 million in gold from Wall Street banker J.P. Morgan and the Rothschild banking family of England , through what was known as the Morgan-Belmont Syndicate His party suffered enormous losses in the 1894 elections , largely being blamed for the downward spiral in the economy and the brutal crushing of

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1012-482: The shipping industry , both by rail and maritime. It arrested the acquisition of ships and rolling stock and depressed shipping rates. The bad omen of investors switching from equity based stocks to constant return bonds in 1894 was mirrored in the corporate finance actions of railroads which reduced their acquisition of rolling stock . Railroad expansion including capital expenditures rose again in 1895, but slowed in 1897 during another economic trough. In 1893,

1058-469: The 1890s which drained the Treasury gold reserves, caused concern from both domestic and foreign investors that the U.S. would abandon the gold standard. This prompted further gold withdrawals and bond liquidations which exacerbated the deficit. By February 2, 1895, the Treasury's gold reserves fell to approximately $ 42 million, well below the $ 100 million level required by the Resumption Act of 1875 . After

1104-784: The 1930s. The Panic of 1893 deeply affected every sector of the economy and produced political upheaval that led to the political realignment and the presidency of William McKinley . The Panic of 1893 has been traced to many causes, one of them pointing to Argentina; investment was encouraged by the Argentine agent bank, Baring Brothers . However, the 1890 wheat crop failure and a failed coup in Buenos Aires ended further investments. In addition, speculations in South African and Australian properties also collapsed. Because European investors were concerned that these problems might spread, they started

1150-599: The Pullman Company was a railroad car company, this only increased the difficulty of acquiring rolling stock. The maritime industry of the United States did not escape the effects of the Panic of 1893. The total gross registered merchant marine tonnage employed in "foreign and coastwise trade and in the fisheries", as measured by the U.S. Census between 1888 and 1893, grew at a rate of about 2.74%. In 1894, U.S. gross tonnage decreased by 2.9%, and again in 1895 by 1.03%. In 1894,

1196-419: The destitute. Facing starvation, people chopped wood, broke rocks, and sewed by hand with needle and thread in exchange for food. In some cases, women resorted to prostitution to feed their families. To help the people of Detroit, Mayor Hazen S. Pingree launched his "Potato Patch Plan", which were community gardens for farming. President Grover Cleveland was blamed for the depression. Gold reserves stored in

1242-453: The economy and thereby end deflation , which was forcing them to repay loans with increasingly expensive dollars. Mining interests sought the right to turn silver directly into money without a central minting institution. The Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890, while falling short of the Free Silver movement's goals, required the U.S. government to buy millions of ounces of silver above what

1288-502: The economy deepened, people rushed to withdraw their money from banks, and caused bank runs . The credit crunch rippled through the economy. A financial panic in London combined with a drop in continental European trade caused foreign investors to sell American stocks to obtain American funds backed by gold. The economic policies of President Benjamin Harrison have been characterized as

1334-504: The four elected him to be the commissioner. Catts later promoted Brown to major. On October 25, 1921, St. Petersburg was hit by the Tampa Bay Hurricane and its recreational pier was destroyed. Brown launched a campaign to rebuild it, raising $ 300,000 to do so. The new pier was finished January 1922 at a final cost of almost $ 1,000,000. On August 14, 1923, a new charter was ratified by the commission, which Brown chartered while he

1380-480: The hands of the white people." After the 1914 lynching of John Evans , Brown wrote, "It should be remembered that John Evans was not a St. Petersburg Negro; he came here only a few weeks ago from Dunnellon. It is usually the Negroes that stray here and stay only a short while who commit crimes. The bulk of St. Petersburg negroes are honest, principled people who are industrious and well behaved." In Brown's poem "To

1426-531: The inauguration of U.S. President Grover Cleveland , with the appointment of receivers for the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad , which had greatly overextended itself. Upon taking office, Cleveland dealt directly with the Treasury crisis and convinced Congress to repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act , which he felt was mainly responsible for the economic crisis. As concern for the state of

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1472-514: The labor movement. Established in 1891 as a result of the Populist movement, the People's Party reached its height in the 1892 presidential election , when its ticket, consisting of James B. Weaver and James G. Field , won 8.5% of the popular vote and carried five states (Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, and North Dakota), and the 1894 House of Representatives elections when it won nine seats. Built on

1518-612: The loss of life savings kept in failed banks, meant that a once-secure middle-class could not meet their mortgage obligations. Many walked away from recently built homes as a result. As a result of the panic, stock prices declined. Five hundred banks closed, 15,000 businesses failed, and numerous farms ceased operation. The unemployment rate hit 25% in Pennsylvania, 35% in New York, and 43% in Michigan. Soup kitchens were opened to help feed

1564-438: The opening of numerous mines in the western United States led to an oversupply of silver, leading to significant debate as to how much of the silver should be coined into money (see below). During the 1880s, American railroads experienced what might today be called a " bubble ": investors flocked to railroads, and they were greatly over-built. One of the first clear signs of trouble came on 20 February 1893, twelve days before

1610-512: The paper's subscriptions. in 1909, Brown joined the Charter committee to create a new city charter, which was ratified in March. He also advocated for a hospital in the city. On September 1, 1910, Brown revealed "The Sunshine Offer." He proclaimed that every day the sun does not shine in St. Petersburg, he would give his paper away for free. Within six weeks, Brown had to give away two free papers, due to

1656-562: The positions for Editor and president over to Chauncey. In January 1941, Mollie Brown died. On August 16, 1944, Lew B. Brown died at 85 years old. Brown's poems were published as A Bit of Lace and Other Poems. It was reprinted with the additional poem "Woman," called Woman and Other Poems . During his time in Florida, Brown supported the White Primaries , writing that they were necessary "in order to maintain control of city affairs in

1702-487: The rate for a bushel of wheat by rail dropped from 14.70¢ in 1893 to 12.88¢. This rate continued to decrease, reaching a terminal rate in 1901 of 9.92¢ and never reached 12 cents between 1898 and 1910. Between 1893 and 1894, average shipping rates by lake or canal per wheat bushel decreased by almost 2 cents, from 6.33¢ to 4.44¢. Rates on the transatlantic crossing from New York City to Liverpool also decreased, from 2 and 3/8 pence to 1 and 15/16 pence, but this reflected

1748-462: The road contractors had used inferior bricks and cheated the country. Brown exposed the road scandal, but created political enemies. One commissioner wrote an editorial in the St. Petersburg Times that allegedly defamed both Brown and his son Chauncey. Brown then threatened to shoot the commissioner dead. The commissioner filed a criminal complaint and Brown was eventually indicted for his threat. After

1794-579: The statue became that of a child selling the Evening Independent , with Brown mentioned on the plaque. Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States . It began in February 1893 and officially ended eight months later, but the effects from it continued to be felt until 1897. It was the most serious economic depression in history until the Great Depression of

1840-550: The stress of Brown's s four jobs and Chauncey's ill-health motivated the Brown family to move to Spencer County, Indiana to live on a farm called Fairview Farm. Brown spent all his money to get the seed and capital to plant, but the crop was washed away by rain. Brown then regained his job at the Courier-Journal and moved back to Louisville that spring. On August 13, 1889, the Browns had another child, Albert Young. Brown suffered

1886-424: The total railroad mileage in the U.S. was 176,803.6 miles. In 1894 and 1895, railroads only expanded 4,196.4 miles, although 100,000 miles of rail was added from 1878 to 1896. In 1893, the year following the panic, one fourth of all rail mileage went into receivership. The U.S. Census placed this value at close to $ 1.8 billion (not adjusted for inflation), the largest amount recorded between 1876 and 1910. This

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1932-583: Was elected president of the Kentucky Press association. He used his new position to promote a consumer protection law in Kentucky against false advertising. Several other states in the region copied his idea. After his stepfather died on December 10, 1908, Brown decided to buy a winter home in Florida to be near his mother. After five days in St. Peterburg, Brown bought the Evening Independent , named for its print time of 4:00 pm. His wife helped Brown double

1978-430: Was home schooled by his father and never received a full public education despite his desire for one. After the war, the Brown family moved to St. Louis, Missouri then to Helena, Missouri , then Madison and Forrest City, Arkansas . In Forest City, Brown claimed that he witnessed the murder of a white man by a black man. A year after moving to Forrest City, the Brown family moved to Ozark. George Brown had bought

2024-576: Was over $ 1 billion (also not adjusted for inflation) more than the next largest amount, in 1884. In 1894, the U.S. Army intervened during a strike in Chicago to prevent property damage. The Pullman Strike began at the Pullman Company in Chicago after Pullman refused to either lower rent in the company town or raise wages for its workers due to increased economic pressure from the Panic of 1893. Since

2070-457: Was required by the 1878 Bland–Allison Act (driving up the price of silver and pleasing silver miners). People attempted to redeem silver notes for gold. Ultimately, the statutory limit for the minimum amount of gold in federal reserves was reached and U.S. notes could no longer be redeemed for gold. Investments during the time of the panic were heavily financed through bond issues with high-interest payments. Rumors regarding financial distress at

2116-560: Was the president of the commission. It reduced the power of the mayor and allowed commission members to be elected by popular vote. On August 21, Brown immersed himself in a political fight over the Nolan Plan for too much control over city development. Unlike most political fights he participated in, he lost his bid to remove the Nolan Plan. On December 16, 1927, the city of St. Petersburg celebrated one year of sunshine, in which time no free papers were given. Earlier that year, Lew had ceded

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