These materials relate to the beginning in 1909 of the newspaper published under the title, . An earlier newspaper, the , had been established at Greensboro in 1905 as the state organ of the Republican Party, but failed in 1908 after three years operation.

The Daily News Company was chartered in 1909 for the purpose of publishing a newspaper that would treat the Republican Party in a balanced fashion and would not act as an entirely Democratic Party newspaper. Stockholders included members of both parties from all over the state and included Robert Douglas Dick, former editor of the defunct Republican newspaper. The corporation appointed as manager and editor of , Zeliffe P. Smith (1870-1938), a native of Michigan and vice-president of Capital Printing Company in Raleigh. Smith had earlier from 1905 to 1908 edited for the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. One of the editors of the under Smith was Walter A. Hildebrand. In 1911 Hildebrand with a partner, George Crater, purchased the plant and business from the Daily News Company so that the was no longer published under the aegis of the Daily News Company. At the beginning of 1914 the company was dissolved and its capital distributed among the shareholders. The dissolution of the company and distribution of its capital took place in Raleigh with Charles Dewey Wildes serving as attorney for the company.