In the first decades of the 20th century, Girard became a hub of socialist politics. Populist Percy Daniels, whose farm was nearby in Crawford Township, briefly owned the "Girard Herald" and used it to promote his views; he was elected lieutenant governor in 1892. In 1896, Julius Wayland moved to Girard from Kansas City, Missouri and brought with him his socialist periodical "Appeal to Reason". In 1900 he employed Fred Warren as his co-editor. Warren was a well-known figure on the left and managed to persuade some of America's leading progressives to contribute to the "Appeal to Reason".