The next decade of his life was said to be spent as a doctor in the London district of East Smithfield, though his work may have been closer to that of an apothecary.

While practising medicinal arts in Kingston, he took up an offer to edit the Spectator, and after a year decided to publish his own semi-weekly Liberal-Reform paper.

His political views were not extremely popular, but those opinions were turned around by Barker's efforts of advocacy of agricultural and mercantile interests.

From 1841 through 1844, during the time of Kingston as Canada's capital, Barker's Atheneum Press Job printing company would be busy thanks to validation from the Conservatives.

Despite setbacks from the Monthly and the Argus, business went well for Barker, the Whig switching to daily publication in 1849, followed by a weekly edition in 1862.

The poet Charles Sangster, who had been editor for the Amherstburg Courier, returned to work at the paper in 1849, previously having been a 12-year part-timer there.

After stepping back from the paper, Barker would be appointed Registrar of Kingston, and died 27 April 1884 of gout at his home in Barriefield.

Davies was born in Wales, immigrated to Canada in the 1880s, and had owned the Renfrew Mercury prior to coming to Kingston.

Knowing that the town could not support two, Davies brought in Harry B. Muir, manager of the London Advertiser, to purchase the Kingston Standard.

Prior to the Whig, Reynolds had been with the Sarnia Observer, London Free Press, and after leaving Kingston spent time at the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal and the Saint John Times-Globe.