The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1872-12-31
TET Argus AND IT'S NEW DRESS.


The Paat, freeent anu kutu1"
TIE ARGUS having recently made its
appearance In new type, it may not be con-
sidered improper 20 review somewhat its
history. speak Of its present position and
of It's hopes in regard 70 its future. Be
fore doing so, however, some Of our read
ers may be Interested in glancing at some
brief mention Of early journalism. 1t was |
not until the lapse of two centuries after
the discovery Of the art Of printing that
the idea was conceived of applying that
art TO the production of anything like
public newspaper. In the fourteenth and
fifteenth centuries, indeed, the need OF
such an agency for the diffusion of intelh
gence among the people was scarcely felt,
and the prediction that a newspaper in
the modern sense of the word, could ever
have an existence, would, no doubt, have
been regarded as an evidence Of insanity.
But, sometime in the sixteenth century
believed to be between 1860 and 1879, and
in Italy, the FIRST newspaper made it. ap
pearance. Newspapers wers estaoASi,eu u
England about n huuJred years later
The Puritans had aprinting press at Yam
bridge. Mass. as early MS 1859, but the
first newspaper in America was The Boston
Nons latter, started in l704 Fourteen
wears earlier an attempt was made to es-
tablish one but only a single number was
issued which was promptly condemned
and probably suppressed by the Colonial
Assembly. The first newspaper in Phila
dolphia appeared l7l9; the first in New
York in 1925. These were all weeklies-
but since that day the growth Of journal
ism in this country is among the marvels
of our history, as a few figures, cleaned
from various sources win show. The mum
Der Of dailies now published in the United
States is believed to,he 500; of tri-week.
lies l07 of semi-weeklies ll3; of week
lies 4,s0s-and the circulation of all com
bined is believed 20 be not less than %,
100000 copies
Steam, the printing press and the tee
graph have annihilated time and space
Every nook and corner of the world is
searched daily for news which is furnished
to the people at their doors for mere
triRe-news not merely Of incidents by
fire andAood, on steamers and on rail ears,
but of all the great intellectual political,
religious, scientific, moral, philanthropic
and social movements in every quarter Of
the globe In country Ike ours, where
every laborer, mechanic, apprentice, clerk,
servant or working girl, every business
man, farmer and planter, as well as people
of leisure or literary pursuits, of both
sexes, read the newspaper. and where the
press is free it can easily be perceived how
newspapers are supported and increased
No country in the world can compare
with ours in this respect The wonderful,
improvements, too, in type, presses, print
ing materials, and modes of conducting
newspapers keep pace with this demand
for reading matter
A little more than twenty years ago, the
senior editor and proprietor of this paper
disposed Of his interest in the Vermont
Patriot, in which paper he became inter
ested in lS45 and came to this town
Rock Island was then little place of som,
ten or twelve hundred inhabitants, Will
our old friend Josh Hatch as its Mayor
There was then no mode of reaching
Chicago from the East but by lake or b
stage. No railroad extended West o
Cleveland. Our party came from Chicag
70 Lasalle By canal with Charlie Wheele
as captain Of the boat-and at La
sale Judge Lynde and Hi Hate
had been waiting two days with teams t
bring our party and baggage across tn
prairies, to Rock Island. 1t was a tw
days drive. Shortly after our arrival her
The ARGUS was started-in October, lS5
IA very small weekly paper, with yer
few subscribers and very slim support
The paper made its appearance regularly
and By another summer it was somewha
enlarged. Its entire value, however a
that time, including materials and good
will, was not considered more than eigh
hundred dollars By economy, hard wor
and careful attention 10 the needs Of Tn
locality, the paper soon became almost
necessity to the people, and its patronag
proportionally increased In the summe
OF 1854 we started daily paper Thi
was done without any previous announc,
ment, or consultation with the people
Relying wholly upon the good will of tn
public, and asking no aid save the legit
mate patronage Of the people, our littl
daily was launched on the tempestuou
sea ofnewspaperdom The first the peopl
of this city knew Of it was when it was d.
livered at their doors, the evening Of il
first issue. We had not then asked for c
received a single subscriber All that "
asked was if the people liked it the
should encourage it by moral and pecuI
larry patronage From that day to tn
the paper has never once failed TO mai
its appearance at its usual time, or to pa
its bills every Saturday night There wi
at its beginning, no daily paper in tn
place or Davenport, or anywhere west of u
Since THE ARGUS was started we hay
seen many newspapers spring into exis
ence here, and die. At one time fol
dailies were printed here, all of whic
Except The ARGUs) ceased to ext
for want of support At one tim
during the war The ARGI
was the only newspaper of any kind prin
ed here, and it kept up its regular issue
daily aud weekly, without single omis
ion. Many and many a night has Il
senior OF this paper stood on a box, und,
the light OF street lamp, and read to a,
sembled hundreds of citizens, Telegram
from battle fields, and then passed Il
balance of the night in getting them
type for the morning paper. Eve
reasonable effort has been made, both