The sun., 1878-07-21
.oryrRY JOURNALISM FIFTY rELRb
400

s.,i,v the newspapers Of this city exerted
i,lunnca uuon tho country at lurge than
hov now do The journals of tho interior
~,,cthen comparatively more powerful than at
present.
v..,t +, the country about half a century ago
may not hc unintorcsilng.
Th.. oilost VI those was the United States Ga
,.De In philadcphn founded by benjamin
franklin in i72s. under the namo Of the Penn
,,lvauia Gdz,le. Fifty years since 1t was an
anti. Democratic organ edited 10y Mr. Chandler.
olant niterward became n Silver Gray Wing.
snd supported Buchanan for President An
n,hcr NJ the old papers Of the period in question
wss tbc Newport r. L. Mercury. founded In
l7,s hy James Franklin, nephew of Benja-
min who ran away from his uncle. then in Bos-
Ian and set up the HerGVv The philosopher
,ulsonuonty gave James press on which the
FARMER hal worked. and this relic Of ancient
vme. WIS kept IN the Mercury ofce for 100
roar. and shown TO curious visitors at Newport.
nis now in Boston. Tho Mercury is, or very
recently wus. still published
The Connecticut COUrdnt was established as
veekly at Hartford in 1764. 1t was one Of the
noat influential journals in New England II
MIL hourishes as the leading daily Republican
baper in the state. Among the early journals
Of Boston was the Massachusetts Spv II was
started In 1770. Tho night after tho bloody
,kirmsh at Concord where the first gun OF tho
Revolution was fired. the press and types Of the
Spg were hurried on TO Worcester. 1t has since
been published there. and for moro than a con-
nry has stood well with the slow. etaid Con-
,ervati,es OF the Bay State.
When the seat Of the Federal Government was
removed from Philadelphia to Washington the
National Mt,N0g,cer wns issued in tho latter
city by Joseph Gales. II had previously been
published under another name in PHILADELPHIA
but ON reaching Washington in 1929 1t adopted
The cognomen under which II became famous
Mr Gales introduced the plan Of giving pretty
iull reports Of the speeches In Congress. he
himself taking the notes in peculiar Kind Of
shorthand Of his own invention. The hielt-
pencc was ALWAYS tho organ Of the Administra-
lion for the time being down to the advent
OF Gen. Jackson. when II went into the Op-
position.
Under the control of Mr. Gales assisted hy
Nj W. ". S,atou 1t was for nearly half q cen
mry power IN politics and Journalism. But
when Webster md Clay declined and the news
pauet- of the chief ,i'c- donncd their modern
elilro. the Old I;etg ncc fell into tho scre the
yellow leaf Of decrepltudo.
In the first thirty wears 4 the present century
some twenty newsrol ors sprang UP from time
to time In various Stntns which cxcrted great
sway In politics. They We're In the height Of
their power at The Time We are contemplating.
All " them. With iwJ exceptions. still live and
flourish W. turn first 90 the capital OF our
State. Tho Albany h,c 80, was established in
1903 the Albany Argus IN 1913. The Register
was Tor a time edited hy that ecceutri, genius.
solomon Southwiok. who. in 1898. very much TO
the chagrin Of Thur'Uw Weed. was the anti
Masonic candidate I'm Governor. TAc heavy
vote he obtained in The western counties and
which came mainly from the Adams party gave
the state 10 Jackson. 0arried Van BurDn into
the Governors chair. ANA gave u turn t. the
current 1i New York politics that never oh0nged
t Seward was olorel Governor ~ 1Sis The
D1fy l'refise' was issued in 1879 ana for
time WIS edited iy Col W. l.. stone. who
Horvarl conducted the Commercial ia this
city. II wa- d delai. Conservative. Ciintonian
sheet anl the opponent IT the Argps. 1t finally
lapsei into another journal. TWAS quito power
In the rural dl=u 10. when Bryant went on the
Errnhg Post.
Tho tyons WA. Ill. orrau of IN. Albany
R,gousv. wncr... " Min Van Bnrcn Fiave
Marcy. WRIGHT. su.. pN were il. tnn,rotD.
It, editor nfterl.1..v.. Edwin Cro.yol ono
pf tue most VIZ .r...- and graceful v,riter.
In the profession. H.. did not k.eu steu with
theralical wing o, th. Democracy; a,l In fbe
mu-Trya- nnl Tr.. S.. contests of 1oiiarl
lsi, the brilliant Prince John of lindeuwnll
saycd hin. with a. ala.ttuajo 90 scorpions
Fifty ycar- ago. when tAo h,gis'.,' and Argus
Mere in their lrin.e TAurlow Weed was writ
lng paragraphs ald s.'tng type. and pulling
na ricketN Ire-- ola q d.npy weekly sheet al
Rochester called the Monroe Tigrapl. H.
was then very poor. After the kidnaupiug Of
William Morgan he edited the anti Masonic
E,gtrt at Rochester. IL the fall Of 1880 the
hnt-Masons elected hm 10 the Assembly. and
In the following April he first number 81 tho
Albany EreeD'g Jounoi was issued Weed by
aud ~ became State Printer, and thereby, and
In suulry other ways and through q good deal
pi estefd got rich.
In lsol the Richmond EuqtN@' was started.
II soon came under the editorial control Of
Thomas Aiiehic. He belonged TO the profes-
bion for half century. Tho Enquirer was the
Drsan Of the Richmond Iln,n as the Ar,us ,vas
OF the Albany Regency. Richie began with
Jefferson, but he moved slow. and never got be-
roul the resolutions oi o. Tom Benton used
10 call him F-a-t-h-e.r Richie. with the Father
long drawn out; and wl.on he turned hi. face