News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-07-24
AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS.
WHAT THEY HAVE HELPED TO AC-
COMPLISH DURING THE CENTURY.

I WHAT THEY HAVE HELPED TO AC'
| CohfLlSH DURING THE CENTURY.
The First Newspaper Increase of News.
p"pers-Grent Results in journalism.
The first daily newspaper in the Uni
TED States, says Hon. Carroll E, Smith
OF the Syracuse Journal, was the Id
VerttSe'', issued just one hundred years
ago, IN Philadelphia. Another Adrer-
user, also daily, was established in New
YORK next year. Later on the number
OF dallles multiplied, and wherever set
tiement OF the new country took place,
'nere the weekly newspaper was an
early product. The newspaper has kept
pace with the migrations of the people.
when the Pacific railroads were build
ing, printing press was carried along
with the work, little ahead of the rails
and locomotive. Statistics of journal
ism would be out of place here. But
note the numerical changes of q cent
ury. AT the close of the revolution
there were 43 weekly and semi-weekly
papers in this country. Their combined
circulation was less than that of first.
class metropolitan daily now. Midway
OF the nineteenth century, there were
upward OF $500 newspapers, with
5,OOO, goo circulation. In 1880, the num-
Der had increased to IL 400, with an ag-
gregate circulation of over 81 900, 900.
The American press has outstripped the
press OF all the rest of the world.
Necessarily abridging this review of
American newspaper history, I come to
notable era in press experience. In
lS44-5-'6, great stride was taken. Ex-
tensive and expensive express systems
had been in operation. The pony ex-
press (1S35) connected Washington with
| New York in less than II hours. News
paper enterprise spurred the government
| to quicker mail service, as it has done
| several times since. The news schoon-
ers QS35-40) intercepted incoming
ocean steamers, bringing their news
from the old world to our shores hours
ahead of the steamers arrival Indi-
v1dual enterprise, vastly expensive, was
finally merged in associated enterprise.
and herein was the beginning of the
now gigantic Associated Press organiza-
ton for news collecting and dissemina-
ton.
Journalism here entered transitory
state. Blanket sheets waned. Purely
partisan papers began to yield to the
spirit of independence. But progress
was made slowly. There was q hard
crusade against the change. Much
threatening, severe personal assault,
even attempts at assassination, and libel
suits without end. The movement went
on, nevertheless. Cheaper papers and
more independent papers have become
the rule, not the exception. I do not
mean papers without convictions or con-
science, or Invested of party alliance
but papers of principle and opinion, with
the courage to maintain them manfulIy.
Practical journalistic ability is the touch.
stone to success. Within this association
are illustrations wherein this ability.
combined with energy and perseverance,,
has won notable success.
Elements in the world of useful inyen-
lions have powerfully contributed to
great results in journalism. The news
paper began its new growth with the
stage coach, news boat and pony ex-
press; it made rapid progress with the
steamboat and railroad; and it has
moved on with astonishing strides with
the steam press and telegraph as its aux
lllarles. Within the recollection of most
of my hearers the advance in mechani-
cal processes has been tremendous. The
old-time hand press made 24O impress
sions an hour; then came the machine
roller, supplementing the hand balls;
then the primitive Adams press, making
800 impressions an hour; as recently as
1919 the Adams press was adapted to
hand or steam power; the Napier press
was step further. In 1856 the Hoe
cylinder press came into use and dec
AIDE later its capacity was doubled, and
later still further multiplied; when also
came into use Bullock, Taylor and Scott
presses; and now there is the perfecting
press IN common use, printing four,
eight or twelve pages at once-cutting,
FASTING, folding and counting the sheets,
marvellous, almost sentient processes; in
some instances the complete newspaper
being issued at the rate of IS, 900 copies
an hour.
In 1867 the electric telegraph rein
forced the press service. The battles of
the Mexican war first tested its capa-
city for distant news transmission.
President Taylors inaugural March,
"e'o eAAO h1o0
carried on the wires to the country. The
echoes of conflict in our civil war, in all
It's broad extent, were reported to our
minds and hearts before they fully died
away on the field of strife. So, too, the
clash of arms in farthest parts of the
world-naval duels in the far Mediter-
ranean and bloody conflicts on African
saliarias-has resounded round the
world on the day of their occurrence
of scientific research in re-
hottest parts, equatorial Africa or the
North Polar region, are carried out by
journalistic enterprise. Missing explor-
ers are sought ont, through like energy,
in unmapped quarters of the globe.
The news of all the known world is
gathered and disseminated with the reg
ularity of the suns daily march in the
heavens. Such are the triumphs of
modern journalism and of journalistic
whose marvellous achieve
ments are even now more widely I'M
folding.