Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1886-05-01
THE "BRoADSIDED OF EARLY DAYS.
How the Public Were Enlightened be-
fore Newspapers Were Published.


fore Newspapers Were Published.
Newspapers, as the word is now I'M
ierstood, are the growth Of the nine
teenth century, one of the most astonish-
ing and rapid growths of remarkable
age. In their absence, the periwigged,
broad-skirted gentry Of an early age were
informed of the intentions Of their gov
eminent. and even of the current events
of the day, by means of broadsides,
sheets of paper printed only ON one side
and either displayed in public places, dis
tributed gratis, or hawked about the
streets, according to the character of
their contents.
The collection of the brnadsdes in the
public library is not rs large as that
owned ly private Libraries az an earlier
foundation, bat under glass cases and
carefully stored portfolios tIeIa are a
number Of valuable documents Of this
description thu, were published in this
country in the days of Salem witches
and rebel tea parties.
Among the earliest docum mt, of this
description in the possession OF the pub
lie library is proclamation headed by
the traditional lion and unicorn and
signed by William Stoughton, then gov
ernor" Of the province of Massachusetts
bay, on May q, 1896. 1t cites the law
granting 80 pounds sterling blood-money
for every adult male Indian prisoner,
and - pounds sterling for every woman
and child: speaks of the bounty on
scalps. and offers 10 all volunteers pro-
vision, surgical attendance, ammunition
and wages from the public treasury.
These gentle traits Of our puritan ances-
tors have become wonderfully obscured
by the smoke Of the Deertield massacre.
If the Indians exhibit the ferocity of
wild beasts they were certainly hunted
as such.
Broaisidcs such as were common in
England, published from time to time
with relation of current events, were
exceedingly rare in the early days of the
colony. There was one reprint of Lon
don broadside published in Boston in
1859, another in 1890, and third in 1897.
One Of the last issued is now owned by
the city of Boston. II is but a single
leaf, somewhat smaller than page from
a quarto dictionary, and contains the
latest rumors from Holland, Of a great
Turkish defeat by Prince Eugene, the
coronation of the king of Poland, and
the reception of ambassadors at The
Hague with the negotiations on foot
there preliminary to the peace of Rys-
wick.
Next in Importance is one Of those
stamp acts, by ten years the precursor Of
that which century ago aroused the ire
of good Bostonians even more than exor-
bitant tax rates, flooded streets and We
nality in public office does to-day. The
broadside was headed by the royal arms
and bore duly affixed to the margin i'm
pressions of the stamps whose use it en-
forced. These stamps were not detach-
able like our own, but were impressed
by government official like postmark.
Not only the stamp but the vellum and
paper with the stamp affixed were sold
by the commissioner of the stamps; and
no instruments or writings specified in
the act were legal without it, The act
covered nearly every paper that could
be used in business or the administration
of the government from an insurance
policy to newspaper. The stamp tax
on newspapers, by the way, was half
penny, the stamp representing bird en-
circled with band on which are the
words: "Half-penny.r The 2-penny
stamp represented a Goldfish within the
legend, STAPLE of the Massachusetts,"
The 3-penny stamp bore pine tree with
the motto: Province of Massachusetts,.
Finally, the 4-penny stamp, which was
to be affixed to insurance policies, bills
of lading and certain other commercial
papers, bore a schooner under full sail
within the words: "Steady-steady.
This valuable old document in Amer
lean history was printed by the publish
ers of The Boston Newsletter, and bears
the date of March IA, 11j5. 1t is siged
by Governor Shirley and countersigned
by j. Willard, secretary. This is, as far
as known, absolutely unique in leaving
impressions of the stamps, and reveals
the fact that the general court of Mas
sachusett shad passed and the governor
enforced stamp act ten years prior to
to the act sanctioned by the imperial
parliament in 1865. The immediate
cause for this document was Shirleys
proposed military operation in the French
and Indian war.-Boston Bulletin.