Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-02-26
ORIGIN or AEwseepeRs.
The Pionssr JSurnsi4 Of orsat Britain ~
the United statss,-

The Ptonser Jburnsi4 of orsat Britatn and
the United statss,-
From the hrst day Of the nesting Of the
Long Parliament maybe dated the begin.
ming Of journalism, writes WA Engarde
10 the Inland Prtpter. The earliest English
newspaper that has been discovered IL in
quarto pamphlet of few leaves, compre-
hending summary Of parliamentary pro
ceedings from an entire year. II is entitled,
"Ths Diurnal Occurrence, or Daily Proceed
inRs Of Both Houses, In Their Great and
Happy Parliament, from the Sd Of NOvem-
Der, 1910, 70 ID Of November, 1641." More
than one hundred newspapers, with diff
ferent titles, appear 10 have been published
between this date and the death Of the King,
and upwards Of eighty others between this
event and the Restoration. Occasionally
papers were published after the civil war
begnn, limited 10 local or special occurrences,
as News from Hull, /" Truths from York" 4"
''ridings from Ireland" The more regular
newspapers were published weekly at first.
then twice and three times week. The
impatience Of the people soon led 70 the
publication Of daily papers, and Spalding,
the Aberdeen annalist, mentions that In
December, 1852, "dsily newspapers came
from London, called D1uTTldl Occurrences, de-
claring what is done in Parliament" In
the Scottish campaign Of 1850 the army Of
Charles, and that Of Oliver Cromwell, each
carried It's printer along with II 10 report
progress, and, ofcourse, 70 eXaggerate sue
cess. II il from this circumstance that the
first introduction Of newspapers into Scot
land has been attributed 70 Oliver Crom-
well
When we look over the United States and
contemplate the vast number Of newspapers
and periodicals., daily, weekly and monthly,
and some Of them two or three times day,
the fact can be hardly realized that IL is but
little over q hundred years since the first
newspaper OF any kind on the American
continent was started, and but little over
half that time since the commencement Of
the frst daily. Such is the fact, however.
April "a, i70l, saw the first newspaper in
the Knglish language in the American colo
nIes or on the North American continent.
This was the Boston Neps Letter, q small
half sheet, published by John Campbell,
Bcotchman, who was o bookseller and a
postmaster. The contents Of the first num-
Der were: "Queen's speech In the English
parliament, 4 few local articles under the
Boston head one advertisement, extracts
from the London papers and four para
graphs Of marine newal'' Advertisements
were inserted At reasonable rates, from two
pence 10 1--WE shillings.
In 172 James Franklin established q
newspaper in Boston. The paper was Sc
verely critical withal, and somewhat hostile
20 the clergy. Franklin became unpopular,
was censHred and Imprisoned for scandal
Gus libel" James Franklin was strictly
forbidden 70 print the NeW England Courdnt
without supervision, etc. He evaded this
by substitution Of his brothers name for his
own. The CottrdHt lived three years.
The american Weekly Mercury, Of Phila-
delphiA, issued in l722, was the third news
paper printed in the colonies. 1t was made
up OF quaint advertisements and short par
aRraphs Of antique news.
The Pennsylvania GdEetts, edited by DIR.
Franklin, and published in l729, was the
next venture 70 mark journalism. In its
prospectus Franklin announces his inten-
ton 10 make . good, readable journal; and
In his IDEAS il is easy 70 see that he was far
In advance OF his contemporaries. His pa
per consisted Of four small pages, and the
subscription was ten shillings a year,
In l735, Thomas Fleet established the
Boston Evening Post Fleet was born in En-
gland and learned his trade there. He
once advertised a negro woman for sale as
follows ITO be sold by the printer Of this
paper, the very best negro woman In this
town. She has had the smallpox and
measles, is As hearty as a horse, as brisk
as bird, and win work like q beaver"
Fleet was humorous character, and made
money out OF his paper.
The RsRnsvlvdaia Journal and Weekly Ad-
peTttSer was started In 1765. Al the time OF
the Stamp Act, In 1895, tho paper came out
in mourning with the motto, "The times
are dreadful, dismal, dplOrous and dollar
less" There was also \ deaths head in
one corner Of the page, and under 1t these
words: "ohl the postal stamp"
A journal called the New York Gazette
hourished . little while in the year IN, but
wAs remarkable In no particular; and the
first daily in the United States, the PennsvI-
vdnta Puekst, afterward called the Ddily Ad-
Vsr1Sssr, was started In lT4.
These were the hrst attempts at Ameri-
can journalism, and, as such, are alone
worthy Of mention. Boon after the advent
OF the daily newspaper, the idea Of collat-
ing and digesting the news became more
and more comprehensive, aud from the be-
ginning Of the present century up 10 this
time, the American newspaper has grown
steadily and rapidly, until IL now repre-
sonts the entire world, and Is "greater
than the throne itself" Its number is al
most countless, and Its power for good or
evil beyond calculation,