Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1892-07-14
A PRETENTI0US PAPER.
The News of Ye olden Time in st.
Clairsville,
rr;n+ed in 1s2e-A Country Newspaper of
Sixty-two Years Ago-1ts Inter
esting Contents.

wear IJDZ. Sllttll MANI ~
their newspapers as a comparison WIN
the papers of three score years ago SHOWS
us to have made in ours, how stunted,
antiauated and grotesque VIII seem 10
the men of that time The papers which
we now believe to be a product-fln de
. siecle-of an enlightened and progressive
age. 1t is difficult to figure exactly what
the idea of the country newspaper was
back in the twenties. 1t gave not
line of local happenings. and 1t cared
nothing for local politics. 1t seemed 10
in measure-desire to take the place
of books. That part of newspaper
which is now furnished by "boiler plate,
and which the judicious modern reader
turns up his fastidious nose at, was then
undreamed of. Advertisements alone
gave any news.
Among the old documents OF the late
Daniel Peck, Esq, was found copy of
the National Historian and 81. Ctd"s-
uille Advertiser. This pretentiously named
weekly was published at this place in
1929, "by Howard & Little, on Main
Street. opposite the Bank, where sub
scriptions and advertisements were
gratefully received" The bank was in the
old Treasury building, and the paper was
therefore printed where JepsOn u Pat
tons dry goods store is now located. 1t
was four-page paper, well printed and
well proof read. The first page had the
inevitable poem and choice story, both
remarkable for their simplicity and ex
cellent composition. Usually these an
cient papers are colorless and without
opinion, in politics, but the National
Historian ventures to oppose the then
new doctrine of Jackson that to the vic
tors belong the spois. 1t gives CORE
.spondence between Van Buren,, Secreta-
nv of State, and Mr.. Slade, discarded
clerk. 1t has an excellent editorial on
the subject an editorial pertinent to the
politics of to-day. General Jackson,
it saws, "is the first Chief Magistrate,
since our confederation, who has SO far
forgotten the dignity ofhis station. as to be
governed by a spirit of favoritism. Great
respect has heretofore been paid to integ-
ity and talents, and high merit was the
sine o,ta non in advancing a man.. But
this is changed, and the Historian thought
that ,Jackson's course might be the
means of destroying the beautiful fab
ric of government erected by the WIS
dom and yalor of the sages of the Revo-
luton"
Robert III. Miller was then editor OF the
opposition organ, and he had been estao-
fishing a precedent which the Gazette mas
since closely followed of abusing some
one. So he is replied to by two cards.
no less vigorous than scholarly. The hrst
has for its motto "Melle huic cOnfdere
sao,styog" and accuses Mr.. Miller OF
biackbalIing, ridicules the dignity ana
excellence of your demeanor, the symme-
try of your well proportioned and erect
form, together with the light and beauty
of YOUR conversation" 1t processes
dislike to being "besmeared over with
editorial slime" and cares nothing Tor
"your most cool indifferency and con-
tempt" The other says that Mr.. Miller
has been put on horseback and is riding
TO the deoil, and that he seems to be
sssneeking round the fence looking for
low pannel or a big stump or small hog
hole" Such were the amenities OF coun-
try journalism in '29.
This antique sheet furnishes distinct
evidence that then as now the Democrat
ic party was the party most loved and
sympathized with in England. a man
signing himself madison" writes, "The
Jackson papers, observe, are copying
complimentary notices of the President
from the most corrupt aristocratic pa
pers in England. This l think is per
fectly in character. There has long been
a fellow feeling apparent between the
English Court papers and the American
Jacksonian editors"
Advertising in the old town was DrlsK,
eight columns being taken up by local
advertisers. Two stray notices were
published giving the result of viewing
and appraising found horses, for which
no owner had turned up. Rewards were
offered for stolen horses. An ordinance
half column long and constructed with
the ingenuity of legal Phildelphian, an
nounced the intention of the council
toward persons convicted of obstructing
the streets, alleys or commons. Carding,
tailoring, tanning, hat-making, work in
copper and tin, fulling, hackrunning
were all important industries, and the
appeals to the public in behalf of the yari-
Gus merchants are couched in respectful
dignifed and even solemn language
The advertiser invariably spoke of him
self as the subscriber. The cOurtly style
of writing is we'll shown by this testimo
monial to the efficiency of certain tooth
drops for sale by Kirker & Mulvaney
'Some time since Thomas White deposit
ed some of his toothache drops with me
in order to try the validity thereof, anC
to ascertain whether there was any pro
priety in making the thing public. They
have failed il only two cases, and they
| think, were rather rheumatic affections
of the jaw, than ldeOpathlc odOntalgla.
Things seem not to have been sold, bu
wendell" and the retailer was always
i"yender." r. Charlesworth, who theI
kept a mammoth trading establishment
in the old National Hotel, and whit
traded for anything from dozen ofegg
to drove of cattle, advertises to hav
Just received from New Orleans sugar
coffee, molasses, and 81 bbl old FIR. Bran
'dy." lie wanted, too, to buy 1000 pound
of butter at 10 cents, and offered 20 cent
for wheat, rye 3l1 cents, corn %, barle
BIZ, feathers % and lard 8 cents. II
advertised also for 10000 chickens AM
turkeys, and it is told by old citizens tina
he used to cOlonize great fiocks of thes
-Gs.rA