The Irish standard., 1895-07-13

Oct. g, 796, ,Burk issued the Polar Star,
the first daily paper ever publ ished an
Boston It was printed by; a lexandsr ss nedl
Martin at the corner of tier street eel
and Quaker lane. tSa ass II
OF the presidential canvass preceding
the election Of John Adams, who was
the candidate of the federaliBts. Burk
observed in his paper: 5F5sss sss,
we hope the future president will
be as good epublican as Washington
Never has the venerable patriot been
known TO utter a sentiment favorable
to royalty"
& This, Of course, was hoping that Adams
would not be president. t$855
President Adams kept a sharp eye On
the Boston editor after this, and it was
his intention to hand Burk over to the
captain Of British frigate lying in Bos-
ton harbor, under the alien and sedttion
law. sg;
s Burk was apprised Of the fact by Aaron
Burr. Had Mr.. Adams intent been ca
ried out Burk would have been hanged
to the yardarm of the British man-oI7
war as q traitor to England.
For, his own safety he was obliged to
flee.
He7went to New York, where he pub
1ished the Time Piece.
In, Burk, Boston lost a brilliant man,
and her first daily paper was abandonad
after six months publication. From
New York, Burk went to Virginia,
where he became great favorite. He
wrote one of the best histories of Vir-
ginia published, and took an active part
in public matters. He was killed by q
Frenchman in a duel In 1908. I
t While In Boston he had married a
widow named Curtis, who bore him one
son, John ,Junius Burk, who became a
distinguished jurist Of Louisiana and the
father of several accomplished children,
who were justly, proud OF their grand.
father, the pioneer Of Boston journal
ism. 5c
Another interesting character in plo-
neer journalism in America is Andrew
Brown, an Irishman, who published the
Federal Gazette in Philadelphia. He,
too, was a graduate OF Trinity college,
Dublin. 4e If ,.....
John Dunlap, the publisher of the
PENNSYLVANIA Packet, the first daily
paper published in America, was born
in Strabane, ireland, In 1747, and died in
Philadelphia, November, 1912.
He was the first congressional printer,
and acted as such to the continental con-
gress. His paper was first to print the
declaration of independence.
Another prominent Philadelphia OF
Irish birth was Matthew Carey, who
came over from Dublin, landing in Phil
adelphia Nov. Is, 1884. He had just been
released from an English prison for q
political offense
Two months after he had the Phila-
delphia Herald OH the streets.
One Of the most interesting and sue
cessful of the Philadelphia journalists Of
Irish blood was William Duane, the edi-
tor of the Aurora. Born in New York,
he was sent to Ireland to be educated,
and graduated from Trinity college /
He came to Philadelphia in 1895, where
he became editor Of the Aurora, the
leading organ Of the democratic party.
His son, who was born In Ireland, was
his assistant in the editorial chair.
II He was secretary Of the treasury under
President Jackson, but was displaced by
the hero of New Orleans for refusing to
remove the deposits from the United
States banks during the great bank con-
troyersy, which then agitated the en-
tire country.
Irishmen by birth and blood may
Justly claim large share in the success
full establishment of the early American
newspaper. Men like Burk, Carey, Dun
lap, Brown and Duane may have been
s.adventurers and refugees, but they
lived useful lives here and left their Inn
print on the land. 5s---'' y. -'-' -''r q - 80 te-'@ y
The historian wIe would apply the
term Cad dventurer and refugee to such
men should reflect that had the Ameri-
can cause failed, Washington, Adams,
Jefferson, and many other patriots
would come within the meaning Of the
term "adventurers and refugees" and
probably would have been seeking lib
erty as were these men, far from the land
of their nativity. ,i.i
When these pioneers laid down their
pens, they were taken up by new body
Of young me1l vi the same blood, in
whose ranks may be numbered a Greeley,
a Grady, and q Blaine, not to mention
Mcclure, O'Reilly, Fitz James O'Brten.
Charles Dawson Stanley, Col. James
Mulligan, Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher,
Joseph 3. McCullogh, Patrick Walsh,
Januariuss Aloysius McGaghan Of ori7
entail fame, and hundreds Of others per-
haps equally deserving of mention.
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