The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-08-01
OLD TIMES TN
MORRISTOWN
What Interested Our Citizens
Three-Quarters Of a Cen
fury Ago.
AN OLD TOWN PUBLICATION.

Thompson, of Mendham, we are per-
mitted to look over a copy Of the pal |
ladium Of Liberty, issued on Septem-
ber ID, 1927. tt was published by
Jacob Mann, and as usual with the
papers Of that period had little Of a
purely local character to offer its read
ers. The main portion of its first page
was taken up with long article show
ing how the Rev. S. Graham, formerly
of this county, in writing an "Ode to
the Moon, had in some way let his
mind run along the same channel as
the EDITORS mind some ten years pre-
vious had run in writing sonnet to a
mountain, even going to the extent Of
copying some of the lines yer batim.
He leaves the reverend gentleman,
however, to the Judgment Of the read
ers as to bis being guilty Of plagiarism.
He apologies for not having paid
more attention to Rev. Mr. Barnes
Fourth of July address by saying that
" we have been hitherto prevented by
the flood of bitter political waters
with which our columns have for a.
few weeks so completely deluged." "
The point of Mr.. Barnes address to-
which special attention was called
was that while it was desirable that
slavery should be abolished, it was
not practicable, but the great menace
to the country was the free negroes,
and he plead for their colonization in
Africa. The editor commended the
idea, and sounded the race peril idea
in no uncertain tones, saying OPP
pressed and degraded as it is, the race
increases in a ratio vastly exceeding
that of the white, and threatens at
no very remote period to have the adj
vantage of physical force" hence it
was desirable to get rid of them as
soon as possible. Three quarters Of a
century has passed and the whites
seem to have maintained their su-
premacy.
The Morgan controversy was raging
at that time and several articles were
published proving without a shadow
of doubt that something had hap
pened to Morgan, the Lodge at Lewis
town was in session the same night
and the grand juryhad the. names Of
the parties who committed the MUIR
der. 1t was a good enough Morgan"
and the editor was doubtless sincere
in the fever he worked himself into
over the matter.
There is an article on the cotton
mill at Mattawan, N. Y. where $50
people with power looms were able to
turn out from 900 to 1900 yards of
cotton cloth in a day. The doctrine
of protection was advocated and argu-
ments presented to show that protec-
tion was not a tax on the consumer.
Considerable space is devoted to pol
itics in which there were some sarcas-
tic invectives used that make modern
yellow journalism look tame by COM
parison.
Counterfeit money occupies prom
inent place in the paper and persons
are warned against taking certain bills
named
The Keeley moter, or some other
similar contrivance, was started at
that time as a quotation from the
Franklin Journal" of Philadelphia
tells of wonderful invention that is
to supercede the newly-invented steam
engine. 1t was small affair, with no
fire, no boiling water, no burning gas,
and an engine of sixty horse power
that could be kept at work night and
day for month at cost of ten dol
lars was the pledge of the inventor.
And we find here the beginnings Of
the Morris Canal abandonment. A
lengthy article sets forth how Emuch
better and cheaper freight can be
transported by rail than by water, and
the writer expresses his belief "that
true policy will ere long dictate the
construction of railways even upon
routes where canals are alread dy
opened !" The editor was true proph-
ct in this respect, certainly.
A variety of State news is given,
among which is an account Of an stalk
of corn fifteen feet high bearing two
handsome ears. and of yield of sixty
| five bushels Of wheat from an acre and
half of ground.
The merchants of the town seemed
to be of retiring disposition as but
few Of them used the paper to adver-
tise their business. McKaa & Dough-
erty, tailors from New York, over
Peter Freeman & Co.'S store, were con-
fident that they could fix up the men
of the town in most fashionable
style George X. Drake, about to
leave town requested all indebted to
him to make Immediate payment and
also offered for salea pew in the Pres
byterian Meeting House, lately occu-
pied by him, the price being seventy
dollars. Peter A. johnson announces
a new edition Of the New Brunswick
collection Of Church Music, books and
stationery in general, strong boots and
shoes and good axes and hatchets Ira
@. Whitehead, master, advertises the
Heath farm at Schooleys Mountain.