New-York tribune., 1906-09-26
literary .Nes0S and Criticism.

I PENDANT upon trial OF the cause r.
dence IN his defence the truth of ,ha ..... -
tained in the publication charred a. ,,h.,,o,. -.
act which marked the removal of +ba -. -,
stantiai legal restriction upon the Sra.do,. "a ~.
press and which finally got rid OF IN. lost
remnant OF restrictive code which ha6 ,+s 4-st
! Massachusetts, development in 1895 vban N.
| General Court decreed that there should h. no
printing presses outside the municinsI ,,,,+s o+
| Cambridge.
From every point Of view. both as resards IN.
| extended research in London and In tb,s Gown
try and the use Of original material and as ra
CARDS the framework OF the book-the tables If
contents. me sources and authorities the ulus-
trative documents and the index-Dr D11niwav-s
monograph is a scholarly piece Of work II NAV
almost DC described as the first book In a navv
class dealing with the history Of the press 8,
England and in the United States. Tba o,,v
English book with which It can be oornna-ea &c
Paterson's THE Liberty of the Press snaacb
and Public Worship" which was published ,n
London in 1880. It differs from the existing his
tories OF journansnn-American and Fnglish-,n
llat IL Is concerned almost exclusively with the
constitutional aspects of the press whiIa ++a ,,
thors OF the accepted histories were conoernad
chiefly with newspapers and with the develon-
ment OF journalism-on its professional end
practical sides
There were Ave American colonies In which
printing presses and newspapers were estab-
Eshed before the Revolution There NAV bava
been presses IN other colonies, but only Mssss-
chusetts Pennsylvania. New York. Virginia ana
south Carolina-taking the colonies tn the o-ds-
IN which printing presses were set up-have his
tories Of the press Of constitutional significance
In writing Of The Liberty Of the Press Before
Nv .
with all these five colonies. His aim has been
to make his work inclusive. To some extent II
is so. but IL cannot be regarded as definitive In
places. dates and other details OF historical I'm
portance are lacking; no marked skill is shown
IN introducing quotations. which are necessarily
numerous. and there has not been any extended
research among authorities which are still in
manuscript or in old newspaper files. Mr.. Schuy-
Ter is obviously at his best in his study of con-
diticns IN New York from 1893 TO ITO In these
seventy or eighty years there was more Incl
dent and movement IN the press world OF New
York than in any OF the other colonies. The
Legislature was tenacious of its right to full con-
troll OF what was published on it's votes and pro-
ceedings. 1t determined not 10 compromise
on this question with Governor Clinton, and it
was also usually ready TO summon printers to
its bar who had offended legislative dignity.
New York. moreover was the scene Of the IA
nous Zenger libel suit, which up TO 1734-the
year IN which II came before Chief Justice de
Lancey, with Andrew Hamilton as counsel for
the accused-was the most important crown
prosecution for libel brought TO issue in any
British court, either IN England or IN any OF
Englands oversee possessions Mr.. Schuyler's
history Of these press world conflicts is full and
comparatively well told. and some value at
taches 10 the chapter on Pennsylvania, where
the Society Of Friends, as well as the Governors
Of the colony. exerted itself for some years after
William Bradford had established his press at
Philadelphta. 70 superv1se its fssnes