The Washington herald., 1907-03-24
NEWSPAPERS IN
THE UNITED STATES
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

0s R@<&<s-tts
When Ben Franklin eonnded to his
mother that he was considering the estab-
iishment OF a newspaper. the worthy
woman exclaimed. What can you be
thinking Of? There are two newspapers In
America now" As a matter Of fact,
there were FIVE papers then. put three or
tnem were printed in places 50 remote
from Philadelphia that the Franklins had
not heard OF them. The United States
now glories in some $500 journals OF
various descriptions. which IS ten times
as many as were in existence nifty years
ago. When the Declaration Of lndepend-
ence was signed, there were only thirty
four newspapers In the thirteen colonies,
and now there are more than that number
OF dailics IN New York City alone. No
other phase Of American development
has been so phenomenal as the growth
Of its newspapers If the New York World
had attempted IN 1870 20 issue a Sunday pa
per such as II now prints each week, with
the equipment then in use, the press
would be still running and the edition
would not be finished
The newspaper is an Italian invention.
The first regular publication Of a bulletin
containing information for the public was
undertaken in Venice in the latter part
OF the sixteenth century. II was not
printed, but was written on large sheets
and displayed In a room. Those who
desired to read them were admitted upon
the payment of a small coin. They were
called@ "gazetta" from which comes the
word gazette" common in the news
paper world OF to-day. The war between
the Venetians and the Turks and the
popular clanlor for information concern
ing il was the reason for the birth Of
this first newspaper. The files Of sixty
years Of its issue are preserved in a
museum in Florence.
The first printed newspaper appeared
In London en- July 3. 15SS. II was called
the English Mereurie, and was a Feli-
gious publication, Of which Lord Burleigh
was the patron. The earliest real news
paper printed from type. one designed to
give the news, was the London Weekly
News. which appeared in 1918 from the
Esint shop Of n NeWbeTry. II proved 50
popular that six years later Ben JOnson
wrote the first newspaper play. satirizing
the novel venture in piece acted on the
London stage under the name Of staples
Of the News" In l64l the Parliament
first permitted the newspapers TO publish a
report of its proceedings. In the next
nineteen years there we're 90 papers
started in London. but all OF them failed
for want OF support
Ia F4s. rrn54o.s Groras ba H~zt a4fe477Ysf
TO establish a newspaper was made in
Boston on September ., 1880 Il boasted
Of four quarto pages. one Of which was
blank. Il evidently took a lively interest
IN politics, and its editor must have be-
longed 10 that class OF journalists now
known as muck-rakers, for II was sup
pressed. The legislature officially de-
scribed II as a pamphlet which came
out contrary 10 law, and contained rehec-
lions Of a very high nature"
Boston came again, and in 1904 John
Campbell native Of Scotland. and post
master. began tie issue Of the Boston
Newsletter. It had two pages. twelve
by eight inches each. and appeared first
with this announcement: This News
Letter is to be continued weekly. and all
persons who have any houses. lands. ten
ements. farms. ships. vessels. goods.
wares. or merchandise. &C. to be sold
OF let; or servants run away. or goods
stole or lost. may have accounts of the
same inserted at a reas0nab bic rate from
L pence to > shillings, and not 30 exceed.
who may agree with John Campbell.
postmaster" When this weekly was
fourteen years old il had a circulation of
500 copies weekly. and announced that il
would issue an extra half sheet fort
nightly. as the editor was behind on
printing the news from Europe. A year
afterward he announced that he's had
caught Up eight months Of the news, and
that in five months more he would have
all arrearages of intelligence from the
Old World ''needful TO be known in these
parts"
The American Weekly Mercurie came
out in Philadelphia in 1us. and the New
York Gazette appeared in Manhattan in
l725. The weekly paper by that time
had become a profitable venture In the
larger towns, and soon spread through
all the thirteen colonies. until In 1T76
there were thirty-four which maintained
regular issues The determined opposi-
tiOn of the Crown representatives in the
South prevented the foundation Of several
papers. and the first successful one was
the Weekly Virginia Gazette, in 1856.
Before the end of the eighteenth CEN
tury the newspaper business had crossed
over the Alleghenies. the first being the
''Kentucke Gazette published at Lex
ingtOn, KY. by John and Fielding Brad
ford, In 1881. This was followed soon by
the Knoxville, Gazette. at Knoxville,
Tenn, in 1871. and the Sentinel of the
Northwest Territory, at Cincinnati. Ohio,
IN 1898.
The increase became so rapid that in
1880 the United States, with only 1900 900
people. had more newspapers than all of
Europe, with its 19a000,0O0 population. In
1888 the I-cent paper made its appearance
in New York, but was not successful.
Then came the New York Herald, founded
by James Gordon Bennett, in 1S25, the
first OF the modern daily newspapers,
which placed more Importance upon news
than politics. Three years before, George
D. Prentice had started the Louisville
Journal in Kentucky. II became the first
Of the great personal journals, and Prem
tice the first OF the great editors OF that
remarkable type which controlled the
thought of the people of America for a
generation, and who would have been SUI
preme IN power If they had been united.
No story of early newspaper life in
America is more interesting than that Of
Matthew Lyon. Lyon was born in Ire
land and when a mere boy ran away to
sea. He was sold as a slave TO q YER
mont farmer In exchange for a yoke of
oxen. After several years he contrived to
buy his freedom. He was sent 10 Congress