University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-05-07
NEWSPAPERS OF
THE CIVIL WAR

lIoH Lie Stoi. VI Doiuei Nv.
HE fOllowin" article is an excerpt
Galu>ha Anderson. now professor III
the University of Chicago. work pub
liShed by Little. Brown x Co. He re-
sided in St Louis during the Civil
War. and his faithful sketch of the
spirit and conduct of the periodicals
named is full of interest now though
half Il century has passed since the
events that he describes occurred.
There were in st. Louis over fifty
periodicals OF all sorts Full half OF
these either advocated or apolOgized
for secession: and some of those that
stood for the Union We're faint heart
ed and spoke with hesitation and fee
blcnes>.
There We're eleven dailirS. great and
small and some OF them were very
small. their editors scarcely knowing in
the tumult >ur%in" around them
whether their souls were their own.
And since to large extent each citi-
Zen took his cue from the paper that
he read. the press. take it all in all.
propa@atcd anon" the MASSES OF the
city much of its own dubioll-nc-- and
bcwildrrmrnt
However. among the Iaiic> were two
great political organs that did much
to mould public sentiment the Mis-
souri, Democrat and the Missouri Re
publican. Their very names confused
strangers. since the Democrat was the
"r"an "f the Republicans. and the Re
publican was the organ OF the Demo
Gratis.
The Democrat years before had been
established in the interests of Free
>"ili>m. which had Ion" been pro-
n"unccd and "rowin" sentiment in
Missouri and especially in st. Louis
II naturally therefor" became the or
gan "f the Republican party. and was
unc"mpr"mi-in"ly for the Union.
rh" paper had able editors who ad-
v"cated the car-c Of the Union with
unusual cl"arnr>-. breadth and power
They permitted no one. whether he
were Keen or dull. To misunderstood
them
So. in reign of doubt and bitter
conflict. their paper became Il mighty
ally of the federal government. and did
much To bring order out of confusion.
to harmonic anta"onistir forces. and
at last to restore the reign of civil
law
1t is doubtful if this "reat journal
ever received its lust need of praise.
N"iS"le>>ly. day by day. it scattered
in thousands Of homes its message in
behalf of the Union. That message
gradually cleared the vision of those
VIII" read. Friends of the general
government Were multiplied by it.
II WAS Il tremendous force for the
right. Its influence for all that was
trur>t and best in government can no
more he gathered up and weighed
than one can collect and weigh the
>unbeams
Its great rival. the Missouri Rcpub-
ilcan. was also Il power. and. on the
whole. for good. 1t was exceedingly
and by its utteranccs
did much to moderate and cool burn
n@ and unrcasoning passion. 1t
seemed usually I" he nicely balanced
IN the fence. 1t had two editors. one
a seccssioni>t. the other UnioniSt.
lh" >"cc>>ioniSt was somewhat ad-
'anccd in Years and after writing his
left his office for the dav
lbout four o'clock in the afternoon.
The CnionSt editor was much Young
u and wrote his editorial about ni1
o'clock at night. And these two edi-
"rial>. c"nscrvativcly advocating OPP
">ite views of the great national con-
lirt. daily appeared side hv side.
But this old and influential journal
vas very widely read. and. consist |
ntly with its position oi neutrality. !
published any decent and reasonable /
rticle for or against the Union.
So To their own advantage. as well /
: to that of the federal government,
hey were thus let to read and think /
n,ich on both sides of the uucstiou
hat was then dividin" the nation.
But the general public. decmn. it
weakness and sign of duplici,v to
'ccivc and publish all sorts of arti-
les. advocatin" the most diverse and
views. with more force
ilan elegance dubbed this great pa
rr. The swilltub." Nevertheless il
'cmS reasonable. all things consider
Il. that To have had then and there
ne such journal wa> mighty bower
,r GOOD
Early in the summer of 1851. when
be- people had become eager for war
cw-. some of the papers began to
>uc evening editions. This move