The Coolidge examiner., 1934-01-12

founded and occupied by the government In
the meantime Benny had married Miss Margaret
Markoe and soon there was family for him to
support
Bache decided to publish a newspaper with
bookshop on the side. The Federalists already
had their organ, Fenno's Gazette OF the United
States. He approached Robert Morris on the
subject of patronage for his proposed newspaper
but Morris tried to dissuade him. Next he con-
suited Thomas Jefferson, who seemed friendly
enough, but soon afterwards aided Philip Fren-
eau found the National Gazette as the organ of
the Republican elements
Undiscouraged, Bache went ahead and In the
fall OF 1890 established the General Advertiser
dedicated to Truth, Decency and Utility. 1t had
several competitors most of which were exceed
ingly dull but prosperous. Bache wasn't much of
writer but he was a good newspaper man In
the sense that he got most OF the news such as
there was and printed it.
But great events were on the way. Hamilton
and Jefferson, though fellow members of Wash
ingtons cabinet were at opposite poles as to theo-
ries OF government The feud between them In
creased. Under various pseudonyms they attacked
each other in Fenno's Gazette OF the United
States and In Freneau's National Gazette.
And Bache added fuel to the rapidly growing
discomfort with the Federalist regime and the
rule of George Washington, the Virginia aristo-
crat. Then the storm of the French Revolution
broke and Republican enthusiasm was rampant
In America. Citizen Genet came to America
and Bache became his friend and the Advertiser
his mouthpiece. Genet failed in his effort to
override "Old Washington" by appealing directly
to the people and Bache shared In that failure.
But he lost little power in the years that fol-
lowed when Americans were split into two fac
tions-English sympathizers and French sympa-
thizers.
When John Jay went to England and negoti-
ated his Infamous treaty" Bache scored a ire
mendous newspaper scoop. While Washington
was trying to keep the provisions of that treaty
dark. Bache obtained copy of 1t and gave II
widespread publicity. There was tremendous ex-
citement all over the country. But despite the
shril cries of Bache and the Republicans that
the Federalists had sold their country to Eng
land, the treaty was ratified.
Then the French Directory, with its bluster
and Its corruption played sQuarely into the
hands OF the Federalists, who almost succeeded
in embroiling America in a war with France.
Baches resistance had a great deal to do with
averting that. During this period of violent
political conflict he became one of the most DOW
erful men in the country and one Of the most
bitterly hated. Even the mob, once Republican
and Jacobine, turned against him. He was in
constant danger Of bodily violence. But through
it all he persisted In fighting for what he thought
were the principles of true democracy, the prin-
cples which he had learned from the lips of his
grandfather During this period also he had re-
christened his newspaper the Aurora and on the
front page of 1t he placed fairly and suuarely
in the middle, the fine sign of a rising sum-"
When John Adams succeeded Washington as
President cho
handed way, to be sure, by contrasting him with
Washington But the editor Of the Aurora was
soon at outs with the new President and his
Federalist ways. So he carried on his war of
vituperation against Adams he had against
Washington. But the yellow fever which swept
Philadelphia every summer at last did what
of his enemies had ever been able to do
it senced Benny Bache. On September 5, 179S
he caught the yellow fever. For FIVE days he
dragged himself down to his office to get out
the Aurora. On September 10 he printed his last
issue and in that he called John Adams a liar.
He fought the Federalsts to the last, for he
died at midnight.
AS for Bache's place in American history. Fav
states 1t in these words in the epilogue of his
book: at was Benny Bache who led this Second
Revolution, that broke Federalism and the Eng
lish alliance. He had not the genius of Jefferson
or that OF Washington, or that of his grand
father But, like them, he loved his country, and
to him, as to them life was really worth living
only when he could stir the people, when he
could merge himself into the warm mass of
mankind, into their passions, into their desires
More than those other men, he suffered; for
short suffering with defeat is harder than long
suffering that finally blooms into the joy of sue
cess. Benny Bache had died-and died too soon"
9by Western Newspaper Union