Year: 1870

country, but in the agents and instrumentali-
ties shaping and controlling our great political
parties and the policy of the government in
all our domestic and foreign affairs. This
change can be fully appreciated only by our
old political readers, whose active experience
covers all the vicissitudes of parties and party
management from the palmy days of the
Albany Regency down to this glorious age we


live in. This general change, resulting from q
succession Of political revolutions, is, however,
full of interest and instruction, not only to the
survivors Of the generation which has had its
day in the arena, but to the new generation
coming into the foreground. Let u.s. then,
briefly consider it, and especially with refer
ence to the decline of the party press during
the eventful period OF the last thirty-fve years.


In the good old stage coach times OF Gene
raj jackson the government OF the United States
and the distribution of the spoils were man
aged by little oligarchy, including the kitchen
cabinet at Washington, the Albany Regency
and select coterie Of the faithful at Rich
mond Virginia. These managing juntas had
each their authoritative party organ. The
Washington Globe, under Jackson, as the Off
cial mouthpiece of the administration, held the
commanding position of the Paris Monsteur
under the first Napoleon. The Globe spoke
the will of ''Old Hickory" and every demo-
cratic press throughout the country responded
as religiously as in the church service, and
all the rank and file of the party cried Amen
The Albany Argus, obedient to the general
lessons from the Globe, was yet in its sphere the
oracle of the Northern democracy, as was the
Richmond Enquirer Of the democracy South.
The mnaagers of other journals Of the party, in
proportion to their local advantages, were
high priests of public opinion and the oppo-
sition, or whig party, though never 80 absolute
ly as the democratic, was under the same dis
cipline. The power of the close corporation
of the kitchen cabinet the Albany Regency
and the Richmond junta, through their dicta
torial party journals, was effectively displayed
against all mutineers, who were whipped into
the traces or whipped out Of the party camp
with remorseless vengeance. Even the mighty
Calhoun fell sacrifice to his temerity in daring
to think and speak on democratic principles
without first consulting the Glo5e.


Such was the fierce despotism of tho
anointed democratic party press under Gen
eral Jackson Under Van Bure1, however,
the terrible power of this fierce party despot-
ism began to decline. They had commenced
in this country the building of railroads, and
common schools were beginning TO be widely
extended, and an Independent press or two,
here and there-the NEW YORK HERALD most
prominent and Independent OF them all, We
may say, as simple matter of history-had
made their appearance and were prospering.
Men were beginning to think for themselves,
and they began to like the HERALD for the
same way of thinking. Then came the great
financial revulsion OF 1887, then the tremen-
dous whirlwind of popular wrath of 1910,
which swept the Van Buren, dynasty out Of
place and power With that expulsion the
prestige and the power of the kitchen cabinet
the Albany Regency and the Richmond junta
departed, and with them the power OF their
dictatorial party journals. Every attempt
since that day to re-establish controlling
party organ at Washington has been dismal
failure, and the millions Of money which were
sauandered upon the Washington organ of the
party in power now go into the government
printing office


Thus the political revolution of l64O, in
giving the deathblow to the old regime of the
party press, fairly opened the field to the inde-
pendent press, and with the general intr oduc-
ton Of railroads the field of the HERALD


widened from year to year. Next, while the
democratic Presidential Convention of 1874
of an experimental line of the electric teie
graph, under the personal supervision of
Morse, between that city and the Capitol at
Washington, was tried and proved in tele-
graphic reports to the Capitol of the doings Of
the Convention The Convention, through the
telegraph, coquetted with Silas Wright, then a
member of the Senate, but he would have nc
such compromise for the rejection of his friend
Van Buren; aud when at last Folks nomins-
ton was announced waggsh whig member
of the House passed around among the crowd
assembled outside the telegraph room this
couplet, referring to all the prominent demo.
cratic expectants set aside and the unexpected
nomination made:-


Hurrah for Clay Behold the Joke,


They have knocked down all and set up Polk.
Little, however, did the wag in question, OF
the Congressional Solons around him, or thu
bewildered newspaper men among them
dream of the mighty revolution in the affairs
Of the civilized world inaugurated with tina


mysterious electric telegraph, and PARTICULAR!


in widening in both hemispheres the field ant
the power Of the independent press, and il
cutting down and cutting out everywhere tn


already waning influence of the party press
What is now the influence of the party pres


upon the government or the public opinion o


this country? What is the history of the part.