Page:History of American Journalism.djvu/181

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with Great Britain. The suggestion was even made that a few seats in the House of Commons should be set aside for the Ameri- can delegates. If newspaper accounts may be believed, and there is no reason to doubt them, the suggestion was not un- kindly received in England: it was asserted that seats in Par- liament might be secured upon the condition that no formal endorsement of slavery would be demanded. This condition completely changed the editorial tone of the papers which ad- vocated the alliance.

The party organs of Jackson bitterly assailed the Adminis- tration of John Quincy Adams, on account of its so-called extravagance and waste of public funds. An " awful howl" appeared in the press when the charge was found for " payment of blacking the boots of the Indian delegates at Washington." These delegates wore only moccasins.

The papers which sprang up to support the nomination and then the election of Andrew Jackson were literally too numerous to mention. Some notice must be made, however, of a most loyal party organ, The Patriot, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Its editor, Isaac Hill, was rewarded for service rendered to Jack- son by the nomination of Second Comptroller of the Treasury. The Senate, however, refused to confirm the nomination, but New Hampshire later retaliated by electing Hill United States Senator. The Patriot was thus placed in a strategic position, to start the war upon the United States Bank. Of this war, more will be said later in the chapter.

PAKT PLAYED BY PRESS IN POLITICS

The way party organs controlled politics in New York was fairly typical of that in other States. The political leaders would have a conclave at Albany at which they would decide upon a man to run for Governor. Some little party organ in a rural section would then be selected to be the first to suggest the fit- ness of such a man for the position. The suggestion would then be taken up by other rural organs in various parts of the State. Such a nomination would be warmly seconded, even though coming from the rural sections, by the party organs in the "up- state cities." The chief party organ at Albany would then sum