Page:History of American Journalism.djvu/297

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mode of treatment. "The feature story" began to make its appearance until it reached its highest development in the stories of the "sob sisters " of the present-day journalism.

Out of the war correspondence from Mexico grew the popu- larity of Jefferson Davis, who later became President of the Southern Confederacy. The correspondents of such New Or- leans papers as The Picayune, The Herald, and The Delta feat- ured in their reports the bravery of Colonel Davis, of the Mississippi Rifle Regiment, in repulsing the charge of the Mexi- cans in Buena Vista.

AMERICAN ARMY ORGANS

During the Mexican War an army newspaper was found in practically every camp. The army under General Scott had its own organ known as The American Flag, which reported the doings of the troops under "Old Rough and Ready." The army under General Taylor also had its special newspaper. Of these special army organs mention might be made of The Sentinel, published in Tampico, The American Star at Jalapo, The Eagle at Vera Cruz, and The Picket Guard at Saltillo.


Polk, like the other Presidents, had to have a special organ. The Union at Nashville had been a strong supporter of the Polk wing of the Democracy and The Enquirer at Richmond had aided in the defeat of Van Buren. Polk therefore thought it a good piece of politics to bring a representative from each of these papers to Washington for a new organ, and The Union in making its appearance on May 1, 1845, under the editorship of John P. Heiss and Thomas Ritchie, supplanted The Globe as the official paper at Washington.

During the Mexican War The Union was brought prominently before the people through publishing an attack on Congress for not supporting the Administration in several military matters. The criticism was not allowed to pass unnoticed, for four days after its appearance in print a resolution was introduced into the Senate calling for the expulsion of the editor of The Union from the floor upon the ground of libel upon the Senate and for