Page:History of the newspapers of Beaver County, Pennsylvania.djvu/32

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

18 HISTORY OF BEAVER COUNTY PAPERS. The first of these papers, the "Eepublican," came into existence in the period when Andrew Jackson was one of the most prominent figures in the country, and when the words Democratic and Kepublican were getting in opposition as names of two separate and widely distinct political parties, the former name to last through the century and beyond, and the latter to become the Whig party in 1836, to be replaced in 1856 by the Republican party, thus restoring the names that existed soon after the Logan brothers started their new newspaper venture. In State politics, in the same early period, the contest for Governor was between the Democratic and the Anti- Masons, the Federal party dropping out of the race after the defeat of the Federalist candidate for Governor in 1826. These were hot political times, and the contests were as vigorous and iinrelenting, as the rival political papers were ablaze with fiery rhetoric, and denunciation of each other. Plain words were used to express the thoughts of the editor, and they never failed to hit the mark with their heavy editorial artillery, or throw confusion into the ranks of the enemy by their pungent and telling ridicule. The way was open for a long campaign of editorial combat, and the Logans entered the field well equipped for the fray. The Henrys on the other side, were as vigilant and as well prepared as their opponents, and the weekly broadsides were looked for eagerly by the readers of the papers, and there was no quarter shown or asked, but the fight was to the finish.