Page:History of Journalism in the United States.djvu/117

THE ASSUMPTION OF POLITICAL POWER which remained the organ of the Liberty Party until the capture of the city in 1776.

Gaine was made famous by Philip Freneau, who attacked him in verse. He was an industrious journalist, for he not only collected his news and set it up, but printed his papers, folded them and delivered them. His career indicates that he was of a volatile disposition, and he was accused of taking whichever side of a question was the most profitable.

John Holt had begun his career in New York as an associate of James Parker, the informant on McDougall. Parker, one of Bradford's apprentices, had established in 1743 with the backing of Franklin, a new weekly, called the New York Gazette or Weekly Post Boy, which was a continuation of William Bradford's periodical. The same year he began the publication of a, monthly called the American Magazine and Historical Chronicle. Parker, with William Weyman, whom he had taken in as a partner, was arrested in 1756 for printing an article offensive to the Assembly, but both were discharged almost immediately on apologizing to the Legislature, paying a fine, and giving the name of the writer of the article, a missionary named Hezekiah Watkins.

Holt was the editor of the Gazette up to 1766, when he brought out or revived the New York Journal. He early established a reputation for courage and patriotism. The attitude of the public toward him is shown in a letter which he printed in 1765, and which he declared had been thrown into his printing house:

"Dulce et decorum est, pro Patria mori.

"Mr. Holt, as you have hitherto proved yourself a Friend to Liberty, by publishing some Compositions as had a Tendency to promote the Cause, we are encouraged to hope you will not be