Page:History of the newspapers of Beaver County, Pennsylvania.djvu/22

 8 HISTORY OF BEAVER COUNTY PAPERS. advantages. Like the pioneers in all departments of life, they were equipped for their work, but the condi- tions were not such as to command success. The Minerva. The first paper in Beaver county of which there is any record, or any copy kno-ivn to be in existence, was the "Minerva," 'published in the town of Beaver every Satur- day by John Berry at two dollars per year, and when sent by post, the postage of fifty cents per year to be added.' It was started at an eventful period, in the latter part of President Jefferson's administration, in the height of his popularity; and in the closing year of Governor Thomas McKean's administration in Pemisylvania, the inde- pendent Democrat, who had defeated Simon Snyder Democrat in 1805 by over 5,000 votes in the state. It was devoted to the Republican party and conse- quently gave a hearty support to President Jefferson. While not much space was given to editorials, there was enough to outline its policy and show the aggressive character of its utterances. Its columns in its second year, showed a controversy with the "Tree of Liberty," a sheet that seemed to be specially virulent in its attacks on the leaders of the Eepublican party in the west. The character of that paper is seen in the introduction to this work, and its attacks on the public men of the Jefferson