Ann Arbor

XXIX. The Press. This series of sketches could scarcely be deemed complete without some notice of the founding in Ann Arbor of the art which has revolutionized the society of Christendom. But the notice must treat chiefly of origins, not of each separate enterprise in the printer's art. This is, indeed, a distinction which has been kept in view throughout this serI ;s. The purpose has been to show how riiings started and gotunderway; not .,,. trace their endless details onward to.di'ds the present time. The first newspaper was issued here iuveniber 18th, 189. It was called í7íE Western Emigrant and was pubLshed and edited at first by Thomas Simpson, put passed after five weeks of existence into the hands of Judge Dexter, who associated with himself Mr. George Corselius in the editorial work. Mr. Corselius had been employed on the Advertiser in Detroit and had the education of the time in journalistic work. Since newspapers came into existence a number of an issue floated down from a past age has been the best means of obtaining a stereoscopic view of the condition of the place of publication for the time of the issue, editorials, communications, selections and advertisements all bring noted for the purpose. To state the political complexion of the Emigrant would bring an unknown world before the vast majority of our people. Few of the present day who have not made a close study of our political history know that from 182" to about 1840 there was a political party known as Anti-Masons. Tt grew out of the abduction in 1826 fromCanandaigua, N. Y., confinement in the Niágara county jail and later murder of one William Morgan for revealing in a book which he had in manuscript ready for pulieation, the secrets of the Masonic fraternity. The party grew so strong as to carry generally the elections of some states ; Pennsylvania elect■id the noininee of this party for governor at least once, and in 1832 Vermont gave its electoral vote to William Wirt, of Maryland, and Amos Ellmaker, of Pennsylvania, for president and vicepresident of the United States. The Emigrant, the first, and during its existence under that name, the only newspaper of Ann Arbor, with Honorable Samuel W. Dexter as its responsible editor, held up the claims of this party. It will perhaps not be out of place here to inform the reader that Ann bor had among its early prominent citizens a man whom a distinct oral tradition has connected somewhat intimately with the affair oí Morgan. I will teil the story by a little diversion into the field of anecdote. It may illustrate the position of tho party of the Emigrant. The late Henry W. Rogers used to beckon me as I passed to a seat on his veranda (corner of Huron and Divisionsts) for a talk. At one time it turned upon the late William L. Marcy, Seeretary of State under President Pearce. We had both known Mr. Marcy and I made some referen oe to the classic joke about his making the state pay for mending his pantaloons, upon which Mr. Rogers proceeded to teil me of its origin, as follows : "The excitement was so great that a western judge could not be trusted to preside at the trial of the men implicated in the atïair of Morgan, and Marcy was sent on f rom Albany. He boarded during the trial at a hotel in Lockport, and at one timo directed the landlord to send a pair of pantaloons to a tailor for repairs, the expense of which was charged as an item in his hotel-bill, the whole passed the auditor'ó office and was paid, the item for repairing the garment not having been noticed. When Marcy was up a few yoars later for govornor, somo whig had iished up this item for canvassing purposes and in the little village of Bath, Steuben county, where I thon lived, the whigs had suspended by a card drawn over the street a large pair of pantaloons, with a great patcli on the part which, with a maa on the bench, would bo likely to wear through first. I stayed around whilo the polos wore closed for dinner and observed a man from the country who was looking around as though he wished to learn something. He finally eame to me to know" 'who the man was that wore the patched trowsers. ' "I said to him that's Judge Marcy, William L. Maroy." 'Well,' "said he," 'I think I shall vote for a rnan who wears the patched trowesers. ' "I suppose" tinued Mr. R. "he thought that one who woro patched garments would mako an economie governor. So you see that the whigs procured one vote and I think they did a great many for Mr. Marcy by using the story of the patched pantaloons in the canvass. " I then said to Mr. K. "You can perhaps see from here the norlh side of that old-fashioned red briek house at the corner of Huron and Pifth streots ; Judge Kinne occupies it. " 'Yes,' "he replied," 'what of lt?' "That house," I .replied "was built and occupied to the time of his death by William R. Thompson, who was sheriff of Niágara County, N. Y., at the time of Morgan's abduction and was implicated so far as this that he allowed the abductors the use of the jail to imprison their victim, which he had no right to do without judicial action. Although he was safe from any further proceedings against him, such was the exeitement in ern New York, that his desire for personal comfort brought him to this place." It ought to be added here that Mr. Rogers told me at the same time that he himself was a masón and deemed the institution a good one, but had no doubt that masons abducted and murdored Morgan, though not by the action of any lodge. We had here, then, from 1829 to 1836 one newspaper only and that in the interests of the Anti-Masonic party, and one man who was implicaced in the Morgan tragedy. The Ann Arbor Press will be continued as the subject of my next.