they voluntarily thought fit to employ." Holt then com-
plained that Parker, his rival printer who had control of the
post-office, ought not have such authority, "an arbitrary power,
greater than that ever exercised in England."
At the time William Goddard started his Maryland Journal, August 20, 1773, newspapers were under an espionage: if they contained any reflection on the Royal Government they were promptly destroyed. Postmasters loyal to the British Gov- ernment carefully examined all copies offered for transmission through the mails. In order to get around this annoyance, Goddard ran his own post to Philadelphia. Leaving his sister, Mary K. Goddard, in charge of his newspaper, Goddard in Oc- tober, 1773, made a tour through the Northern colonies. While on this trip he arranged for "an American post office system on constitutional principles" to put into effect his plan for the dis- tribution of newspapers from Massachusetts to Georgia.
FIRST STRIKE OF PRINTERS
During the time that the British were in control of New York tunes were unusually hard, especially for printers. The price of provisions had been repeatedly advanced. On account of the blockade the supply of firewood, the only fuel of the time, was greatly reduced, and what there was, sold for a price beyond the purse of the printer. Rents had been raised, and local taxes had been increased. Consequently, there was some justification for a meeting of printers for the expressed purpose of insisting upon an advance in their wages. Meeting at the home of one of their number, they fixed upon what they considered a fair re- muneration for their work and presented their demands to the newspapers by which they were employed. The newspapers consented to the increase, except the one owned by James Riv- ington. Upon his refusal to grant the increase the printers for his paper refused to work any longer at the old wage. Finding himself unable to print his newspaper, Rivington at last yielded, and the printers came back. In all probability this was the first strike of printers in America. Justification for this strike will be found in the fact that the printers were receiving a wage of less than one dollar per day.
