newspapers of the country. During its early years there were
various changes in ownership, and the paper was at times in
dubious financial circumstances, until Joseph Medill, in 1855,
purchased an interest and the paper became a member of the
Associated Press. Even then, and after it had purchased The
Democrat, The Tribune was occasionally in financial straits and
had to refuse the payment of its obligations, not s only to the
Associated Press, but also to others until it was financially
forced into bankruptcy. The owners of the paper, however,
had faith in their enterprise, and, undiscouraged by financial
difficulties, they secured a three years' extension of their debts
all of which were discharged in twenty-one months and
began anew. The fullness with which the paper reported the
Lincoln-Douglas debates brought not only an increased circu-
lation, but also relief from financial embarrassment. Its great
influence, however, came from the editorials of Medill edi-
torials which were only surpassed by those of Horace Greeley.
It was on The Tribune that Horace White first made a place for
himself in American journalism.
EELIGIOUS DAILY NEWSPAPERS
In every period of American journalism there have been edi- tors who laid special emphasis upon the moral character of their newspapers. Some attempted to make their sheets distinctly religious organs. Out of ^the latter grew the religious weeklies of the various denominations. Occasionally an editor like Arthur Tappan, of The New York Journal of Commerce, positively refused to gather news on Sunday and excluded all advertisements of theaters, amusements, etc. No attempt, however, was made to found a distinctly religious daily newspaper until 1839.
FIRST IN PHILADELPHIA
In that year a number of wealthy Philadelphia gentlemen possessed of high moral and religious principles set about to pub- lish a daily commercial sheet that should be at least semi-reli- gious in character. After advancing the necessary capital they launched on March 29, 1839, the first number of The North Amer- ican. Religion was kept out of the news, but the editorials were
