Page:History of the newspapers of Beaver County, Pennsylvania.djvu/77

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THE WESTERN ARGUS. 57

previous, "to act as editor, compositor, pressman and devil."

The paper came out in a bright new dress June 3, 1840, making a very handsome appearance, and the editor stated that he would enlarge the paper if two hundred or three hundred more names were added to the subscription list. "But," he said, "let us elect General Harrison, make times better, enable men to meet their engagements promptly, and then we shall be able to present an appearance at least equal to any of our cotemporaries."

The name of the paper was changed to the "Beaver Argus" August 2, 1843, and it was enlarged to seven colunms to a page. The paper on which it was printed was made by Archibald Robertson at his mill in Brighton, and it was of excellent quality. The enlarged paper presented a nice and neat appearance and was full of good reading matter. In changing the name of the paper, the editor said: "We have long been disposed to drop the 'Western' part of our head and make it more local and appropriate to our position; for it is a disputed question whether we are in the West or in the East, the Armory Commissioners placing us precisely on the dividing line of these geographical divisions. So far as the paper is known abroad it is the 'Beaver Argus,' and as we go for Beaver first before all the West or all the world, all the Beavers will doubtless agree that it is a more appropriate title."

April 19, 1848, the paper appeared in a new outfit of type, smaller in size than that before used, to enable the editor to give more reading. In the next year, December 8, announcement was made that arrangements were completed for receiving news by telegraph, doubtless the first in the history of the papers in the county. June 26, 1850, Albert G. Henry, brother of William Henry, became associated with him in the control of the