Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article
September 4, 1988
By Susan J. Dehler
Vigo County Historical Society
Newsboys’ poem praises progress with some self-interest tossed in
Patrons! I come with harp attuned,
In varied strains to greet your ear,
And blend my passing tribute with
The chorus of the dying year . . .
This week’s historical treasure is a page from an old Terre Haute newspaper, The Wabash express, dated Jan. 1, 1859. The poem above, titled “Newsboys’ Annual Offering,” was a regular feature published on New Year’s Day as a commentary on the past year.
Although the writer is purposely vague, the poem does hint at the progress and problems of the previous year. The year of 1858 brought continued expansion to the United States in transportation, communication and innovation.
A major stagecoach route and mail delivery service was established between San Francisco, Calif. and St. Louis, Mo. The first successful transatlantic telegraph cable was completed by financier Cyrus W. Field on Aug. 5, although the cable malfunctioned a month later.
Politically, the nation was becoming increasingly divided over slavery. In 1858, Kansas rejected the Lecompton Constitution so that the territory would be established as non-slaveholding. It also was the year of the Lincoln-Douglas debates for senator of Illinois.
The Wabash Express reported political and local issues with a partisan slant. The newspaper was a voice for the newly founded Republican party which was predominantly antislavery, in favor of public education, and had many temperance supporters.
But Indiana historian James Madison determined that Hoosiers were not radical abolitionists. They were a moderate, conservative element of the Republican party concerned primarily with slavery’s expansion westward.
In 1858, Terre Haute could be viewed as a microcosm for the expansion of transportation and industry. This was the year that the first Terre Haute City Directory was issued and it depicted a thriving community of nearly 10,500.
Railroads at this time complemented river transportation. Terre Haute was no exception. Water transport on the Wabash River and the Wabash and Erie Canal was vital to trade and industry, but the railroad also connected the community south, east and west to Evansville, Indianapolis and St. Louis.
Many of Terre Haute’s manufactured products reflect the mid-century manufacturing trends closely related to natural resources such as timber and agriculture. In 1858, pork packing, lumber and liquor distilleries were important industries in Terre Haute. The newsboys’ poem in the Wabash Express depicts a city of growth and hope:
The tireless Engine, and the long
Resounding Locomotive’s song.
The ceaseless tramp of busy feet,
Re-echoing from street to street . . .
All mark the thrift and rapid rise,
Of this our Prairie Paradise.
Although the newsboys’ poem comments on the preceding year, the real purpose of their rhyme becomes clear in the final stanza:
Accept my parting cheer,
A prosperous, healthy, happy year . . .
Untie the hard knot, and disburse
A Quarter from your heavy purse . . .
Yes, the newsboys wanted their annual tip.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.