New York Weekly Journal

     February 18, 1733  (excerpt)

 

 “Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech which is the Right of every Man…”

 

“That the security of property, and the freedom of speech always go together; and in those wretched countries where a man cannot call his tongue his own he can scarce call anything else his own.  Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech; a thing terrible to public traitors.  Freedom of speech is ever the symptom as well as the effect of good Government.”

 

DOMESTIC AFFAIRS

“The people of this city and province think are the points in question, to-wit;  they think, as matters now stand, that their liberties and properties are precarious, and that slavery is like to be entailed on them and their posterity, if some past things be not amended.”

       

       Pointed writings such as these regarding freedom and liberty along with criticizing governor Cosby for allowing French ships to inspect the harbor and fortifications of New York (a thing much to be feared should war break out between the colonies and France) gave rise to a great enmity between governor Cosby and John Peter Zenger, publisher of the New York Weekly Journal.  Governor Cosby ordered the hangman to burn all copies of the paper and have Mr. Zenger tried for libel, or stating false things being injurious to others, namely governor Cosby.  During the trial the adept defense counsel Hamilton for Mr. Zenger was rebuked by the judge for his aggressive and forthright work: “You cannot be admitted, Mr. Hamilton, to give the truth of a libel in evidence,” declared Judge Delancey.  In the end, however, truth prevailed and John Peter Zenger was set free to publish his paper outside the confines of jail again.  His wife had remained true to him and kept up the publication by visiting with Mr. Zenger in jail and managing the paper for nine months while he was in jail awaiting the “NOT GUILTY” verdict.

 

        The ‘New York Weekly Journal’ was not dedicated strictly to philosophical matters regarding freedom and oppression.  Indeed, some quite practical issues were discussed in his paper:

 

“Mr. Zenger,

 

In your last Paper we find the Widows have printed their deplorable Case; as the Matrons have led the Way, we Maids may follow: So beg you’ll insert the following in your weekly Journal.”

 

        “Our case in short is this, the young gentlemen are so taken up with politics, that we hardly get one pretty thing said to us in a month; and sure I am, if they do not alter soon, we shall never be widows; and the case of old maids is so deplorable, that it shocks us to think of it:  But we assure the gentlemen it may be worse with them, for in case of an invasion, we shall certainly join with those that will join with us.”