Bache

PHILADELPHIA 'AURORA' or 'GENERAL ADVERTISER':

Founded by Benjamin Franklin Bache in 1790 in Philadelphia; started as

'General Advertiser, and Political, Commercial, Agricultural, and Literary

Journal', shortened in 1791 to the 'General Advertiser' when became more

purely political, and then changed in 1794 to 'Aurora and General

Advertiser' - name Aurora (although he claimed was just a whim), suggests

his virtually religious vision of inevitable human progress and new day for

all men if political purity and revolutionary principles hold sway.

Remained that til closure with death of Bache in 1798 (aged only 29). After

death, paper was carried on for year and half by wife as 'New Aurora'.

Bache: One of msot prominent journalists in early history of

Democratic-Republican party. Born at Philadelphia on 12 August 1769, son of

Richard Bache, a Whig merchant, and Sarah Franklin, only daughter of

Benjamin Franklin. As a boy, in October 1776 Bache accompanied his Benjamin

Franklin to Paris, for what became a nine-year stay in Europe. Was educated

for three years at Passy, and then was sent to academy in Geneva; returned

to Passy in 1783, where was taught by private tutors and by the master

printer at Franklin's private press. Was Frankin's hope that Bache wd find

independence as a printer and publisher, and in 1784 he was apprenticed as

typefounder at printing-house of Didot in Paris. However, apprenticeship cut

short in 1785 when he returned to Philadelphia with Franklin, and then

entered the University of Pennsylvania, from where received his B.A. in

1787.

In 1787, Franklin set up Bache in printing business in which they were both

nominal partners: however, their efforts to furnish type fonts for other

printers failed, as did Bache's next project publishing Greek and Latin

texts and Bible stores for use in schools. After Franklin's death in 1790,

Bache turned to journalism, using part of his inheritance from BF to

establish a newspaper, the 'General Advertiser' - motto of which was "Truth,

Decency, Utility". During this period of Washington's first term as

president, political parties were taking shape, and each felt need of

newspaper - the Federalists had Fenno's 'United States Gazette', while

Republicans had Philip Freneau's 'National Gazette': however, when latter

paper was suspended during yellow fever epidemic, 'Aurora' became

predominant Republican paper. Among subscribers at one time were Jefferson

and Washington, despite virulent personal abuse at times of latter.

From beginning, Bache loudly committed to freedom of press, and paper

quickly changed from one offering general information to one that focused on

important political matters in America and abroad, aided by fact that

Philadelphia was national capital and source of news in the making. Bache,

nicknamed "Lightning-Rod Junior", wrote generally anonymous editorials in

which he reported actions of Congress and debates in the House of

Representatives - during the early 1790s, these reports respected by all

factions for their accuracy and were widely reprinted. Bache made a

particular friend of Thomas Jefferson, secretary of state, who gave him

copies of the 'Leiden Gazette' for reliable European news and who saw in

Bache useful editor of firm republican principles. However, when Freneau

moved from NY to Philadelphia and set up partisan republican 'National

Gazette' in Oct 1791, Bache's paper not able to fill this role until 1793,

when Jefferson resigned and 'National Gazette' folded.

From 1794, 'General Advertiser', now renamed the 'Aurora', became dominant

republican newspaper, with Bache growing ever more radical and intemperate

in his attacks. To him, French Rev. was step taken in pursuit of the rights

proclaimed in American Declaration of Ind., and felt that US obligations to

French should be honoured according to terms of Treaty of Alliance of 1778,

despite change in the French regime. This led to Genet issue:

When Louis executed in Jan 1793, Bache felt common ambivalence - was totally

for French Rev., but liek others - including Thomas Paine - was rather

horrified by "inhumanity". When news of execution reached America, the

'General Advertiser' began a long series of articles of the King's trial and

execution, the need to be politic combined with genuine ambivalence probably

encouraging him to publish editorials on both sides of the issue. However,

this issue had died by 24 April, when Bache, in huge type font, published

the new republican constitution of France (Constitution of 1793), which was

quickly followed by implications of French declaration of war against GB and

Holland, rise of Robespierre to power and introduction of the Terror.

From April 1793 onwards, Bache attempted to undermine support for England in

war against France - argued that was massively repressive, and that was an

"intolerant, proud, illiberal, sullen, revengeful" country, while

continually defended French aggression. By mid-1793, Bache had defended

French Rev. with unremitting devotion: meanwhile most prominent politicians

• Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe - remained much cooler and

advocated impartiality (rather than neutrality) towards France, while

Washington wanted non-entanglement - policy that became more anti-French as

time went on. Bache too supported president's declaration of impartiality,

as agreed with almost everyone that America was too weak and in debt to

fight another war, but he really wanted pro-French neutrality.

Arrival of French minister, Edmond Genet, in April 1793, supercharged

Bache's already keen enthusiasm for France, esp as Genet's character,

ideology, and purpose combined to support and further Bache's prejudices.

Labelled an "upstart" with "more genius than ability" by Gouverneur Morris,

Genet was an energetic, enthusiastic, pretentious dilettante - not unlike

Bache. His middle-class background, privileged associations (father had met

Franklin and Adams in France, and his own advancement had come through

patronage), his love of music and dance and hot-air balloons, his abilities

as a translator, and his temperament (with its lack of "steadiness of

application"), were personal characteristics strikingly similar to Bache's

own. As a Girondist, Genet was devoted to idea of the immediate sovereignty

of the people - Bache himself more an American Girondin than a Jacobin, and

shared with Genet vision of a world revolution of sovereign peoples.

Although he may not have completely supported the controversial French

strategy of clandestinely exciting western filibusters in Louisiana, Florida

and Canada introduced and pursued by Genet, Bache did support Genet's other

instructions: to create a new treaty based on the need to extend the "Empire

of Liberty"; to remind Americans that the fate of republicanism in the U.S.

depended on its success in the Old World; and to obtain compliance with

Articles 17, 21 and 22 of the Treaty of Commerce and Amity while not

invoking provisions of the 1778 treaty of alliance to defend each other's

territory. Were definitely allies - e.g. when Genet later tried to vindicate

his conduct through publishing his correspondence, Bache published and sold

the copies.

Thus, arrival of Genet greeted with fanfare in 'General Advertiser'. Through

May and June, as Genet cavalierly issued commissions for privateers,

authorized his consuls to decide prize cases, interpreted the 1778 broadly

in favour of France, plotted a filibuster against New Orleans with help of

George Rogers Clark and discontented westerners, while assuming that the

immediate sovereignty of the people supported his actions against executive

restraints, Bache continued to feed Genet's self-deception and arrogance -

'General Advertiser' reported at length all receptions of Genet, his

speeches etc., to sustain impression of unanimity behind the French cause in

America.

Bache did far less well, however, trying to defend Genet in the diplomatic

crisis that ensued. In mid-May he defended Genet's issuance of commissions

to privateers, but by June Jefferson had already denied Genet a broad

definition of rights for privateers and disposal of prizes in American

ports, and in early July Genet had already threatened, in presence of

Jefferson, to appeal to the people over the President over case of the

captured British ship 'Little Sarah' (April) which had been outfitted by

July into a new privateer, the 'Petite Democrate' in an American port, but

which Jefferson ordered to be detained. Bache did not understand magnitude

of diplomatic rift developing, and continued unremitting support for Genet -

i.e. political opposition to the administration - and reported case of the

'Petite Democrate', in which he claimed that a French prize had been kept

from leaving port even though the French had a perfect treaty right to take

it out of port - by this, Bache had completely severed support for the

administration and embraced Genet's interpretation of the treaty,

neutrality, and constitutional authority in foreign policy application - and

in paper on 12 July "A Jacobin" summarized the matter, declaring that

Washington intended to nullify the French Treaty in opposition to the will

of Congress and the people: basically claiming that America had divorced

France and was marrying Great Britain.

However, on 1 August U.S. govt decided to have Genet's recall discreetly

engineered, and during autumn months Hamilton's campaign against him gained

ground. Bache remained loyal to Genet during last five months of 1793, but

became increasingly obvious that pro-Genet camp was losing - tide turning

against French use of American soil for their war. Yellow fever outbreak of

1793 provided a tragic climax to partisan rift in Philadelphia over Genet

affair - killed as many as 14,000 in city by late October - when

Federalists, claimed plague brought by French refugees, fled the city, while

Jeffersonian Republicans, claiming disease had local origins, generally

stayed and dominated the relief work as a political act. Federalist "cures"

for the disease included quinine bark and wine, while Republicans generally

clung to Benjamin Rush's ultimate "cure" - purging of blood. Bache stuck it

out in city longer than most (did attack Rush's bleeding, and speculated on

many local sources and cures - once advocated lightning rods as

preventataive) who had chance to escape: closed down shop on 26 Sept and

re-opened on 23 Nov, when made futile attempt to salvage Genet - marked turn

in 1794 towards more minority support for France in America as Terror

progressed. As a result, for rest of decade, Bache was primarily occupied as

an apologist for France, and only secondarily as a celebrator of French

accomplishments.

From 1794, great deal of 'Aurora' dealt with unfavourable news concerning

Federalists in general, and Washington in particular, who was so venerated

that Bache believed Federalists hiding behind him while they secretly

improved commercial relations with British - e.g. in 1795 a "Calm Observer"

charged that the President had overdrawn his salary and was a common

defaulter, while during 1796 paper accused Washington of violating the

Constitution, printed a burlesque poem on W.'s birthday, and reprinted

forged letters of W. originally issued by the British. (When Washington

retired from office in March 1797, Bache wrote: "If ever there was a period

for rejoicing, this is the moment - every heart in unison with the freedom

and happiness of the people, ought to beat high with exultation that the

name of Washington from this day ceases to give a currency to political

iniquity, and to legalize corruption."

Meanwhile, in 1795 John Jay returned with treaty (ratified 24 June 1795 by

Senate) which conceded much to British, which greatly alarmed supporters of

France: Bache had treaty leaked to him, and printed hundreds of pamphlets

containing entire text on 1 July, before Washington had made it public. This

all highly exciting and controversial: followed by other controversies [see

ADNB etc], most famous being the XYZ sensation (1798), during which Bache

was at first charged with treason, and then with seditious libel of the

President and Executive, was brought to a federal district court on 29 June

1798 but released on $4,000 bond, to be tried in October. However, Bache

never made it to court, as fell a victim to yellow fever in Philadelphia,

and died on 10 September 1798. His wife (who had married on 17 November

1791, and had four children) carried on paper after his death, and married

'Aurora''s associate editor William Duane in 1800.

Bache important for dedication to freedom of press and more open govt., and

for his creation of an effective and enduring opposition press. Was

certainly a highly controversial figure - contemporaries labelled him a

peddler of "filth", a "base and unnatural miscreant", and an "impudent dog",

who "outraged every principle of decency, of morality, of religion, and of

nature". William Cobbett proclaimed: "He is an ill-looking devil, of sallow

complexion, hollow-cheekded, dead-eyed, and has a toute en semble, just like

that of a fellow who has been about a week or ten days in a gibbett."

Abigail Adams described him as having the "malice and falsehood of Satan".

Although his successor as editor of the Philadelphia 'Aurora' would later

remember him for his "timely and able developments and expositions of public

measures, foreign and domestic " and as "the most formidable check upon

ambition and false policy, which this nation has possessed for five years

past". Washington declared that Bache attacked his administration with

"malignant industry, and perservering falsehoods . . . in order to weaken,

if not destroy, the confidence of the Public". Most of his enemies would

have agreed that he was "Printer to the French Directory, Distributor

General of the Principles of Insurrection, Anarchy and confusions", and the

"greatest fool, and most stubborn sans culotte in the United States" (from

'Federal Gazette', 1798).

Some of these not entirely wrong: Bache seldom came across as an especially

pleasant journalist - though embraced much of Jefferson's philosophy, did

not have latter's profundity or appreciation of nuance, and so engendered

same response in his own time as did Thomas Paine. But was not the "born

hireling" of Franklin as was generally supposed: was seriously looking for

means of articulating representative democracy, had passionate desire to

defeat all vestiges of monarchy, aristocracy and traditionalism, and had

idealist vision of maintaining sisterhood of American and French republics

through his newspaper.