Glasgow Argus facts for kids

The Glasgow Argus was a newspaper from Scotland. It was published twice a week from 1833 to 1847. This newspaper supported new ideas and wanted to change things for the better. For example, it supported ending slavery. It also spoke out against the Corn Laws, which were rules about importing grain. Many people saw the Argus as the newspaper for the supporters of James Oswald, a merchant and politician from Glasgow.

A Look Back at Its History

The Glasgow Argus newspaper officially started at a meeting on 4 February 1833. Important people like Colin Dunlop, Charles Tennant, George Crawfurd, and James Lumsden were there. At this meeting, they decided that the newspaper company would be set up so that many people could own small parts of it. This is called the joint-stock principle. They sold 200 shares, and each share cost £20. No one person was allowed to own more than ten shares.

At first, Robert and James Hedderwick printed the newspaper. But in 1833, the newspaper created its own printing department. This was done to save money.

Editors and Their Ideas

The first editor was William Weir. He made the Argus the main voice for James Oswald's supporters, who were known as the "Clique." William Weir also had strong, new ideas of his own. He believed in free trade, which meant trading without special taxes. This idea was different from what the newspaper's owners believed. Weir wanted politicians to promise to get rid of the Corn Laws right away.

In 1839, William Weir was fired because his ideas were too radical. He had also upset the newspaper's owners by printing things that criticized important politicians, including the Lord Advocate, Andrew Rutherfurd.

The End of the Newspaper

In 1847, during a general election, the editor Charles Mackay disagreed with the newspaper's management. They argued about which Liberal politician to support locally. Because of this, Charles Mackay left his job as editor. Even though the newspaper had recently been made bigger, it was still losing money. So, on 29 November 1847, they decided to close it down.

Who Was in Charge?

Here are the main editors who worked at the Glasgow Argus:

• 1833–1839 William Weir: He was a lawyer from Edinburgh. He earned £250 a year plus 20% of the profits. He left in 1839 because his ideas were seen as too radical. Later, he became the editor of the Daily News in London.
• 1839–1840 Thornton Leigh Hunt
• 1840–1844 William Lang
• 1844–1847 Charles Mackay
• 1847 John Hill Burton