January 12, 1776

King George III’s speech on October 27 generated heated debate in Parliament, covered in the London newspapers which took several months to reach Philadelphia. In the Staatsbote, Henry Miller decided not to print column upon column recapping the debates, like some of the other newspapers in the city. The accounts were too long, and would fill an entire newspaper. More importantly, as he noted here, “die debatten”—the debates—did not change the minds of anyone in Parliament or the British government. 

When presented with lengthy speeches, debates, or essays, newspaper publishers had to think strategically about what to print and when. From the very first newspapers in British North America, some printers let news from London or lengthy speeches drag on from one issue to the next, sometimes for weeks on end. In 1776, Henry Miller’s Staatsbote was most often a single sheet—one page, with news on the front and back—printed twice a week. There was only so much text that he could fit on that page, and expanding to a four-page issue was expensive during wartime paper shortages. The advertisements which offset the printing costs often took priority. Sometimes, Miller and other printers explained their decision to print or not print something. In this case, Miller let his audience know that there had been debates about the king’s speech, but no positive outcomes for the colonists.

Pennsylvanischer Staatsbote
Printed by Henry Miller

Des Königs allergnädigste rede hat in beyden Parlaments häusern hitzige für- und gegenreden verursachet, die aber zu lang sind, und allein ein Zeitungs-stück ausmachen würden; es erhellet auch nicht daß alle die debatten die geringste veränderung in den maßregeln des Parlaments und Staatsamts gemacht haben.