Examiner and Semi-Weekly Intelligencer
The Examiner was founded in 1847 by Edward Whelan. It printed news, anecdotes, fiction, poetry and advertisements. It was a weekly Liberal newspaper, crusading for Responsible Government and opposing the Family Compact. It favoured the Land Purchase Act and the Loan Bill as the means of ridding P.E.I, of its absentee landlords. During the 1850s, the Examiner supported the extension of the franchise and the Free Education Act. In the 1860s, the settlement of the Land Question was the chief preoccupation of the Examiner. It opposed the Land Commission Award, suggesting other parliamentary reforms. Confederation was strongly advocated by the Examiner until 1867, when its founder Edward Whelan died. Thereafter, the paper opposed Confederation. In the final years of the 1860s, reciprocal trade with the United States was demanded. During the 1870s, the construction of the railroad and nonsectarian education were the two main issues for which the Examiner fought. In 1873, when W.L. Cotton became the paper's editor and publisher, its politics became Conservative and attacks on the Liberals became freguent in its pages. Tariffs and reciprocity were often discussed. In 1877, the Examiner became a daily publication. The Weekly Examiner (see also) continued to be published alongside the daily until at least 1901. The years between 1880 and 1922 saw the gradual decline of the Examiner. News reporting during the 1880s was good but by the beginning of World War I it was only minimal. Political commentary became less and less frequent in the paper, although it did remain Conservative until it finally ceased publication. Issues featured in the Examiner during these years included Liberal overspending and corruption, the poor rail and steam service to P.E.I., and temperance. Fiction ceased to be published in the early 1890s. In 1915, the Examiner was merged with the Charlottetown Guardian, and in 1922 it was absorbed by the Guardian.