The National Register. — London, England, 1808-04-03 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. they have dreamed : fur all is in its ancient course. We,-who have lookrd on, Pdin're the wonderful ways of heaven : for the career of revolution has concluded at the starting plac:. from which it began, and millions have been weak and wicked, only that an individual may be great ! REVIEW OF poLinci-u. DECLAIMERS. No. X I V. TITE DUTY OF NEWSPAPERS. The list of periodical works is daily increasing, and the vice• of these productions appear to he augmented with their num bers. When Newspapers first appear in a country, they confine themselves to the publication of such intelligence and such rea s'►nings as may inform or influence the rational part of the com munity; but the power that resides in the hands of Newspaper paliticians is esceedioglv dangerous, even while the press is thus made the chat nel wily of new facts al►d conscientious opini ons. For most writers, even if unconnected with a particular ratty, have, at *fist, an attachment to particular prejudices: th ►se attachments they publish, and the minds of 3 ming and weak persons, and even of that great mass of sensible men who never take the trouble of judging for themselves, are affected and often decided by such partial reasonings. If the pou l 'er of the periodical papers is to be dreaded, when the smallness of their numbers occasions them, like the upright R10111:111 who dwelt on a hill above the city, to occupy a pre-eminence where nothing hides then► from the public eye, how mud) more dan gerous do they become, when surrounded by a host of neighbours, 'who increase their inducements, and rover:ll their 11. r•iotio►i , , to vice ! In such a predicament are the journals of the present day. Their multitude preserves them from investigation: all may hope to pass in the crowd, and all are tempted to swerve either toward the right or toward the left, in order to arrive as coa vertically as possible at their journey's end. Thus the News papers, instead of directing the stream of tho public, have be gun to follow it. No man now lays down for his readers those principles, which his readers ought to adopt ; but every one adopts those principles which his readers have chosen to lay down. The Editor of a Newspaper is now, what a physician is at a fashionable watering place : a parasite who feels pulses with a selfish care ; who, if he finds the health perfect. persuades the patient into illness, in order to get the business of curing hire : who, if the constitution be actually disordered. feeds the flame that preys upon the vitals. and pleases the palate by poisoning the blood! A Paper, which, like The Natimial Regia►er, profc , ses to be a work of record, should be peculiarly careful of hazarding any observations that may appear to spring from a party motive. There are tna pnrtics at present in the State, and au implicit adherence to either of them is equallrebsard. For the Miaim terisd.stakt, have faults which every friend of the constitution spot deeply deplore: and the Opposition have follies w hich the 4tig" hiti4:6 of the country must hail with rapture. On the one tilleisithe t tlitme of the h ing, the imps:sing appearance of csta btisaa power, the dignity of high situation, Lind the reverential favoni`44th which most people arc very ju4ly inclined to re gard the existing government of a state. On the other is an siioc - adslage of able, pen erful, and wealthy men, frequently in judicious in their practice, Ira almost alw:;‘s correct in their Ireiaciple between these two parties the Newspapers hase sl , ought it necessary to make a choice : and instead of ranging themselves Ga the sides of establishment and reform, of crow!: turd people, of peace and war, they almost all enlist beneath the banners of Cie Pertevals and Canning% on the one hand, or of the Ore avilles and Greys on the other. Niel', and not Mea sur 'leir attachment. Now, in • to be any thing, must he• !wand why part l y should ■ APRIL 3. get the Netter of principle, and be employed to supply its place: but we cannot help thinking that in literature, where a blind determination is not requisite, where soundness of theory is ex pected rather than promptitude of action, impartialit}• mould succeed better than undiscriminating enthusiasm, even if it were only from the charm of novelty. But the truth is, that the temptations which induce the Proprietors of Newspapers to swerve from the plain and manly conduct they should pursue, atd descend to party falshood and personal spite, are tempt:- ions of a very mean and unimportant class : temptations that, in the true nature of devilish seduction, afford a little for the present, only that they may damn more completely for the future : and Newspapers, in order to obtain a temporary popu larity with a party, commit themselves by statements that de ,rade their character, and finally expose them to public con tempt. Like all traitors, they are paid till the treason is com plete : and then the Very persons who have employed or en couraged them, are the first to exclaim against their falshood and their folly. In this Paper we wish, upon principle, to lean toward the side of the crown. For it seems that he who can divest him self of all party prejudice, and love the constitution sicecrch. must be a friend of the great principles upon which the con stitution depends : and as the principle of our conAitution, though under many limitations, is on the whole monarchical, a paper which ventures to take the titie of The Naiione Re gister, ought to incline rather toward the kingly than liosarit the demo( ratic part of the State. Not that we are at all dis posed to compromise the rights of the people : for that, in our opinion, would he ultimately to injure the people and the crown too ; but we wish to prove, that as it is the real and grand policy of the crown to avoid the oppression of the people, the people, when they have once submitted themselves to authority; ;cc in duty bound to uphold the authority they have created j to oppose it by no vexatious obstacles ; to infringe no por tion of its ju-t prerogative; and to deny to it no specici of honourable influence. It ought to he always remembered, that the actual power of the eruct n is not great in this country ; that the weight of thr royal branch of the legislature consists much more io opioinn than in substance. This is one of the axioms which it is at OM moment most particularly important to enforce, because there seems to be a party daily increasing, a party ied, or rati n g misled, by certain factions scribblers, who teach that the essence of the British Constitutiou is the absolute de,potisin nt tie people, ani that the balance of power is to he k vitt e%cii !)• throw-in; all the weight iuto one of the scales ! Absord the doetrit:e appears, it has many followers. if the ',tower ,n the crown were real and substantial, the idea would not he :I:,ngerous : but since the power of the crown depends, as t , e hile said, at , on the opinion of the people, it is sorely tht duty of all who wish to see the enormous might of the Cori mons kept in check by the operation of royal power and it: , Iltience, to aid the only means by v. hick that power and that influence can be supported, namely, the constitutional veto gative, and the respectful feelings of the people. _ We acknowledge that the free discussion of the ri,tlitc of ail branches of the Legislature is productive of good to all ; one 4 4. the greatest blessings of the Constitution is the very privilege tt speaking, and even publblting, all fair opinions ; but the is too often abused, and unfair opinions are foolislil inia im.d and sophisticallN. preached. We are the ailNocates iherty ; but tve have ;; right 10 advise 4) n r contemporaries not to mike their liberty licentiousness. Some persons belies,- hat violence on either side can dune harm to the c,,toitr. 'treatise the violence is sure to be equal on the (*Alter side; but the martyrs of the inquisition never found their frame , rmi tinue knit when four horses were dragging their limb. , in lour (anent directions. Antidotes are very necessary after p°i' suas ; but it I a safer pi::a to feed on a "'Aerate and ordisary ~rirrrr. ‘l.. ire', b !A•tbir i MIA sObjpetS of the tii VC 4 -. . , 4 on, ) - 1. - rder ~.,. ~.. mg . •, . i i • N'./ mit I '1: 1 1 ~,' .. 11_ 41 71 - I . ' • • 1 It' ll \ v4 ' • */ '' " I -A .•.: $ I • gb i,.. .. • 4 . ' i . •,-. 1) : ‘*?s„,„; 17P' • • N '''': •• ". : •--- . s - 1 ' - • - •—.... 210 Ig