The Sun.
London, England, 1821-05-19 00:00:00

PROVINCIAL JOURNALS,

The following judicious article is taken from
The Birmingham and Lichfield Chronicle of
Thursday last, and we- recommend its •kist and
manly exhortations against the .abuses 'of the
Public Press, to the attentive consideration of
the advocates of both Parties.:—
" The proceedings of the louse of Commons during the last
week, respecting a breach of privilege, have Occupied an un—
usual share of attention, and tile result will teach public writers
a useful lesson.

" The infinence at present possessed by the Press over the
sentiments,, character, and conduct of the people is so inordi-
nate, that it'' a matter of primary concern.
nto all who
valu3 what--is excellent anti
.praiseworthy in a nation, and be-
lieve that as its, morals and its virtue flourish, so will its pro-
sper 4 and its power increase, to take care that this influence is
rightly directed. If the press becomes the engine of mischief ;
if it is ,inployed to -delude instead of enlightening the public
mind ; labours to inflame the passions -and .thislead the
judgment of the great mass of our population, and thus stimu-
late thgan, to overturn those institutions which it is no less their
interest. than their duty to uphold ; it is as a sword in the
hands of:ra madman, which every man who values his own se-
curity, or that of, his neighbour, will endeavour to' wrest from
his desperate graSp.., Vence the necessity-of those associations
in defence Of-loyalty and religion, which have been formed by
independent and reflecting men; who saw that a large portion
of the press was employed in systematically opposing all that
was excellent in Church and State, and despaired of resisting
so mighty a, power,by any thing but combined exertion. '
" Mischievous' • however, as these publications were, and
loudly as they .called for restraint and punishment; still, to a
certain degree, they carried with them their own antidote, in
the , open. and desperate war which they declared against all
that is' honourable and virtuous. The spirit of loyal men took
the alarm, when the weapon of' assault was daringly pointed
'against the Throne of their Sovereign, and the fundamental
principles of' the Constitution : and they were at once arrayed
in opposition to the assailant. Nor was a less watchful and
'whoicsoine zeal awakened by the impious ribaldry with which
our holy religion was assailed, and the audacious falsehoods dis-
'serninated respecting the character and conduct of its Mi-
nisters.

" These things, while they plainly spewed the true end and
aim of the libellers, happily rendered the best and soundest por-
tion of the community invulnerable by their attacks; and the
undisguised' loathsomeness of the Sin deprived it of mere than
half its danger, by stripPingit of its fascinations.
" But the case is widely different in the instance which has in-
duced the House of Commons to punish a breach of its privi-
leges. The publication which called forth the animadversions
of that Honourable House, has been the avowed advocate of
virtue, religion, and the Constitution. But .it has resorted to
the desperate expedient of fighting the enemies of good order
and'sound principles with their own weapons; it has ventured
to mete out to them the same measure which. they had ,long
been dealing to the opponents of .Radical Reform, and the sup-
porters of the Monarchy and the Church : and in its zeal to
serve. the cause,it undertook to defend, it has wholly lost sight
of the eVerlasting. Canon,' which declares—' thou shalt not do
evil that good mar come.' tvery good man Will feel the same
honest indignation which John Bull' has so manfully avow-
, ed against the vile agents in that work of delusion, calumny,
and seditious, excitement,.. was so diligently carried on by
a desperate faction, headed by a combination of low cunning,
malignant resentment, and desperate ambition, for the avowed
Purpose of restoring the Queen to that station which the insult,.
ed virtue of the nation forbade her to occupy. But no good
man, when he coolly, reflects on the subject, can justify the
means which 'John Bull' adopted to defeat this faction. Nor
will the success with which the efforts of that publication have
been in many instances attended, ever reconcile us to the mode
of warfare it pursued, or induce us to bestow the meed justly due
to the guardian of truth and the advocate of religion, upon him
who has not scrupled to dip his pen in the gall of the slanderer,
and defile his columns with the filth of detraction, in order to
scare away the. enemy froui the attack by bespattering him
with his own dirt. It matters not that, in soine in-stances, the
scandalous stories which. ' John Bull.' delighted to propagate,
and the vile insinuations against private character in . which he
Was apt to indulge, had their foundation in truth. It is against
the system, not merely as it displayed itself in one instance or
another.; but as it attacked political, characters through the ho-
nour and reputation of all their nearest connections, that we
protest. We do not go to the length of asserting, that the pri-.
VAC character of a Statesinan is never to be investigated by the
Public Press, for we admit the whole truth of the remark, that
he who is vile, or vicious,, or tyrannical, or corrupt in his private
relations, is not to be trusted with the honour, or virtue, or free-
dom, or integrity. of the nation. But we maintain it is no ar-
gument against a political opponent to say, your wife is far
from spotless ; your sister has a stain upon her enaracter ; and
your tenth cousin was implicated in a disgraceful transaction.
We think no purity of intention (if, indeed, purity of intention
be compatible-with such conduct) can justify such a mode
of attack asalis. And- we hesitate not to say, that the good
cause of virtue, loyalty, and religion can never be.effeetually
served by such defenders.
" To feed the aetite for scandal, never can promote the
pp
interests of. truth. -To gratify the lowest'passiona of our na-
ture, and seduce the good and honourable into an unwary par-
ticipation in the guilt of calumny, is inflicting a far deadlier
blowupon the morals and welfare of the country than all the
malignity of radicalism 'ever could devise', or the temporary
triumph of faction perpetuate. Non tali auxilio nec defenson-
bna Tempus eget.
" flaying thus expressed our opinion freely, on the merits
and demerits of the publication which has called forth the cen-
sine of the goose of COMmons We will only add one word to
t..hUe who so loudly called for duet censure. We are far from
saying that, in so doing,' they did more than their' duty. We
will allow that they owed it to themselves, to the dignity
of their station in the Country, and to the real-beneficial influ-
ence of the press itself, to pursue the course they selected. IVe
have only earnestly to intreat them to persevere with impartial
vigilance,in the duty they have undertaken. The field is wide,
the harvest ripe for the siclLle, and the labourers unfortunate-
ly have hitherto been but few, and their exertions have 'met
with little encouragement. If, without fear or favour, they will
boldly visit the detraction of the Public Press with punishment,
they will render to the nation a benefit far greater than all the
political reforms they have ever meditated, all the ceconomical
retrenchments they have ever advocated. The political conten-
tions which agitate this country, are of themselves an evil to be
deplored ; 'but they are not unmixed with good. Purify them
with the base malignity of personal slander with which they
have . been so long defiled ; teach the Public Press to speak
truly as well as boldly ; to attack measures, not to calumniate
men; and above all, to respect the Ministers of Religion for their
office sake, and to abstain from attacking the illustrious indi-
vidual ivho fillS the throne for the peoples' sake ; and more
will be done to serve the cause of social liberty, and promote
the real welfare of the country, than has been effected yet by the'
most zealous reformer whoever harangued a mob, or the most
indefatigable oppositiOn which ever monopolized the talents and
virtue of the Nation."

DEATH BY PolsoN.—An Inquisition was taken
at a late hour on Thursday night, before T:
STIRLTNQ, Esq. at the King's Head, on the
Hampstead road, on the body of Mr. Richard'
Tester, aged 28, who put a period to his existence
by taking a quantity of poison.—The Jury re-
turned a verdict—" That the deceased poisoned
himself ill a state of temporary derangement." •

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COURT• OF RING'S BENCH, MAY 18.

THE KING V. DOLBY.

This defendant came up to plead to an indict-
ment against him, instituted by the Constitutional
Association, for publishing an alleged seditious
libel. lie pleaded not Guilty, and received no-
tice of trial for the adjourned Sittings after this
Term..