The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1818-09-01

Kentucky accomplishment. "A juelhas been
fought at Lexington, Ken by Drs. Dudley
and Richardson, in which the latter received
wound in the thigh. Both are professors
in the Pennsylvania University, in which the
Rev. Mr.. HolIey, has lately been appointed
President.
AS there seems TO be diversity Of opinion with
respect to the propriety ofpublshing in the news
papers accounts of murders, robberies, horsible
accidents, deaths by suicide, and the whole cat
aogue ofaccidents :. by flood and field'' to which
. flesh is heir to ~ and as we have several
times been censured for giving currency to them
in the Gazette, we avail ourselves ofthe follow
ing extract froma well written essay the sub
ject, in answer to similar complaints, as well as
TO writer in the National Intelligencer, who has
preferred doeful complaint against newspaper
editors in general--talzen from the Newyork Eve
ming Post of the 25th ult.--After noticing the O.
pinion of Fisher Ames the subject, and max
ing few preliminary remarks, Mr., Coleman pro-
ceeds to admit, that
:" Such intelligence may, perhaps, operate
nluriously upon persons OF sickIy const'tu-
lion, or upon one of thousand whose nerves
are remarkably weak and irritable. But
that it tends in any perceptible degree TO
multiply crime, OF TO corrupt pubic taste or
public morals, we are unwilling 10 believe
And on the other hand ,Ito quote the language
Of the IntellYncer. may we not urge IN de-
fence of the publication ofunconSnon accidents
and tales OF horror. /" that they admonish the
needless. and furnish matter for reflection to
the moralist may they not force a whole
some lesson upon the minimizing, and by
shelving the rocks upon which these perish,
perchance teach others to escape some Of the
ills and evils" TO which srail humanity is liza
BILE
"But again. What is the object of public
journal or newspaper? Is it not TO furnish
the public with the news Of the day-with
the events daily passing in different parts Of
our country--with the common and uncom-
mon occurrences of lfe2 This may be cal
led one of the most prominent designs of
newspaper II is true, public journals are es-
teemed in great degree as the hght-bo
of political knowledge--the conservators Of
the laws, and the guardians Of public morals
and manners. But were the columns of
newspaper exclusively devoted to elaborate
political dispositions to learned inquiries up
on morals, heavy treatises upon polemics, or
dull displays Of metaphysical powers where.
We ask, should we look for readers i--If
these gentlemen, who are so DESTROYS to re-
reform the practices of editors, will first set
abost and effect reform, or entire change of
human nature, we will then come cheerfully
into their measures. But until then we must
beg to be excused because, as we said before
newspaper that should contain no accounts
of robbers, counterfeiters, suicides, shipwrecks,
thunder and hailstorms, fres, and stories Of
love and murder, woul d be rejected by
public as unanswering the purposes for
which it was intended. 1t is no more than
common charity TO suppose that editors in
general possess as much feeling and sensibih-
ty as most petslle.-And it is certainly un-
charitable TO attribute 10 them greater fond
ness or relish for this kind of news, than is
possessed by their aeiehboss.
6 But we are willing 10 60 farther, and to
assert that this species of intelligence is abso-
lutely necessary in most cases. II "a murder
is co1nmitted the necessity of securing and
Furnishing the murderer will be admitted on
all hands. The villain generally fees for
safety. He must be advertised and pursued,
and the offence Of which he is guilty must be
detailed in order to awaken the feelings of
the public. and place them upon the watca
Just so in cases Of house breaking, robbery
or counterfeiting, and hundred other instan-
ces THAI might be enumerated. 1t is to be
presumed, also, that the victims of robbers and
assassins, have friends in different parts Of the
country, who are directly interested in their
fate, as well as other people. And where
shall they look for Information, but in the
newspapers With respect TO accidents,
such as fires, shipwrecks, explosions, &c. we
suspect our Insurance Companies would be
very reluctant to subscribe to the doctrine
that publishers SHOULD make no mention Of
them. And where crops are destroyed by
drought, is it not important that people who
may chance 10 be dependent upon the unfor-
tunate sections Of The country should be sea
sonably apprized Of the fact, that they may
make their calculations accordingly Really
the more we think of it, the more ridiculous
does this affectatioD and squeamishness, which
we are attempting to combat, appear.
Having already said more upon this sub
ject than we had intended, il is time for US to
conclude which we do by assuring the wri-