Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1826-05-22

and the cabinet from plungng. into that poi.u.
col darkness which these ignis tatuuses, imagine
,hs;r ,an,ems can pre,eu, They keep up
con,;nual unroar against the government DE-
80 :, ;s emnowered to patronise about seven
=. nrs.sas with an emolument OF somethihS
H. Zoo ner annum, for publishing the Unlted
STATES laws. Upon this petty trick they bottom
the success of all their schemes, and all tneir
hnrss and yainly fancy if they carry this point
ouhl;c sentiment may be so warped as to an
swer their object in seating particular candi'
date in the Presidential. chair. Themselves
d;sannoin,ed Office hunters the victims oil all
in constructed political vision, dissatisfied WIN
The world. these political misanthroPes oogS'e
ON bent on pulling down the Constitution, OF
resolving our government into It's tlrst eiemeh's'
;f heir own selfish ends be not accomplished.
I, ;s in vain that the most rejecting and consi-
drratc. the most experienced and patriotic IN our
national councils have held out the lamp OIL po-
li,ical truth to them, they struggle forward 10
reach their object. Shutting their eyes, OF III, :.
carable of expanded views OF measures Or Oh
mankind. and their true interests, they seem
deemed to keep alive spirit OF iac'loh ana us
cord. without reaching any hrm GROUND Oh
which principles and not men, may rePose' III
political safety. $50
GLOOMY as the touches of this faint sketch
are, they fall far short of the reality. we cou.d
mention names; bat personality is not nor ever
shall be our object: What we propose, we be-
lieye we can accomplish, without that daily DIRT
flineing and personal abuse which we are sorry
to observe distinguishes the original newspaper
productions of those editors that pirate so much
about the corruption of the press, who from
their intenseness Of vanity and egotism, cannot
perceive, that the only standing they can ever
gain in the eyes of the nation canaot rise above
the level of those ephemeral parties which at
various periods in our country have arisen and
vanished in quick succession, like the shadows
of liberty which benighted France pursued IN
the early stages Of her revolution, through all
the ouagmires Of discord and dissention.
But TO return to our topic. Probably there
are upwards Of $50 newspapers published in The
United States and the territories. Three in
each state and one in each territory are autho-
rised by law to be employed to promulgate the
acts of Congress, making IN all seventy two
presses for the twenty-four states, and four for
the territories Of Michigan, Arkansas, Florida
and Columbia. Subtract these seventy-six from
the whole four hundred and fifty, which will
leave three hundred & sevenly-four newspaper
presses, not at all Influenced by government,
of course according to the arguments OF the e.
cllsi.e patriots, entirely free from the corruption
of the executive. Thus then il appears, by the
rules of Cookers arithmetic, that seventy-six
presses have to contend in this fight for the
ioaves and fishes agains, the hungry expectants
their opponents, armed with three hundred and
sevcnty-four. Fearful odds indeed. The war Of
the giants sink in comparison with these poll
ual ad m c n
They have numbers indeed on their side: But
how stands the real result as relates to the al
lodged compatibility of the press? and we are
proud to record it, not with view to shew the
actual popular standing of the administration,
but as triumphant vindication and decided
RENTAL of an ephemeral party that now fancies
il is about to control the ebb and flow Of public
sentiment; like the courtiers Of King Canute,
who boas,ed the control OF the waves Of the o.
cean. Out of three hundred and seventy four,
exclusively supported by the people, without
cent of public money TO help them TO dinner
or ream of paper, not more than twenty, Eve
repeat we will not be invidous by mentioning
names) oppose TIC administration. lie, the
restless men in buckram, Of an opposing candi-
Gate for President, disguise il as they viii, count
noses as often as they choose according 10
rity of ABOUT three hundred and sixty-iour free
and independent editors, with their unbought
and uncorrupted presses rendering a hearty
support to the present government, and rallying
round the present administration. We will
leave the seventy six publishers OF the laws out
of the question: in "audiing" they shall pass
for mere typhers ltappears therefore, that all
this complaining oE the corruption OF the press,
because the executive holds the appointment
Of the printers Of the laws, amounts TO nothing;
that iHE ms stand or apparently firm ground,
even if The Ours pre,a,l in carrying The bills
reported on this subject BY Senator Benton.
1t thus conclusively appears, that the priEci-
pal means by which the virtue Of the press is
Slapped is by the weak and prohigate employed
for their party pu: poses, who do not hesitate
for so many sequins to stab public or private
character just as deep as emolument dictates
Such presses it is certain have always the small
est number of readers, and of course being
weak and worthless, are most exposed 10 the
influence of corruption.
The "exclusive patriots" Of the day have al
so touched with great acrimony on the subject
OF the selection Of printers OF the laws because
some eight or ten recent changes have been
made since the commencement Of the present
administration and what is conclusiyely COR
| ruption in their eyes, is that some Of This linn
tied number are supposed TO be friendly to Mr..
Clay, and not 10 General Jackson On an in
spection OF the list, an experienced printer in
forms US that only two or three Of these chang
es, are friendly to the Secretary Of State, and
that nearly all the remainder have never eync