Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1836-06-23
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From the United States Telegraph.
THE PRESS PRO AND cor

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within the reach of my duties, still as
nothing of interest is going on in either
branch ofCongress, will step aside
to say one or two words upon sub.
Ject that is very near to my affections
i mean the Press. It's liberty has
been. sanctioned by all ages since its
discovery, either by admitting its Free
dom under the law express, or permit
ting it without legislative enactment,
because it has always been the friend oil
the people. Its sanctity is coeval with
its freedom and it is the duty of eve-
ny intelligent man to endeavor to make
the Press of his country respected, and
feared. In this country great diversi-
ty of action exists towards the Press.
Ii is viewed as monster that will o.
hey, that loves that regards but one
master and that the hand that directs
its powerful operations, and that it has
the passions of q fiend & the impoten-
cy Of an idiot. Those in power try
to crush it; and those with whom it
tolls in some great battle, some mighty
struggle for principle, affect to disre-
gard its character, & think disparing.
ly ofits utility. | have heard persons
and that very lately, who have sneer-
ed at this great engine ofopinion who
have Knocked its editors, and who seem
to have erected aroun their own per.
sons so powerful barricade, that they
could smile securely and in scorn upon
all the Presses Of the land. | do not,
nor shall | attempt to defend the char
acter of our Press, | mean our coun-
try's. 1t stands high in mems regard
it is holy, because the cause that
sets it into motion is pure and high :;
but | cannot refrain from letting those
disregarders of its power, have piece
ofmy mind upon the matter. In the
first place, | will boldly avow that the
public press is in a greater or less de-
gree the architect of their reputation.
After speech is delivered on the floor
of Congress-, the mystic movers Of
worlds, the curious and solemn looking
types, are rapidly flying from finger to
composing stick, transferring in solid
column the windy vaporings of some
frothy Representative the ink is rol.
led, wave of black Immortality over
it and the press whirls down & stamps
the production with the vitality ofages
1t flies over the rivers though they
roll IN thunder, across whose voice the
poor speaker could not be heard, even
though he spoke like trumpet; it
flies over mountains and valleys. The
small labor Of an hour is distributed in
every hamlet and village. 1t is read.
The silly tone of the author is not
heard, the bungling mistakes ofgram-
mar are not perceptible-all flows on
from the village readers mouth smooth
as the unbroken language of sage.
| The author becomes statesman--men
call him great man, and politicians
| dub him prodigy. Not one word is
known of the thousand errors correct
ed by the compositor. The mute he
| raids of his fame stand honored like a
host of intelligent monuments to his re-
putation, and generously give him that
which nature has not.
There is another species Of writing
in connection with my subject which is
much disregarded, and very unjustly
and unwisely scoffed at mean edito-
rial notices of men and things come
these notices in whatever shape they
may. They are, in fact, the very
germ of public opinion. They should
be feared as well as respected. An
Editor can make the fame of hundreds
of men. | know some Editors who
are the oracles whence have gone forth
the expression of opinion that has for.
med lasting tribute to the character
of some of our best and brightest
Those opinions have been disseminated
through thousand presses they are
upon file; they will be cherished up
and the historian who at some future
day will write the annals ofthese times
will gather no better store than from
the leading presses of this day. Ar
Editor colors the dull picture Of public
services; he gives poetry that wins
among the mass, to the eloquence, the
genius of some favorite orator. He
| labors day after day, himself badly re-
paid, neglected, forgotten in the shou
Of those very victories he alone has a
chieved, but which is paraded for 9th
ers. The silent and secret laborer he
hews down the stubborn oaks that have
endured for centuries, battling agalns
the principles that he tolls to establish
He contends with every difficulty, ant
no paan of triumph rings upon his ear
He cannot make display. There i
no pageant that he can shine IN, NJ
rostrum whence he can glow IN clio
quence and be pointed at by exultin'
thousands, but he forms the fountain
to majestic streams ofthought. The,