Madison Whig advocate. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1839-1841, 1839-06-15
For the .Mad,son Hing .4drocate.

f For the Madison Hing .4drocate
. MEssRs. EDITORS :-The times are in
, deed strangely and sadly out of joint
One would suppose, from the embarras
sed condition of the country-the de-
ranged state of the currency, and the
great pecuniary distress which pervades
every portion of the community, that
the benevolent feelings of our nature
would all be called into active operation,
and that the darker passions--the maIig-
nant feelings of the human heart would
all be absorbed in sympathetic concern
| for the welfare of our common country.
This, however, is not the case; instead
of that harmony and concert OF action
so necessary between the different de-
partments Of society, for the mutual
benefit of the whole, we behold nothing
but discord, anarchy, turmoil and strife,
throughout the country. Every one,
instead Of endeavoring to assist his
neighbor, who is perhaps buffeting the
waves of misfortune, and struggling
hard to reach the shore, seems disposed
to pull him back, or sink him deeper in
difficulty and distress. This is a most
unnatural state of things. 1t proves,
however, the truth of the old adage, that
misfortunes seldom come alone. So it
was in days of yore, when the Roman
armies beseiged Jerusalem although
threatened with entire destruction by
powerful enemy from without, they were
constantly devouring each other by their
| intestine connections.
In addition to all the other difficulties
under which we now labor, the spirit of
defamation is also abroad in our land.
Slander and detraction are becoming the
order of the day. This hell-hatched
spirit pervades every class of the COM
munity, from the highest to the lowest.
From the president who yields the des-
TIMES of this mighty republic, down to
the petty constable who warrants his
neighbor for six bits; none are exempt
from the malignant attacks of this fell
| destroyer of character and happiness.
Purity of intention-honesty of purpose
Integrity of conduct, are alike una
vailing to procure immunity from his
poisoned shafts. Even the press, Messrs
Editors, that Should be) the guardian of
lnnocence--patron of virtue and herald
of liberty-the press, too, has joined in
this unholy warfare against public cha
racter and private integrity. Iscarcely
open a newspaper of late that is not fill
led with the vilest abuse of our public
mon, from the highest to the lowest To
so intolerable height has this spirit
grown that the RIGHTEOUSNESS of the press
has become a bye-word and a reproach
through the country. These are not the
ends for which the American Constitu-
ton conferred SO many privileges upon
the press of our country. They were
designed for other and higher purposes
Why is it that the press of our country
has lost that power over public opinion
which was formerly its pride and boast2
| The time was when at the call of the
press the American pulse beat high,
when it was capable of stirring the best
blood that ever coursed in American
veins. Why is it not so? 1t is because
this sentinel on the watch-tower has been
corrupted by the demon of licentious-
ness. When | speak of the press in
these terms, mean the press generally
i am proud 10 know there are indivi-
dual eptions-but these exceptions,
Messrs. Editors, are lamentably few.
These are reflections. Messrs Editors.
in which have long INDUCED with re-
greet and modification. have, however,
been induced to embody them in this
form, rom seeing your structures in the
last Advocate, upon an editorial article in
a late kosciusko paper, which charged
the Sheriff of this county with having
run away with large amount of money
in his hands. Since seeing your stric-
lures have looked into the article in the