The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-05-26

feeling must sink lower down. year by year the Con-
all decent mem and by year the memory the great
Fstners OIL the Revolution must be outraged more and
more, in the bad life OF their lie. enerate child"
We read again to the same effect
"When any man OF any grade of desert intellect
character, can Climb to any public distinction matter
what, in America without hrs grovolling dow upon
the earth and bending the knee before this OF
depravy when any private excellence ia safe from It's
attacks. when any social confidence left unbroken by
it, tie OF social decency and honor held in the
least regard when any In that tree country has
freedom OF opnicn and hiuk Tor himself and
speak for himself, without humble reference to censor
ship which tor its ignorance and base dishonesty
he utter loahes despses in his heart WHEN those
who most acutey ee its infamy and the casts
the nation and who denounce It to each Other
dare to their heels and crush openly In the
sight Of all Denthen will believe that its influence -
!esaening and returning to their manly senses
put while that has its evil eye In every house. ana
its black hand in every appointment in the state from
President to posman while, with rhad SANDER foI its
only sock In trade ii 10 the standard literature Of
enormous class who must and their reading in news
paper or they will noeread at also long must its odium
be upon the country head and so long must the evil
works be plainly visible in the Republic"
Whatever truth there may be in these remarks,
we cannot say we are satisfied with the mode IN
which Mr.. Dickens has handled the subject; and we
have read, with much discomfort, a paper on the
same topic in the October number OF the Foreign
Quarterly Review. We shall notice the. observa
tons OF the reviewer on the newspaper literature OF
America, with those contained in American Notes
tor General Circulation, because, in both instances,
s.ea' question wnlcn mas ol'rn oeen o'scusseu ~
manner calculated, we fear, by the conc luslons
forced upon the mind Of the reader, to operate Dju-
rlously upon the interests of free press That the
observations OF both writers have this tendency will
be seen from the following CONNIE ntary upon them
IN the Times of October the 10Th:
When the periodical press by stamp duty, is limit
ed purchasers of the higher classes suits its produc-
tons ia general the higher lsvels Of taste and under
standing; and though political power Can never be al
.ossnet a'e IN tne hanas OF uneaucs'ea msssea o.
Seoc;ss tb dsnS hn their ,rsncbisa is At
least materially dminshed So IN the converse. not
the great and indefinite evil to be sppre.
hended the political issues OF press hose cheap
carries its circulation down lowest clnssss
yet so long as those classes unarmed with the pow
ers Of the state society may continue to maintain its
rights and its decencies though not without some fits Of
lssen,sn a's.uIosnce ou. once comn.ne .ns IVY @
sind w,ld vinSs ,on. ovsr wide wevss ond the resnlt
Is the wreck OF ali society," Il1
maria ct terras cnlumoue profupdum .,tI
Quippe fersnt rapid s. cum vsrrantsue per auras
The influence OF democracy in the States quite Is
detrimental to the public ct oy corrupng s serv
10 ~ nching tneir gooo Anu
see no chance OF any cure or TINS curse 80
virtusv With The resnsoabIe hart Of the community
the mschief might he ~ the enactment OF such
duty upon newspapers ss should bring the periodical
press depend upon and for purchssesof more
civilized description than the readers who now buy the
farthhg ribaldry othe day But unhappiy these very
.eaus' gre .ne sovsIn,ns Powr y, .ne !. priS
ba chd,sh - exn.rt fro,, 80 lsr ar regnis,ion
far cutting off the supplies that feed their own Craving
Thus s that the acts uI ON the press and the
press reacts upon democracy and between the
end the other the hopeful Eden OF liberty seems
ated to remain wilderness. Of weeds"
admission ontte part OF the "Times," that the ct
feet OF the existing newspaper stamp duty 10 10 ex-
clude from the benefit OF the press the whole body
OF the working people OF Great Britain and Ireland
The factl one which has often been stated IN the
Westminster Review, with the addition, that tue
existing restrictions give practically TO few md
viduaIsa most mischievous monopoly IN the dlrec-
uon OF public opinion, OF which the Times" Is al
the head. But tor the penny stamp, the duty OF one
shilling and sxpence upon every advertisement and
fiscal restrictions and penalties almost without
parallel, there would be lnnumerable newspapers OF
the size and price OF Chambers Edinburgh Jour.
nal addressed to different classes OF readers; and
there would probably be lew familtes, however
poor, that would not afford the expense OF daily
journal, luxury now confined to the rich. Hlther
10 II has been supposed that this Ould be favorable
doctrine Is now by some boldly denied, and doubt.
ed, as 1t would seem, IN quarters entitled to respect
fu attention. ata
In reply, we rest our defence OF free press upon
two grounds first, that the neral tone OF The Amer
canpress Is not so low as The stamped press OF our
own country; second that It's abuses ADM OF bet.
ter remedy than could be found In either stamped
duty or a censorship.
We say that the moral tone of the American
press not 80 low as that OF the newspaper stamped
press OF our own country, with honorable excep-
tons; and we make this assertion deliberately, and
after the careful examination Of file Of the "Ne W
York Herald" the paper especially referred to by
Mr.. Dickens and the Foreign Quarterly Review, as
the worst IN the United States We found the
New York Herald bad as 1t 10, freer from gross oh
scrnities and rbad jesrs than either the Sage" III"
'Satrist !" or the "John Bull" papers circulated
extensively here among the higher classes. and lis
nsrsora obuse oe noI;t;c.i M,
that Of almost any one of our Tory journals.
The difference between the Eng ish and the Ame-
rcan press is principally this, that the latter bad
ly conducted as literary speculaiions An American
editor rarely practised classical writer; his style
and diction, the contrary, are generally coarse
and vulgar; and this is sufficiently accounted for by
the fact Gas Mr. Dickens has hIms. Ii shown) that
literature as profession, cannot flourish in America
in the absence of an international law OF copyright
A newspaper, however, in American is not pur-
chased because of its scurrl0us hbels. We believe
that there, as here, potning is regarded as more
wearsome than the disputes of rival editors
but the circumstances which influence its cir