New-York daily tribune., 1845-02-15
Tnp EREEnAN OF THE PRESS.

/
far more intrinsic ,han mas commonly been sup
posed, and thai the siavesoi Ignorance, bisotfy,i
seosusly and SeiEshness are far more numerous
and more ptia5ie than those of Nicholas or Meter
rich
er,y of the Press in our Couatry Is the thcr.ic %
io,erninable exultation Bu, ho,r is the Press free
here Ffom legal fet;ers, OF course. save such as
aapran, Judicial nlisconstructons Of the Law OF
Libel may have fastened upon it. No cnesor is
known 10 our laws, appointed 10 seize and sesues-
trate every number OF journal which shall venture
10 express sentiments dispeasns 10 the powers mat
be. But have we not our Democratic censorships,
differing in fashion but no whit In splnt IRON lhe
Autocrars2 Have we not seen tae Mails rfeo
and portion Of their contents burned IN an emf
nent Southern City on the pseiext that their con-
tents were sincendiary?' Did not the whole com
munity applaud or acquesce IN that outrage fiase
we no; seen several presses destroyed on the
strength Of suspicion tllat they 'csre 10 be en-
ployed in disseminating incendIaIy' doctrines,
f,h;s Is touch beyond the Czar,) and IN one m
stance the owner killed IN attempting 10 defend
his property? In Short Is it not part OF the IN
written Common Law Of the Country, established
aaa enforced by ever so rnaay nots, moos, and
| rswdy disturbances Of public meetings. that pro-
claiming unpopular sentiments is a grave offence
,yainst the majesty of the People, which the oi-
fender may be called to expisie By any penalty
which casual gathering Of the SoYeregns may
see fit to infict?
| Miss Mar,ineau, In the course OF her travels IN
this Country, noted an incident directly IN point
She was travelling on Mississippi steamboat, when
| an old LADY on board perceiving that she was an
object Of general interest, had her own curiosity
excited, and among other inquiries, asked OF wha'
religion the strange lady was. a Unitarian was
the reply GA Unitarian~ ~ responded the thorouga-
y American querist; she had better give 'hat up
She will find il won't do down in this country =
The possibility that the Engsh phllanthTopist had
formed her opinions of Gods being and revelation
without considering what would do along down
the Mississippi, never occurred 10 our countrywo-
man.
| We have had some recent as well ae much former
experience of this spirit. A gentleman OF this city
born in Ireland, and claiming kindred with the
leader of the popular movement IN that Country,
saw in the American an article grossly disparagng
that leader in parallel between him and Wash
ngton. He wrote an answer to that article, winch
the American declined, but which we-actiug on
our general principle of allowing hearing through
our colums to such classes or opinions have here
no daily organ Of their own-ad,nttcd The dnft
Of the article went TO show that O'Connell was
greater man than Washington-hsa aims as pure, his
genius lofticr, and his means nobler. Such ar.
tcle must inevitably seem TO disparage Washington
even though its intent be cny 10 vindcate the Irish
| T., ,h,o .ior. cNuh,
We should have stricken out OF the Article had il
been intended or pu, forth as an expression Of ou
sentiments but IL was not, and we did dot feel au
thorzed nor inclined TO take any such llberties.-
! We let The author defend his own cause in his owl
y way, though quite aware that he could do II on
II harm by seeming 10 disparage Washington. Tha
. was his mistake and no concern OF ours, so long
: no material fact was missated and no dictate o
courtesy deied.
The appearance OF that article in our column
was the signal for general howl from the organ
Of that enlightened and liberal party which railie
under the euphonious cosnomen Of American Re
publican TIE oracle Of the Philadelphia llpmin
= ali was especially patriotic and indignant, while
even us lar West as Louisville, The wrath Of Ma
tivisr, exuded in fierce denmciations, not 90 mucl
of the writer as OF us for allowing hlm place il
D our columns 1t is held up as an act of audaciou
+ hardhood and moral treason our part TO sufie
any msn 20 ssy torough our columns that there la
appeared ON earth man greater in some respect
{ than Washington. In due time, we shall have
similar explosion from Vicksburch
> We need hardly Seytbu, we shall pursue the evel
;ene- oil our way, and have no thought of answer
ing our Naive aS-.ulans. Our course uceds IL
other vinticatlor ,nan simple statement of facts
We never think OF eXacnns of our correspondent
a conformity To our own opinions, TO those o
e our readers We would sooner give place 10 Yin
dcation OF an unpopular sect or opinion than {
one already crowned with honor and followed b,
shouting multstudes The whole need not ply
siclan, but they that are SEX Popular prejudice
have ever enough to fawn and fatief--isi il not no
bier 10 brave and Iesls,