Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1847-08-28
From the Racine .Rdvocate.
American Newspapers.


where newspapers exist in such pro-
fusion as in the United States. Scarce
" has the axe of the woodman been
heard in the forest, before the news
paper has been established in some lit-
lie village that has but just sprung in
to existence. The breaking-plough
has scarce turned dozen burrows on
the wide prairie, before the press is up
with it to chronicle its doings and to
invite more to the new home that is
preparing for them. Here, in Wis
consin, where but few years ago
there was no white man, there are
now abundance ofnewspapers in every
direction, and presses continually
coming into the new Territory. A
week can scarce pass away without our
having to record the advent Of new
paper, and yet in every portion ofthis
same Territory. eastern papers are to
be found in abundance.
Some twenty years ago-and we
boosted then of more newspapers
than any other nation in the world
even the State of New York had
scarce as many country papers as Wis
consin now has, and they were small,
blue sheets, that consumed three or
four weeks in publishing the Presi-
dents Message. and half as many with
that of the Governors. But it is not
in size and number only that newspa-
pers have improved. Formerly pa
per was scarce found to contain any
thing except mere reprinted editorials
from the leading State papers, with
the common run Of foreign news, some
little of the doings of the first city in
the State, legislative summary. a
tale of a love-sick maiden, and a re-
cord of some little accident in the
neighborhood. This has been chang
ed of late everywhere, but more here
at the west than elsewhere. In old
time there were no editors to the coun-
try papers. They dep ended for their
editorials about election time-and at
other times they did not pretend to
any-upon some leading party lawyer
who might have the leisure or inclina-
ton to write for them, and not unfre-
quently upon some half-dozen such
men, who made sad work for those be-
wildered readers who imagined all
their contradictory opinions to flow
from one pen. AS a consequence, too,
of this dependence, the editorials were
written by men behind the curtain
who had no consistency of character
to preserve, and who one half the
time !aboring for special object in the
election, cared little what tone they
adopted, and often brought upon the
poor proprietor suits for SANDER. well
founded, too--and left him with no
other recompense than a good deal of
unpopularity, pretty well earned
contempt from those who understood
how matters were arranged, and GER
tainty that each succeeding election
would place him again in the same
predicament from which he had just
escaped.
In the older States there is vet too
much reliance placed upon such assis-
lance, and many an editor now looks
to some man of standing for occasion
al editorials. The consequence is, that
he both loses character himself, and
the people finding out his dependence,
are apt to fear that his own oinions
may be forced to yield TO the desire for
editorials. Another fault there, too, is
the great dependence placed upon the
leading party paper, many being alb
solutely afraid to step out Of the beaten
track prescribed by their regulator.
Among the Western States this is
not the case. Editors are much more
obliged to depend upon themselves;
and papers do not succeed unless they
are edited with degree of independ-
ence rarely found-we had almost
said permitted-at the East. The
new States too, are in the main COM
posed of men who are more anxious TO
read and compare plans for the ad-
Tancement OF their new country, who
are anxious to preserve tie benefits
they enjoyed in their old homes, and
to avoid the evils that time and habit
had accumulated among the institu-
tons they had left. There is not
New Yorker In Wisconsin who would
see the Albany Argus, or Atlas, or
Evening Journal or n. Y. Tribune
taken as leader here, however be
might have submitted 10 it at home.
With Us, too, men look more to The
character a paper maintains in its edi-