Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1848-11-24

aud practical acquaintance W,th SUBJECTS Of in,.
pouanee 10 The well-being Of the people, aud all
great aud diversified Interests, ms must Of neees.
sliy be possessed by an editor who is efficient in
his vocation. prsioun lawyer has his own
peculiar CIRCLE OF subjects IN which he l. or
course greatly more intelligent Than an edt,r.
So alsn an accomplished political editor. who i
daily in lha habit of studying and deveopipg
the relations OF all subjects connected with and
bearing upon the great industrial interests Of the
counlry-those subjects which are peculiarly Ii
able TO be affected by The legislation of Congrss,
1t is presum0be will have more thorough .c.
quuin'ance with Them than any olherman Of euual
intellectual vigor whose pursuits and studies ara
not so Intimately associated with the intere 4, of
the people and the policy Of the Government.
The truth is, editors, as general rule. dirs,t
and inform the public mind touching subjects r
great national importance. Whenever = ns,,
question connected with either the foreion =.
the domestic policy Of the Government Como
up, il is first subjected TO the crucbIe of the "a
ilorial mind forsnaysis acknowledgements. Ed.
iiorS worthy of their vocation must ever be on
the alert, and when question springs up thev
must be ready 10 hunt il down, if il is comnosed
Of haglious elements, or TO examine and RECON-.
mend il, if il is found worthy Of adoption. Ed
itors thus become the pioneers who first blaze
the way through the mazes Of an intricate sub
iect They explore il aud decide upon its quali-
ties. Other minds then take them up and gunt-
rally follow the editorial trails. Editors do n
large proportion of the thinking for the commu-
nlly, and tits nota iequenI occurrence lhalmem-
bers of Congress touch on any ground that has
not already been discovered, described, and laid
down on lhe charts by some editorial Columbus.
Take for illustration the Oregon, Texps. and
Mexican questions. All the important BEARING,
Of these great questions had been elabora,eiv
and inIelligently discussed in the newspapers be.
fore Congress was invoked to pass judgment on
them. They were all thoroughly investigated.
and their various relations pointed out by edi.
tors before the "asscmbied wisdom If the na.
ton took them up. Congress is more indeb.
ed 10 newspapers for facts and logic, than news
papers are to members Of Congress. The truth
is, the speeches delivered in tho national coun.
clls are for the most part made up Of liberal ex.
tracts from the articles written by the editors,
doverailed into something like order, or as pro.
mlscuously aggregated aS the pieces in an old
fashioned bed-quit, in which the course of the
patchwork is not determined by any principle
known 10 geomelGrs.
When the Orcgonq question ''startled The world
from its proprietv." editors ovcrhaued il IN their
sanclums, fresh nbbcd their pens, and proceed.
ed to discuss it with zeal and ability. They
examined all the claims Of the lnied States,
England, and Spain founded on the rights of
diScoyerers, pointed oui all lilular delecIs, ex.
pounded the merits os those titles that owed
their origin 10 navigators. balanced the conf1ic;.
ing claims 10 proprletorship, and pronounced
thai Judgment after an intelligent survey of The
whole subject that was at length agreed on by
the claimants. 1t is clear beyond all conlro.
versy that editors settled that question. And
what is true of the Oregon question is true of
majority of those questions Of moment and in-
toresl that arise and claim the attention of lhe
nation. An editor discusses all the various
branches of subject, and then a member OF
Congress rises aud coolIy approPriates The result
oT his Iabors, and makes speech that is spoken
Of from Maine 10 Texas TO the great credit of
the speaker, while the writer, who performed
all the labor aud deserves all tbs honor, is TO.
tally overlooked.
Considering the importance and the influence
Of their aborS, editors are the most inadeoua,e-
y rewarded Of all persons. The opinion, OIL
which many haven born Congressional re.
Mus scars up before the admiring gaze of The
people, are frequently purluinrd from the fin.
gers Of editors. The inspiration, which they
give out from the points Of their grey goose
quJIIs." is the Dephc well al which maly u
slatesmanIike geuiUs drinks before becoming
grand and admired. The editors iukstand is
the true CasIaIy Of political orators, and, but for
ii. many of them would sink beneath the weight
OF their own stupidity, who are now slrutting
mUgniii, emily beiurclhe country radiant with The
pluinagr puudrred from editors. Our brethren
a long sull, ring race, aud do not often complain
Of the pclil larcrnies pracced on their brains.
They are satisfied with ruling the mind Of the
nation, even though This their prerogalve is not
generally acknowledged. They are ''lha power
hind the throne greater than The throne ITSELF"
They are the mnsIcaus lhal pull the wires Of
SIalo, und your politicians for the most part are
the puppets who dance upon them. The intel
Iectua progeny get along very well, although
they are iu'her d by aspiranls for the "most
sweet voices" Of rhppeope who too frequently
serve them as Sheridan declared The gipSirs
serve stolen bruIs, namely, defIe them, dress
them in rags, aud then pass them off as the un.
doubted offspring of their own ons.
We rejoice that the House of Representatives
is TO be enriched by such members as Chandler,
Brooks, and GreeIcy-genIemen who have ex-
erled vast influence over legislation, even while
sitting in their sunclums. Their power will be
felt in that body, and, as they are all honorable
as well as efficient, their influence as members Of
Congress will be highly beneficial TO the county.
/
RESPECT TO AGE.-There is a story Of ait
occurrence at Athens durinU the ceebrntion of