The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-04-12
The New Administration and the Public

Press.
The relations subsistng between the admins
tration and the wing newspapers of Washington
appear to be of very strange and anomalous cha
ractcr. Claiming to be entitled to the position by
hereditary right, the IneHgencer sets up, par erce
le'cc, as the government ''organ." 1t turns up its
venerable nose supreme disdain Of all rivals in
that dusty village, and warns to look out for i'm
posters who pretend TO be genuine oracles. Then
there is the National IThig, which announces, with
no little degree of busting Importance, its undoubt-
ed claim to unlimited credence as the chosen de-
posiory Of all government secrets Between tho
two rivals, it is suspected that the cabinet already
begins to be in quite quandary. Both journals, it
is true, are extremely patriotic, and almost devoured
by zeal for the success of General Taylor. Yet
they will have their little amiable differences of
opinion; and, what with their insnuations and their
hints and their cross readings of official develope-
ments and their pc ulant contradictions Of one an
others mysterious announcements-over all of
which old Mr.. Richie makes merry-some people
begin to imagine that General Taylor WILL ere long,
excaim, with celebrated hero, who was once
placed in a very perplexng predicament:-
SHOW happy could | be with either,
HAS Were tother dear charmer away"
The object of the InteAigencer in endeavoring to
viii the DelleI tnaL III is or
gan" the only genuine article, the "real Norma"
and that all others counterfeit is of course suf
ficiently obvious. 1t wants the public printing. 1t
nus always been a stipendiary on the bounty of the
wing party. 1t received, in former and happier
days, vast sums from the public treasury, but for
years past it has fingered in adversely with
circulation Of few hundred copies, maintaining
IN some mysterious manner existence that
hcyered between life and death, like that of one of
u'bee octogenarian paupers who haunt their rags
in the face Of two or three generations, and seem
10 possess an heirloom of perpetual meanness and
misery. Its party is now in power. 1t claims its
reward. II is ready its MASTER but 1t does
not even affect any desire to serve the public. Its
object is to conceal information. The Wing, on
the other hand, processes wish to transmit early
Intelligence to the public. 1t speaks of erroneous
,elegraphic reports and announces its intention to
give correct infol nation. This is all very we'll
I,u, the object of the Hing is the same that of
It's Tancent rival II, too, cries aloud for pap, and
promises equally INSCRIPTIONS fidelity. All this is
perfectly well understood by the public. No one
dreams of obtaining reliable information from the
newspapers issued at Washington. They must, of
necessity, depend for the necessaries of life, in
GLIDING cigars and brandy and water, the pa
ucnsge Of those in Office; and it so happens that
th-t sort Of relationship with the "powers that
be- does not tend to the promotion of the enter
prise, industry, and candor, without which useful
journalism cannot exist. 1t is notorious that aims
house relief, indoor outdoor, no matter how
stringent the regulations under which it is adj
min stored may be, has a tendency to deteriorate
the character of its recipients. They generally be-
Gene lazy and dissolute; and human nature is the
same at Bellevue and Washington.
As we have more than once taken occasion to
state, the only useful, serviceabe, and reliable
means of communication between the government
and the people, is the great Independent press OF
the large cities of the North and South. This has
been abundantly demonstrated II was demon
suated in very striking manner during the career
OF the late administration. At an early period In
the existence of the administration OF Mr. Polk, we
gave to each Of our agents at Washington a letter
ct introduction to the President, and to all the
members OF his cabinet, requesting them TO COM
munIcate any information which they might desire
10 be laid before the public. We solicited no favor
for ourselves. We did not ask for secrets All
that we desired was, to obtain facilities in supply
ing the public with accurate intelligence of the
movements OF the administration Every gentle
man Of that administration, with the exception of
Mr. Polk himself responded to this application.
We thus obtained from Mr.. Buchanan Mr. Marcy,
Mr.. Walker, and their associates in the cabinet,
valuable information, from time to time, which was
at once spread before the world. Even when called
ppon to oppose the administration, these facilities
we've extended " US. The result was highly bene