The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1849-11-06

Great complaint % made IN some OF the Eastern
papers about false Geographic neWssde despatched on
thearriyal Of the Europa, The despatch from New
York to the Baltimore PATRIOTS cited as a wilIfu
Justification and suppreszionof facts, 1t was dated
Oct. 25th, and says: 1.-THE steamer is in. The i
news now coming on. Corn has advanced. No
change IN other articles" The truth is, that the
news was then fully known in New York and cot
tom other article" of the greatest Importance,
had advanced largely. The information was thus
false and fraudulent, The spectators had it their
own way as long as the truth was not discovered.
The perpetrators Of the cheat deserve exposure and
punishment, if there beAny law to reach them. .
We do not love the telegraph managers, and
believe they administer their high trust--for the
possession Of such vast and exclusive instrument
Is great trnst--With narrow views, and ina sor,
did spirit. But we cannot agree that such instances
of fraud in those who employ the telegraph as a
medium of Communication are any Just cause Of
eensuFe upon the telegraph company, The tele
graph only CONTRACTS TO send forward such messages
as are committed tOit by others, and is no more re-
spoHsibe for the frauds or falsehood it transmits
than the stage-dhvet Is for the contents the mail
bags in his coach, One Of the best merits Of tele
graph is its insensibility to every influence except
the mechanical duty of forwarding what is paid for.
slDE hNLslhAhtiiS VI FoCbtNluE
rests upon the parties who employ this mode ofCom-
mnnieation. It's unreasonable, and would be mad
mssible, to hold the company or Its agents respon.
sible for the truth, the Consequences Of what il
ltransmiis for hire. 8. e. ~ .e-s.<
The newspaper dispatches are simply the cores.
pondence of the paper, and are only 70 be received
on the credit of those who publish them, If the
Baltimore Patriot publishes a lying despatch, the
L. a.. = -
the wantof honesty In its correspondent, and would
be the aagae if it were sent by mail as it Is when
sent BY telegraph. The paper will lose caste, if it
does not account for its errors, and call its corres
pondent TO a rigid account also.
These pefversions are calculated to destroy
confidence, not in the telegraph, as a means of
COMMUNICATION it only pretends to transmit,
faithfully-but in The reporters and publishers who
abuse the public. If itcsn be shown that the tee-
graph agents kept back trne accounts, or did any
thing to disturb the free circulation of the truth, by
all who chose to send it forward, they are liable to
severe censure and ought tosufFar heavy penalties
But we do not so understand the complaint, and
much against our inclination to eensure, must hold
them guiItless in these cases, q.
The great evil, however, is sufficiently made
plainthat the exclusive character of the telegraph
All ftACA
the system is bound to be passive instrument Its
/ costiness, and the limited use which can be made
of it, keeps it from being employed by more than
few, and these few becoming general agents, obtain
almost monopoly of the direction of public intel-
gence in distant places, which cannot be broken
upbY mere private and individual correspondence
through the same medium, No prudence in the
management of the lines can prevent this. The
only palliative for the present, is the prudence Of
the public press in e1acting from their correspon
dents the utmost care and exacttude and the rem
edy is in the multiplication and increase of lines
and the reduction Of the cost of eegaphing, so tina
il may be- brought into more general use, and The
means Of correcting error fully and at once be a
ample as the opportunity ofmskingi it. Since thi
i great machine has been permitted TO fall into pri
vate hands, the next best thing in order to resor
an equality and make diftsiye all its benefits, is
encourage, by every means, the erection Of new
lines, the introduction Of improvements, and ever
thing which viii increase competitions
Houses line, we are induced 10 hope, viii sool
be in operation in this southern direction, much q
the benefit Of the publie-both in thefeliable char
acter Of the news received and the cost of CORES
pOndence.