The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1850-12-19
WHOLE NUMBER 4s2.
From. the Uest Chester Gasette.
OUR COUNTY NEWSPAPERS.

4 = gfAz
OUR COUNTY NEWSPAPERS.
We feol Inclined to put the question to
our citizens, whether they appreciate as
they should, the value Of the local county
EpapersY We do this in no spirit Of fault
finding, for our success thus far has exceed
cd our expectations, and we ought, there
fore, to be contented. But we nut The
question for the purpose Of drawing atten-
ton to the subject, and Of stirring up . pro-
per degree ofpublic spirit in the m mstter.
| Are these papers appreciated % they
should he? There is no. citizen in this
or any ether town, whose name ought not
to be on the subscription list Of the paper
published in the town or neighborhood in
which he resides. Every person who reads
this article. and who is a subscriber TO the
paper published in the town where he lives
can answer with an honest heart, that 90 far
as he is concerned, bis local paper is appre-
ciatcd; but all those who are not enbscrib-
ers, must answer the question in the mega
tive. We fear that this latter class is very
numerous; we knou that it is larger tha It
ought to be.
That the publication of a paper in town
or village. is nm evidence Of the advancing
state Of intelligence aud Of public spirit.
cannot be denied. Persons at distance
generally form their opinions as 10 the con-
diiion Of a town intellectually and morally,
BY the fact Of the existence or non-exist-
ence Of local paper. 1t is an almost in
fallible test; for. wherever there is suff.
icient intelligence and public spirit to sus.
tain newspaper. there one will invariably
be found. This is just ns much law Of
nature. as that grass will spring up in fer
tile soil. A person riding through waste
Of sand, where no grass grows, al once pro-
nounces the soil to be barren and unpro.
ductive; SO person finding town without
a newspaper, prononnces il to be wanting
in those elements. from which alone pa
per can draw its nourishment, intelligence
and public spirit. And the conclusion il
as certain and founded In the very nature Of
things, as much 10 the one case as in the
other We wish this fact would be borne in
mind. There is not citizen in our county
who would willingly permit his town 10 rest
under the inpntation Of being wanting ia
public spirit ;and vet there nre hundreds who
are pursuinga course, which, if generally
followed. would necessarily result in this;
hundreds who are not now doing anv,hing
to sustain the paper published in their town
or vicinity. Ina great majority ofinstances
this is the result of negligence, and in many
cases other papers are taken. while their
own are neglected. This however is
wrong. The influence and means ofevery
citizen should, in the first instance, be ap-
Piled to that which is calculated to raise and
elevate the standard Of intelligence and
morality 10 the community where he re-
sides. to give to i. a tone and character-
This being accomplished, he may then ex-
pand his field of action, and subscribe to
papers published elswhere-but the first
duty is at home.
Oar citizens all want to be apprised Of
what is transpiring in the town and county.
| That is the matter in which they, are pecu-
Iiarly interested. The meetings Of our
courts. and the proceedings before them--
public meetings political acts-matters Of
local interest and importance, deaths, mar
riagcs, casualties, &c, &c.; these must all
be chronicIed. Our citizens ali wish to
keep up with the times; they wish JOUR
nal published, 10 which they can refer for
information on these points. But how
many Of them remember that such jaurn-
al can be kept up only by great outlay Of
time and money; how many enjoy the re-
suit of this outlay, wiihou, contributing ono
cent towards defraying the expense; how
many, instead Of subscribing his share
towards remunera,ing the editors and pro-
prietor, for their toll and labor, borrov
their neighbor's paper, and reap instruction
and profit from the labor and expense Of 9TH
ers, without paving for it? Have our bor.
rowing readers ever looked at The matter
inths light? llave they ever thonRht tha,
every time they read borrowed paper,
published in their own vicinity, they arc
enjoying the frui, Of other persons labor,
and contributing nothing in return? II
not, we hnpe that they will be induced to
do so and then to ACT.
i EXTRAORDINARY lNvENTIoN.--The New
York correspondent Of the Philadelphia In.
quirer has the following:
i saw machine to-day, which, il ! am
not mistaken, is destined to create revo.
luton in the preparation Of sugar. In my
presence, some two hundred weight Of su.
gar, Of the diriiest character imaginable,
aud as black as SCOT, was placed in Il, nd
in six minutes BY my watch, Il came out
n