The Arkansas banner., 1850-04-02
THE DUTY Or THE PRESS.

Every ssstioh In HfAno matter how elevated or how mean. has Its pseals datiss, negisesof which implies not eniy mere vaat of zeal, but real Hn- fitness and perhaps wifl corruption ia the oceu- pant Such Hsgigenessiwsys merits exposure. and should invariably b serutinised closely. and severely censared by thos whose interests it may affect.
 h this country. divide, e 1t Is into two great political parties professis principles diametrca'iy opposed. advocating measures totally different in their effects, and coatnsliy wsrrisg sga!ast each other. among the several utes sPpertaining to diff fsrent positions. not the ass important and rssPon sible are those of ga edito of political newspaper From no other uairiag, heart-dictatec real and irreprosehabIe failhfuness implicitly deman- ded. He is responsible tOlhe people whom'h he pro- fesses to servs The part to which he professes to belong, and from which Es support is derived are the judges ef the purity his principles and the truth or hypocrisy of his dFOtiou. In the PsrfOF- nance of his duty he eann% content himsef with becoming mere chrOnicIsAof passing events, bat, the faithfu ''sentinsl upo the watch-tower." he is required to give wsrnine to his friends of the strssagsms and maneuvres f their advsrsaries. to encourage the jealous and | incito the .raewarm to be vigant in cherishing md protecting the pria- cipIss of their party Tie needless delegation Of these duties 10 another untFed and perhaps untrue in the faith mnst forfeit thecOnhdence of his pat rons Tine surrender of his ss to one a0oaeediy not an entire sdherent to the principles of his party or the prostitution of his trust b the crafty purposes Or tho opponents of tha, party should be visited ! with public ccademnatioR.
 There are sins of omission we'll as commission. and the interests of parties like thOs~ of individuals. are often more seriously injured by the secret per 6dy and the da,nning fsint praise of pretended friends than the most violent attacks of open enc. mics. On this account it is well for those who would see the principles of their party triumphant to remember that "h, that is not with Us is against us," and to guard jolously against the iatroduc- ton or encouragement of pathway men, half Away measures, or half way presses.
 The principles of @mOcracy are fixed and un- changeable; they are he 4xioms of popular sove- regnty; they cannot bs modified to suit the eccen- trieit.es or pander to the selfish experiences of dviduals. Such is theii consistency with them- scFcs thcI tV cNSh e"O "1Vh Os federalism that 10 man press can be at the same time half whg and half -dmocrst without belraying one or the other. This cunning oblitera,ion of party lines, the prOmutatiOn of these "On-the- fence." no-party principbs, has been the cause of every defeat that has happened to the democratic party since the formatioi of the government 1t alone enabled the whigs elect their candidate at the last Presidential electon. and entailed upon the country the present wea, ridiculous and corrupt administration.
 We trust that even thsunswerSing democracy ol Arkansas will profit by bat lesson. and beware of all those who may approch them in the insidiOus guise os no-partyism, les, in the hour of danger. they may be betrayed wh Judas like kiss by any whom they have urislsd and sustained.