The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-06-14

Mihoiui Oi INC tFlt6 dhpifhluu OF LILO Poct
BURNS, we have perused with much amusement
The following cool and characteristics comments
on the press Of this city, in the New York Her
NJ That our readers may participate in that
amusement, we append the article at LENGTH,
that its structures and suggestions may both
pass for what they may be worth with an intel
ligent public.
We desire it to be distinctly understood, that
we neither endorse, nor youch for the correct
ness of the Herald facts, or assertions purport-
ing to be such. Its figures relative to the re-
spective circulation of the papers published
here. we Know to be very wide Of the mark in.
deed: and in one case only Chat of the.N National
Era,) even approximating to correctness.
There never was greater fallaey than that
contained in the old maxim that figures never
lie.n They are the most deceptous Of all the
forms of 6guratiye falsehood-from the solemn
array in Patent Office reports, down to the irreg-
ular line in your wife's last millinery bill.
Well known as journal that ever reflects
but never attempts to originate public opinion,
and welding potent influence through its
wide circulation, the opinions and Judgments
passed by the Herald may be often denounced
and disputed, but cannot be despised.
Finding Independence Of all clique-isnr the
best policy, because the most profitable, the
Herald is independent from calculation, as jour
nails more scrupulous or more sectional" are
from principle--and blurts out the plain truth
very often, when more pretentious and phar-
saica professors of responsibility are lodging
all those truths, the utterance of which might
be disagreeable to their friends and patrons, or
to the Powers that Be-" Its comparative view
of the relative position and power of the several
presses published here, is certainly unbiased
by any prejudices or prepossessions its conduct
ors might nationally be supposed to entertain
for the Herald has received more frequent and
harder raps from the Southern Press than from
any paper here, and there is none which inter-
feres more with its subscription list throughout
the wide field of the South and South west.
The close of its Article, however, presents per-
feet specimen of non sequitar--for the effect Of
the recent improvements in facilitating inter-
course and communication between distant
points, is to de,cenralize instead of to aconsoli-
date power over news in some great metropolis"
as asserted by the Herald. Under the sold
slow coach" principle the city presses had al
most the monopoly of the news; but now,
thanks to Professor MoRsE) it circuates as
swiftly and as widely as the air, over the whole
wide surface of the country; and each little
country newspaper now sends it forth stimuli
taneously with its mammoth rivals of the me-
tropotan Cities,
With the eye Of prophecy, the Herald already
bchods the entire genus of " Washington news
papers of the present" classed among extinct
species. 1t views them, receding now before the
" mammoth strides of the New York press
that ogre in the seven-leagued boots--as the
earlier settlers of New Amsterdam did before
the encroaching strides Of the long legged
Yankees, as recorded in the veracious chronicles
of Diedrich Knickerbocker. As every breeze
that then blew over the onion-beds of the in
vaders brought tears into the eyes of the old
settlers" ard the odor of their best tobacco was
overpowered, even while the smoke curled
around their own nostrils from the evening
pipe, by the more pungent aroma of that cult
nary delicncy-so Wash ngton Is henceforth to
take lessons from New York, the politics Of
the country to be swayed by rs press, and the
regularly elected representatives of the people
to reflect the views, lend themselves to the pol
lev, and advocate "a the claims" of the army OF
lobby members which New York so kindly fur
nishes--a swarm, every session more hungry
more mportunnte, more venal, and more inhu.
entail. Some chapters only of the SECRET
Hrsroay of the last two sessions of Congress
have been partly opened to, and imperfectly de.
ciphered by the people of these United States
When more revelations have been made, they
will see why the Herald thinks that good time
coming it so confidently predicts, when Ner
York will be the United States, as Paris long
has been France.
THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER PREss-The
peculiar character Of the Washington journals,
and their general inefficiency, and consequently
inutty, have been, for several years past, topics
for sneers and reproaches in all political circles.
In the whole world there are no journals more
favorably situated to take advantage of oppor-
tunities, and to be of practical service to the
country; and yet, generally, they are imbecile
and unattrsctve journals, whose merit seems to
lie more in the ability to conceal news than to
make il known. Such being the true state Of
the case, can il be matter Of surprise that they
should have but limited circulation among the
twenty.three millions Of beings who people the
United States! The annexed table will make
known the probable extent of their editions:
Semi
Daily. Weekly. Weekly.
National Intelgencer,
Union Whig) $500 1000 10000
The Union, (old DENY 1850 5000 $500
Southern Press, (aDti-
abolition, &c.) 1,500 $500
rl.n