The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-06-11
The New Yerk Herald On tho Warrington
Press.

Mindful OF the trite aspiration OF the Poot
BURNS, we have perused with much amusement
the following cool and characteristic comments
on the press Of this city, in the New York Her.
aid. 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 II to be distinctly understood, that
VIC neither endorse nor youch for the correct
ness of the Herdld's 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 National
Era,) even approximating to correctness.
There never was greater fallaey than that
contained in the old maxim that "fgures never
lie" They are the most deceptious Of all the
forms Of fgurative 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 n 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 cliqus-ism 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 phari-
saical professors of responsibility are lodging
all those truths, the utterance Of which might
be disagreeabe to their friends and patrons, OF
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 sequitur-for the effect of
the recent improvements in facilitating inter-
course and communication between distant
points, is to de.cenralize, instead of to aconsol-
dale 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,
lie In NJ lat
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-
tropoltan cities.
With the eye of prophecy, the Herald already
beholds 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-lengued 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 onon-beds Of the in
vaders brought tears into the eyes of the old
settlers" and 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 delicacy--so Washington ia henceforth to
take lessons from New York, the politics OF
the country to be swayed by its press, and the
regularly elected representatives of the people
to reflect the views, lend themselves to the pol.
icy, and advocate the claims" of the army O
lobby members which New York so kindly fur
nishes--a swarm, every session more hungry
more importunate more venal, and more inf1u
entail. Some chapters only of the SEcRE,
HrsToRy 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 tim,
coming" it so confidently predicts, when Nea
York will be the United STATES, as Paris long
has been France.
THE WASHINGTON NEWSPAPER PREss-Tht
peculiar cllaTdCteT VI tIe w washington JOurnhlS
| and their general inehciency, and consequently
nutility, 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
tunites, and to be- of practical service to the
country; and yet, generally, they are imbecilt
and unattractive journals, whose merit seems &c
lie more in the ability to conceal news than tc
make it known. Such being the true state oil
the case, can it be matter of surprise that the,
! should have but a limited circulation among tn,
twenty three millions of beings who people tn,
United States The annexed table will max,
known the probable extent Of their editions:
Semi
Daily Weekly. Weekly
National Intelligencer,
(Union Whig) $500 1000 l0,00t
The Union, (od Dem.) $500 5000 9,50t
Southern Press, (anti-
abolition, &c.) 800 7,50t
Tbs Republic, (organo Of
the Wing adminis'n unknown.
The Globe, (Dem.) unknown. 3,00(
National Era, devoted
to the Additionally $1,000
The Telegraph, IA new