Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1851-12-31


This advice is beginning to be reiterated by
the western press, and it should be Needed by
the western people Home papers have done
more for the west than could be calculated in |
dollars and cents, and it is truly surprising, as
it is ungrateful that, so great number OF wes-
tern people prefer to patronse distant news
paper, to the exclusion of one published near
home. Distant papers as a general thing are
OF little intrinsic value, and as means of advo-
eating our local interests, they are Of no use
whatever. why then should they be regarded
with that favor which belongs only to those
which are really and intrnsically useful: 1t is
extremely difficult to find an excuse for those
who presist year after year to patronise distant
news papers in preference to those who are
ever ready to advocate and promote their local
and individual interests Of course such per-
sons claim the right of doing as they please,
but in doing as people please, without regard
to circumstances, they very often do wrong
1t appears to US, mere gratitude for services
rendered, apart from any other melting motives
should induce western people to patronise
and sustain western papers: and no where else
is this luty more incumbent or the more bind
ing upon the community than here at home III
Iowa. Here, news. papers do every thing for
the people.
Is grant of land to be petitinned for from
the government, who are the ablest advocates
Of the petitioners? Who persevere SO long
and strenuously in urging the claims OF the
state and Of the people to the consideration
and respect Of Congress?-The newspapers
the humble home news papers Are they paid
for this? No not one cent.
Is Railroad or plank to be built, who
does the most of the preliminary work-whc
appeals most ably to the people in its behalf
who takes the most trouble to gather infor
nation from the experience of others and lay
IL before the community, so that the people
may be warned against improvidence or en-
couraged to profit by circumstances analogous
to those which may have been advantageous tt
others? The newspapers do this. And arr
they not paid for this? No. they are not
Sometimes they may be thanked, but just al
frequently blamed for their services; but as TO
being paid no one thinks of such an act o
justice.
There are thousand other services which
newspapers render the community which neet
not be enumerated, as no reader can be igno
rant of the fact that they are on all subject
the opponents of public opinion, and for al
useful objects they are the advocates of tn
qualification Of the popular desire Nor ar
they less useful in the Reproduction OF vice thai
they are able in the cause ofhuman happiness
What is it that the offender breads more thai
the scaching rebuke of the Press? Nothing
Neither the pulpit the bar can make hin
quail, as can the humblest country news-pa
per.
In the cause of morality-in the advocacy Q
human rights-in spreading abroad for the infol
nation of the people, new facts in science an
in arts-in bringing together knowledge {
passing events from all the nations tribes an
people of the world what SO industrious w ha
SO influential, what useful as news-pape,
Every paper is cyclopedia of knowledge; an
such knowi ledge too as may be sought for i
vain elsewhere.
And then its cost; what is it? Less for
year then single "treat al around" or n fe,
cigars. Less than any of the thousan
luxurics wfiich people nave oecorn
indispensable in their daily fare.
With all these advantages which can +
purchased so cheaply, why is it that so large
number of human beings refuse to avail then
selves of newspaper We may be able to az
count for the primary cause. Who will ell
tighten on this subjectg OF course no or
can, except he who refuses to take news-p
per-Duquque Herald.