The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-05-04

because they are such devoted friends of th
Union, and because they have stood up an
defended the compromise and the Union, agans
assaults.
Sir, whenever the struggle shall come
whenever the question shall arise before us
which calls for sacrifice or EXPOSURE; wheneve
a wrong shall be inflicted upon our country 81
long as the stars and stripes wave over us. Their
will be such response made as shall satisfy tn
judgment Of all men that patriotic hearts ar
in their bosoms which are at the service Of thei
country
Mr. PARKER, Of Indiana, (interupting
If the gentleman will allow me, wish TO re
move difficulty. The gentleman places me il
the same category with tho Committee on Print
! ing, when he says there was an universal cry al
over the House to refer il back to that com
mittee. Such was the fact but il was TO refer
II back with. Instructions. That is what we
have been struggling to do. Let the committee
act in the independent manner in which the law
| places them, and not control them with instruc
tons which we have no right to give. That
committee was created by the law of this Con
gress, and of n former Congress. IL is not a
tribunal which belongs to this House, and that
! is the difficulty to which the gentleman refers
| say now, as | have said uniformly, thai this
matter belongs to the Committee on Printing
aud We have no more right TO instruct that com.
mittee, than we have to instruct the President,
or to instruct the Mexican Commissioners.
There is the difficulty which tho House is in
and which the gentleman does not understand.
Mr.. VENABLE, (resuming) The gentle
man does me great injustice, when he SAYS | do
not understand it. think, with great respect,
he does not understand it. had intended to
| Hioouco al ,oint 1 find ~ &
the gentlemans remarks, made on Friday.
There was no exception made. The nstruc.
tons were annexed to the motion TO refer To
the Committee on Printing. But sir,I will
confess that l5ere were feelings in my heart,
which am unwilling TO describe here, when |
was told by gentlemen that eighly,nine gentle,
men in this House, including gentlemen North
and South had entered into u petty combina.
ton with Freesoilers, Disunionists, and Adolf
| tionists-for what? For the purpose OF break
ing down two little newspapers. Why, sir, |
would just as soon have believed that Bonaparte
would have brought together his fourteen hun.
dred cannon at Leipsc, for the purpose of bat
tering down a peasants cottage. | would lust
as soon suppose that all the materials of war Of
Europe would be paraded for the purpose of
destroying little petty tribe upon the Barbary
coast. What is n newspaper. What are one
or two newspapers, in this great country, if
separated from the government? And would
here remark, that the party which owes its or
ganization to the influence Of a newspaper, that
derives all its ideas of harmony from melodies
ground out by party organ, is composed of
bad judges Of music, and unworthy TO exist.
Sir, we shall never be able TO clean the Augean
stable of our government from the foul cor
ruption that smells rank to heaven, until we
have delivered the party PRESS from the treasury.
As long as the press is fed by the party who
control the Administration, there will be skillful
apologists for every and any abuse Whilst
they can put their suckers into that pond, and
draw out the means of life and yigor, so. long
as they can clutch the money earned by hard
working people, the sources of public opinion
will be corrupted and polluted, the public mind
misnforped, and the continuance of evil admin
istration in high places secured. The press that
feeds upon the treasury will become so corrupt
that all the water Of the ocean cannot cleanse
it, and all the spices of Arabia cannot preserve
for it the fragrance of good name.
The press must be free to be pure-independ-
ent in order to be spectable-honest in order
TO be useful. Those who control it should look
to the appreciation of good men as their reward,
the consciousness of patriotic motives as their
anu litu tiitJ VIII speak lTOiil III
eminence which will insure them hearing from
posierity, and the gratitude of the great and the
good. Contrast, sir, this position with the mis-.
chief which corrupt and hireling press ibflcts
upon the world From it current of thought
and opinion continually issues flowing from a
great generator of miasma and filth, poured
upon the country to deluge all who have the in
dependence to Withstand its abominatons and
assert the rights Of the people. Approaching
this condition rs il is, all patriots desire that il
should be rendered pOwerless and nerveless
The eyes of the public have been opened, and
they begin to learn that they have been misIed
by the guidance Of dependent and mercensry
manufacturers both of facts and opinions Such
is the feeling spreading widely amongst the yeo.
many Of the country, and they will arise and
put things right. The press, sir, which cannot
live without being fed from the public treasury,
ought 10 die, aud the party which cannot live
without the aid Of such an organ ought also 20
die. Such vitality sustains a moral monster
an unmixed, unmiiigated evil There il no
greater fallacy than to suppose il necessary to
sustain party organ at the seat of government
by public patronage They party in power has
usually sustained lis organ in this way, bnt rival
organs are at the same time sustained by their
subscription lists. Although psurpered lion
feeds from the treasury siorehouse ofprovisions
yet other lions equally formidable range in the
adjoining forest. ] repeat, that party who can
live and prosper only by substituting the press
by support from the public treasury, has no de.
sirable vitality; and no good man ought TO sigh
when the supply is cut of, and the doom OF
death comes upon IT, This matter, sir, lies deep
Here we may learn tie reason Of the increased
and increasing expenses Of our government
Why there is demand for more money in time
Of perce than IN a time Of WARMLY an army
Of 10000 IN peace costs mord than 10000 in
time Of war Here we may learn the reason Of
the want Of harmony.
Mr.. FREEMAN. VIII the gentleman allow
me TO put question to him. Does the gentle
man propose 10 convey the idea TO this House
that Wings and Democrats, and the editors of
all party newspapers in the United States, are
TO be excluded from entering into fair c6mpe.
tition for The public printing, by lawfully con.
tracing for the same
Mr.. VENABl.E. Not at all, sir confess
myself surprised at The question. The resolu.
! ton uroposed bv me looks only Ia a priuf;po ioh