The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-04-14
PATRONAGE TO NEWSPAPERS.

Last week, Mr.. Seward introduced in the
Senate the following resolution
"Resolved, That the Secretary be authorized
to procure the publication in tho National In
telligencer of so much of the debates of the
Senate during the last session of Congress as has
not been already published in that paper, and
to pay for such publication and also for the
publication of speeches of that session already
made in the Intelhgencer the sum of four dol
lars per column"
This is one of the most remarkable attempts
to use the money of the Government for the
support of a party press that we have noticed.
| The Inteiigeneer, like the Union, was engaged,
two or three years since, to report and pub
lish the proceedings and debates of the Senate,
at 81 so per column. Coming to the conclu-
sion that it could occupy its columns to better
purpose, it asked to be released from the en-
gagement; and since then it has given accu-
rate reports of the proceedings and repub-
lished such of the speeches from the Union as
! it deemed of interest. Meantime, complete
reports of both proceedings and debates have
been published in the Daily Globe, the Con-
gressionai Globe, and the Union, and ample
abstracts have been published in all the lead
| ing papers of the country.
Notwithstanding all this, Mr. Seward, at
this late period, introduces resolution to au-
thovize the Intelhgenesr to publish all Of the
debates (which have not appeared in that pa
| peri at four dollars per column, besides COM
pensating it at the same rate for the publica-
ton already made No reason can be as
signed for this, unless it be to give that paper
"a lift" from the public treasury, and to place
it in position where it may stand q chance,
next Congress, of being re.appointed as an
organ Of the Senate.
We doubt whether the editors of the Inteil,.
geneer have asked this their course hereto
fore has been SUCH that we are constrained to
believe that Mr.. Seward has acted in the
premises on his own responsibility.
Now, we have no objection that Senators
should manifest their favor to the Inieihgeneer.
1t is a veteran journal, highly respectable,
always decorous, fair, and honorable, deserving
of general respect But let them do it at
their own cost and not take the money of the
public treasury to crafty their friendship.
We are glad to see one man in the Senate
standing up courageously against the corrupt
policy of voting moneys to sustain the press.
The resolution came up last Saturday, and Mr..
Chase took occasion to expose the practice, and
the abuses to which it had led The statistics
he submitted. when published, will open the
eyes of the Public. Ho moved, by way Of
ascertaning the sense Of the Senate, to lay
the resolution upon the table. The motion
was lost--yeas is, nays 10. Ascertaining thus
that in Senate with bare quorum, half Of
the members were opposed to tho resolution,
he persisted in his resolve to defeat the
movement. His speech was unanswersblc. lie
showed that, if the movement was an act Of
courtesy because the htelligsnesr represented
a minority, another paper, the National Era
was equally entitled to similar net of courtesy
If the object as one member said, was to en-
tighten the minds Of the people, the readers o
the National Era had as much claim in Thu
respect as those of the Intsiligsneer. If pub
lioity wAs tho object as insisted upon by thos'
favorable to the resolution, far greater pub
licity would be given by the Era than the In
isRgenesr, for, while the latter in all its issues
supplied only nine or ten thousand subscribers
the former supplied twenty-eight thousand
in fact had o larger circulation than all the
papers in the District put together
He was utterly opposed to the whole policy
Of voting away money upon newspapers bu
as the Senate seemed bent upon it he woulS
move TO amend the resolution by providing als'