The Weekly comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1853-1855, 1854-04-23
pREss,aa THE pR Ess,A-1n the Jeff.

| Dkt HHit Nttl-blttAti iiitfD VIZ LlIt lC-
cent acts Of the Legislature, Of that
State, in reference to printing proela-
nations, publishing laws, md adver-
Using Sheitlfs sales. The law Of
Texas commands. hat proclanations
shall be issued IN hand bill form, and
transmitted to the officer OF officers
whose duty it is to carry. them into
elect. The laws are only printed in
the principal payfYo organ, and She'i6s.
sales are written out and tackled on
the Court House doors. Thus ii would
seem to be the desire Of Texas legis-
lators (tbey have tie example Of
Others for it, to keep from the people
as far as possible, alI knowledge Of the
laws and their ubiquitous enactments.
There are any number Of newspapers
published in the Siate-no town hay
ing a thousand inhabitants, is without
one, and yet the Sheriff may seize
p'operty-get up II badly written no
tice Of sale, aud knock it down to the
very Judge who rendered the iudg-
ment without opposition. This is u
beautiful condition Of things, where
the public press is so easy Of access
The newspaper is Tho true pioneer,
to spring up and stimulate The mind to
action; and it is the principal feature
Of difference between the new and the
old world. Here there is no town
and scarcely any village without its
daiIy or weekly paper. And who are
they published by Is not the editor
u member of tie community advo-
eating its welfare and prosperity 1t
is even SO. Then why should legisla-
tive enactments single this class out,
to prescribe them by acts, and prevent
their spreading before their readers
the very kind Of intelligence that
should be, if 1t is not most interesting
to them~-tbe acts Of their servants il
the legislature. l. it for econoluysake |
1t cannot be; for modern lee;slaliun
knows no economy! Then Why isi3 For
the very reason that The press, through
out the length and breadth Of The land
is (save few honorable excerIions) |
in The hands Of domagogues, such as
ike to make their power known, md
Under it, grant exclusive privileges.
This is too well known to be the fact,
md the question is when body Of
legislators come together (which is the
principle barrel organ Of the purity,
hat we may show our favor to-" Does
not such condition Of things, call for
unity on the part Of newspaper pub.
The bed Of whose presses,
Of the great men Of The
nation have been pressed out, aud
'ufed up from nothing, into notori-
,ly.
There is ono strange physiological
net in the progress OF mankind which
Gems cannot be obliterated. 1t is
Int any kind Of honest employment
S disgraceful. and man cannot be q
Gentleman, If be follow any mechani-
al branch Of industry. Printing is
uch---and proud indeed are we to
,roclaim the fact. Society now, as
yer, must hive several distinct classes
marked and numbered by occupation,
md not by the only true gage--the
MEASURE of Gods Intelligence. We
ave no disposition to tear down the
distinctions that Mushroom aristocracy
ave marked out; but what we have
'articnlarly to complain Of, is the ex-
lusive privileges sought to be given,
ne over ano;her--The professional
yer the understandable rich. and