The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1854-01-19
mr.. N~Tan0ei6's Adaress

Deheereabeforefh e EditOriai Convention
at Cincinnati on 1Hesday Evening.
The speaker proposed to consider The
MOrGI Power and RsspOnsibiIifieS ofthe
Press
l.. What Is tho Pressl In popular
understanding i, means the nswspapsr.-
The newspaper is a printed roice. II is
the utterance. through type. Of the acts,
thoughts, sentiments and feelings Of the
human being. spoken aloud, in the ears
Of all mankind. To do this by mere me
chanical agency, is a modern invention
BY this invention. this printed voice.
the uttsrance Of thought and facts are
diffused through the whole earth. among
all our people and kindred-ubiquitous
as the air, as penetrating as the light.
This Printed UOice, gifted with such
capacities, has become a new element Of
society, changing some Of the essential
modes Of social action, enlarging the
sphere of thought, and difusing ~intelli-
gencs with a rapidity which we deemed
impossible. Loved by fseemen, feared
by tyrants. it mingles in the revolutions
OF mankind. and battles for liberty
against principles and powers. What
ever other charterislics the press may
have, this much is c%er.nin. 1t Is every
where claimed as tie friend o flight, and
is everywhere the enemy Of darkness.
This new elementof society is the most
effective element in the intellectual con.
dition Of modern states. 1t has never
been properly analyzed by either pbiloso-
piers or statesmen. The great fact of
its influence exists, and we are content
10 leave to other ages the task Of measur-
ing its history of its changes.
would speak FIRST Of the Moral POUer
OF the Press, and as preliminary 10 this,
let me state briefly its history.
The first press established was simply
a neacs bulletin, utterly devoid Of either
opinion. sentiment, debate, or report, other
than naked fact, briefly stated.
The first English newspaper was pub
lishcd in the time OF Elizabeth, in 1853,
and was in manuscript. The frs, prin-
ted one was the 'Politicus Mercurius,' or
Political Mercury, and was started in
the reign of Charles l., in 1881, and con-
tinued through Cromwelrs time. A
copy of this have seen in New Haven,
Conn.
Thus it will be seen that the newspa-
per press is less than three centuries old;
established since the reformation, of which
it became the right arm. The first news
papers were indeed bulletins, but the mo-
ment discussed became free they took
part in it, and took care to keep it so. In
that time the press was holder than at
the present day.
The following statement will show the
increase of the press in the United States:
In IT'S there were 81.
1910 358.
4" 1910 1000.
1850 $500.
The newspaper increase has been six
times greater than that Of the population,
and the circulation FIVE times greater
Thus the increase Of the power Of the
press has been thirty times greater than
hat Of the population.
:. The effect Of this is two fold; it dimin-
ishes the individual power of a paper,
but it has increased the aggregate power
beyond computation
We will now consider some OF the par
%ticulars in which the power of the press
consists.
Its first great power is to utter truth,
magma est veritas et %prepalebit. A truth
once given to the people is never lost
Such is the elastic power OF %gunpowder
that if this globe were a solid mass, and
one single grain enclosed within it aud
ignitcd, it would explode the whole; so a
single truth has sufficient explosive power
to tear asunder human society.
The multitudinous issues of the press
enable it to iterats and rsiterate truth
until it encircles the world.
Another power Of the press is to color
fact. Whoever announces a fact has the
opportunity to give it a coloring; so that
though truth may not be violated a false
impression is made upon the reader
This power is very much abused.
Another power is to censurs evil-doors;
to inaict the lash of public censurs upon
who go 'unwipt Of Justice Men,
who from wealth and position in society,
fear neither the prison nor the gibbet,
yet are keenly sensitive when touched by
the press. Tits a saIutary power; God
forbid il sheuld ever be lost. (Applause.)
We will now consider the elements re-
to make daily paper. The editor
required to write at q moments notice,
and without preparation, ineligible arti-
cles on all subjects; a thing which nobody
but an editor ever did. (Applause.)-
Next comes the reporter, that ubiquitous
individual, who is expected to be every
and always prepared to make for
a stupid speaker an intelligent and inter
address. DIR. Johnson was once
parliamentary reporter fora London paper.
He made the members speak with the
ore rotundo, but he made them speak
good sense and elegant English. 1t
would be a curiosity to see a report Of
congressional proceedings perfectly accu-
rate and impartial, without a reporter 10
do it into good English and into sense.
Next comes the commercial editor.-
Next, the travelling editor. The London
Times once sent out a travelling editor to
investigate the subject Of city sewerage.
He travelled three years without perpeira-
ling a single article, but shortly after that
The subject came up before parliament,