The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1855-06-06

host Of other brilliant minds COMPOSING il
that body was the cmbodement of the
public sentiment. Public journals were
made subservient to congressional opinion:
their course was influenced, it not controll-
ell, by Representatives in Congress; and
SO far from being independent of congress
lonal influence, the public press was look
ed upon as mere secondary organ-a
sort ofhelpmeet to Con .rcss and Congress.
men.
But the press is no longer a mere
mouth piece for members Of Congress; it
is fulfilling higher, nobler DESTINY. -
Congress no longer rules public opinion.
The brilliant talent which was in Congress
in 1910 is not there now; the giants intel.
lects that for the time being gave our
National Congress character for dignity.
brl.Iiancy of talent and forensic eloqucnce,
second to no such other assembly the world
ever saw, have nearly all passed away,
and their places been filled by men, too
many of whom are poorly calculated for
the position they hold And even had
not Congress degenerated in point Of tai
ent, it could not lead public opinion at the
present day. The influence Congress once
welded has departed from that BODY. and
is now ccntercd in the public Journals Of
the day. Instead Of being made suJ<cr-
Went to the wishes Of the few, they now
control the opinions of the many. The
election Of our Senators and II pres
entatIves is dependent in no Slight degree
upon the course pursued by tho public
press. Congress is no longer the intalli-
bic body 1t once was its acts arc either
condemned or approved by the public
journals; and this condemnation or apprc-
val is the voice Of the public.
But, 'chiic Congress has Jccn degene
rating, the public press has been constant
tg improving i'll tone and talent, and, in n
few years, journalism is destined to br tlc
profession in the United States. As it il
the organ Of the people, the people viii
have the ablest talent to represent their
interests; and such journals only will bc
supported rs are edited with ability, and
are faithful 20 the interests Of the peop'c.
We repeat, tie -1mcricam press is tulfU-
t'tq a high ant noble deSiiny; IL has Il bril-
liant future before Il. In u few years,
those who are iItcratc and unqualified,
will be compelled to resort to something
else AS a means of maintenance, and Anne
rlcan journalism-calling to its support
the abest talent in the countrv-will he
the embodiment of tie intellectual wealh
Of the United States"
Secondary though be :he Press in
England, (as stated above), it has inst re-
ccired the first formal recognition Of its
wax of power, 10y an assault upon ii in a
Parliamentary dcbaie. One of the first
men of the present school of English poll
tlclans, Mr.. nrummonl, commenced n
speech in the House of Commons by de-
clarlng that lie rose to address body Of
the most devout idolaters"-tlat the pan.
egyrics of the Press which he had heard
from other members was "base adulation
Of power which the speakers dared not
rcslst'-and that one Of the Honorable
Members had even declared that it was
better worth while to read page of the
Times than to read the whole of Thucy-
dides." at was his firm opinion, how
ever, that the Press, instead Of being the
greatest glory and advantage to the coun.
try, was one Of our greatest curses"
Mr.. Drummond made long and etfec
tive speech to the same purport, to which
the Times and other London papers as ef-
fectively replied. The reader will find the
whole matter in the columns of TIE AL
DIoN (the place to find every good thing
in current English literature and news),
and TO that we refer the reader.
The subscribers to the Home Journal
are class to be suggested to-not to be
expatiated for. The above subject "opens
up" and we could say much about it g; but
the reader has the material, and will 20
on where we leave off--aIlowing us sim
ply the honor, however, 1--WE beg to cIaim)
of having blown the first trumpet for the
dues to our brotherhood's left leg at Wash
ington.
: In the long description given in the for.
cign journals Of the comforting Of the Order
Of the Garter on Louis Napoleon, it i. said:
"The King at Arms, knerling, then pres
cnted the GARTER to The Queen and Her
Majesty, assisted by Prince Albert, bucklcd
it upon the knee Of the Emperor"