Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1856-12-01
TEE IspErEsDEzI PsEsS---IFs take the sub


MONDAY NoRyIyG, DECEMBER /. 1856.
TEE IsDsErEsDEST PsEs<--yYe take the sub
joined extract from an article IN the last Wells
bars Herald. which, 4 70 Is. seems 70 elnbody
great dezIl more truth than Is first appaTent-
since first the ediet went forth, 10 the early
times Of the Republic, that 10 the yietors be-
long ths spotls.z Is dated the commencement Of
the pzrtszan press IN this country. About that
tirae= there vas Journai. : ct model for many
Of modern times, Published in Philadelphia, and
called Fenno's Gazette. devoted toretailiag SIAN
der against the Federal party. Probably, there
never was Published In any country more
unserupulous Journal. Old copies are NOW to be
seen in the Eastern cities as billingsgate enrios-
tiles. Wien General Washington adtninistra-
ton closed, or rather AFTER he had refused to be
a candidate for the third time before the people,
this Journal come out aad quoted the words of
the aged Simeon, recorded in the New Tesla
ment, Now lettest thon thy servant depart in
peace, DC, ''for that we have seen the reign Of
corruption CONS 70 an end"
Yes, cool and great as youth are now taught
to regard Washington this Fenno's Gazette de-
nounced and reyiIed him, and after all his services
TO his country, In war and peace, embittercd
his last days by its calumnies From that day
70 this the partizan press has grown. They have
arrayed themselves against each other, and with
"lorgone conclusion haze layished unbound
ed praises upon their adherents and denounced
IN equally unmeasured terms their opponents.
IS consequence, It was quite naturaI that
every new enterprise among newspapers should
array itself upon one or the other side, Just as
the retainers in the feudal ages gathered about
the castles Of their chiefs for protection, or else
maintain an insipid neutrality This latter ma
ny chose TO do, and devoted themselves TO love-
Stories and the pcTils and accidents of the Rev
olution. They hardly dared give the current
political news Of the day. Their circulation
soon came 70 be confined to the nurseries, while
the .Pater. tanailias" poured over his loved par
tisan paper. Men were very bitter partisans in
those days; they seemed 70 believe all in their
party papers, By the one side Jefferson was
------s-F 49,
IN infideI, theorizing duplicate Of Tom Paine
and VoItaire; the clergy shuddered at the
thought Of his election, as the end of Bibles and
catechisms, and the installation of French inf.
deity. On the other hand Hamilton was stig.
matized aduitcrer, and as being in league
with the elder Adams, to establish n monarchy
This was the cue given to political papers Now
that the statesmen Of that period have been
gathered to their fathers, we look back wonder
ingly and with Indignation over the files of such
papers. We wonder how it was they were per-
mitted TO use such language, when impartial
history has taught us to revere those names.
So it is ard SO it viii be with the partizan
presses They are sold and welded to their
party and its honors and emoiuments, Not one
In ten Of them cares straw about the advance
neut Of sound principles or the interests of the
country. A measure of some aspiring dema-
gogue is preached at Washington and endorsed
by the administration Empower, and upon the
word being passed along the line of the party,
che Pspsrs commence enrorcfng me TEST They
incite the bigoted-they warp the minds of
those otherwise candid, and cndeavor to stop
the mouths of the opposition by the invention
and application of unpopular epithets. They
affect to see no difference between the conserve
lives and radicals OF an opposing party, but
cover them both over with some prcudical and
low flung cpithct in order to excite popular feel
ing against them. But the time is upon us
when such things are being brought to light
Rnd~oxposed as one of the tricks of the well
fed psrtisans, They are losing their prestige,
and a new order very appropriately styled the
independent Press, is called into being The
people are sick and tired of invectiyes and sys-
tematic denunciation. They want, at least, a
small modicum of lberaiity, for variety, and IN
pursuit Of such they arc each day, more aud
more contributing to the "Independent Press."
Here are the remarks Of the Herald:
i'll.
trying one for newspapers. Not for many years
has one tEapsPired whore Il was so difficult TO
kesp within party lines. or where the tenpfa.
ti01 was % strong for men with brain and nerve
enough % Judge and act for themselves, 70 over
iezg NE tEafnErela that ~ other days 50 nat
orally and comfortably upon them The poll.
~ q ne country we dis0Tganized, and It was |
impossible foF the newspapers 70 maintain their
iHtslty and ~ the same time their Subscribers
std iailneaee- fhey lad % 90 With the pab.
ie es1t,tsseat o. - Least With the major halfof
that public sentiment Owing % The death ~ /
e9cient leaders, the deeadenee Of old isS,ieE and
tsls substitution Of sectional for national cues
ti9as, The fountains Of the great deep seemed n
have been broken up and the papers like Yir. |
fil sdssfesta Hlsgsbna driftei about 10 the tur.
pilens nood, ponbtHg now up, now down, hith-
- and thither rs the winds and waves directed |
them aud no wonder 1.-THE pestilent waters clos
I'd over more than one Of them forever
THIS was only the case, however. IN those
seetlgns where the public mind was more than /
nsaalLy distracted by differences Of opinion, at
the extremes Of the country where tinanifnitv |
greater than ever before prevailed, the newspa.
PerS became actually insane for want of opu0si.
uon and pTated of.disnnion, and treason and tIe
most absurd propositions as II these were every
day topics and gospel realities. What we haye /
said applies more particularly 10 the psrtis,ns
press There is another class OF papers happiIy |
coming into vogue, called the Independent pres.
70 whom the turmoil the freedom from restraint |
among the masses was god.send This class II
Ct papers which has banished the sleepy ncu.
trails rom the land, and Is fast superseding the
seryile party hacks IS characterized by t,s Srs,.
Ter latitude Of opinion lis eolutnns alFnrtie and