Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1856-05-08
For the Democrat.
Ann Arbor, Mich., April Oath.


few rough notes upon men and things, /
concluded, with your permission, to inflicI
them upon the readers of the Democrat
And should any find fault with them, to
those l would sag, with the author once of a
certain book, ''that they are the very ones,
who. had not intended, should read them"
1t Is trusm that it is chiefly through
observation that we derive our principal
notions Of men and things. We may
speculate and theorize from now Till
doomsday," and unless we reduce these TO
some form of practical life, we will be some
thing like the ancient knight, who, af-cr
having fought for successive days with the
wind, with no other result than loss Of
physical strength, went away despai:ing,
and hung himself Now would not be
understood as inimaing that ali theorists
will eventually hang themselves, when they
shall fail TO find realization of their dreams
in practical life; neither will [ aver, on the
other hand, hat hey ought not to, rs du
ty they owe to themselves and to society.
But valuable and important as is this fac
ultv of observation, il is remarkable how
many are comparatively destitute of il, or
more truly, how few avail themselves of It's
!vantages.
1t is an easy matter to distinguish these
two classes of persons, viz: the observer
and the non-observer: the one is always
well supplied with newspapers, of which
he is close, critical reader, while the 9TH
er is not only destitute Of these, but of ev-
erything else with which he may cultivate
and enlighten his mind; and in palia!ion
for his culpabe ignorance, offers that Ste
reotypcd, miserly excuse-"that he is too
poor to take a paper"
Editors are class of people, who, By a
wise dispensation of society, are set apart
as special Spectators of men and things;
AMI their papers are the public registers in
which they record their observations. By
this means all classes of society are put in
immediate communication with the busy
wo.ld-he, " no never wanders beyond the
limits of his own county, or state, scarcely
less than he who journeys to every land.
There is no single source to which society
is indebted in 50 many ways as to the
Newspaper Press"
The Poet has truly said
sBut mightiest of the mighty means,
On which the arm of progress leans,
Mans noblest mission to advance,
His woes assuage, his veal enhance,
His rights enforce, his wrongs redress
Mghtiest Of the migkiy is The press"
Americans are no less truly called a
progressive people," than they are 4
-newspaper-reading people, he one, in
fact, necessarily implies the other-both
bring the legitimate offspring of liberal IN
stitulions. Freedom Was purchased for
our country with the blood Of sterling pa
tliots, but lis preservation has been en-
trusted, in great measure, TO the Patfc
press And 50 long as that potent engine
shall continue TO impart healthy, and lib
eral spirit to the people, and shall denounce
with unspar;ng severity all disunioaists,
Sc tionul porttsqaS, "Stqr-chanaJer" con
spiratorS, and other consanguinous caba!s,
Freedom has not ing to fear.
That he press has always been true to
her truss, | will not aver. She has olen,
in these later days leaguei with base
and narrow prejudices, which evils /, should
be her chiefest province to eradicate. Such
fac.s are porientous indications for our ma
tioAal prosperity and happiness.-But
wAi.her am | wandering? did not de
sign, in set.ing out, TO write disserta Ion
on the "influence of the press or any
other general subject; | must, therefore,
check up these digressions. aud fall in with
my original intent OF giving you a few dis
lon;ed notes of cursory obscrva ion.
The frs, fact, which impresses self up
on my attention, is the remarkable revolu-
ton, which the poli.ics of our sac is un-
dcrgoing In the fall Of 81, through the
fusion of the Know Nothings aad Black
the Democrats were signally
defeated throughout the state. But this
triumph of fusion and intrigue was des-
tined to be cphemerai. Since that time
the standard of Democracy has gradually
been elevated to lis accus, ,omed ascenlan- !
". At our late spring elections the tri-
umph, in many places, has suIpassed alex
pecta,ion. Tccumseh, my native village
and present home, last year gave the "Fu
sicns' majority of ls6; this spring il
rolled up from 80 to 100 for the "0ld Lin +
RS" Our little ci.y Of Ann Arbor elect
ID its Mayor 10y an overwhelming plurality.
In Eaton Rapids--thc thriving county seat
# Eaton counly--lhe victory was still
greater But cannot stop to specify: sui-
icn Il to say. that I'm her strongest holds