San Andreas independent., 1857-07-04

floating intellect of the country-refected in it
but the thoughts and opinions of cliques, in the
garb of public opinion. Did it never strike our
readers that the people of this country have
hopes and aspirations to which the press has
not yet given utterance, simply because it is not
yet fully up to public sentiment, and because
those who control the press have interests and
hopes at variance with those of the masses p
has 1t never occurred to them that the press is
OFTEN the last power in the state which dares
even to chronicle the progress of ideas, when
that progress clashes with established interests,
or the particular patrons of particular journals?
The press, In all such cases. acts as censor upon
ITSELF and not only pre-judges the case without
bringing 1t before the jury, but actually suborns
witnesses. These facts are known to the pub
nc, and contribute not little to the dimin-
lShed influence of the press.
:" The so-called "partizan press {" which sets
out with the purpose of advocating a particular
SET OF doctrines and warning upon its opposites,
allows itself sufficient latitude when attacking
lts adVersares, but it generally has but little
criticism to besow on the acts of its own friends
and supporters. 1t labors under the beliefth that
every just and manly criticism on men and
principles of its own party will at once be con-
strued into an act of treason but without criti-
cism of that elevated and self-reflecting nature.
how is the press to guide or reflect public judg-
ment? Is it more conducive to the success of
liberal and sound principles, that their oppo-
nentS should expose the errors and foibles of
those who profess to be their champions than
that this task be performed by the chaste and
benevolent spirit of their professional advocates
in the public press? Is it not the part of wis
dom to anticipate the enemy i'll a spirit of truth
and candor rather than wait for his attack. and
then parry the blow by making false issue, or
reply in tone apologetical to whitening
charge
we have yet to say word on the so-ca1led
neutral or independent press, which of late has
acquired prodigious influence ON the public
mind; not so much, perhaps, on account of its
intrinsic merit, as from some glaring mistakes
committed by the party press, and which the
independent press has had the good sense skill
fully to avoid. 1t is the excesses committed by
the party press which have called the ndepen-
dent press into being; not that the independent
Is more impartial, more correct or more nde-
pendent than the party press, but that it is more
cautious, less direct, and less violent and there
fore much more suited to the taste of the gen.
eral reader.
In the first place, it is not true that the inde-
pendent press can be neutral, or that neutral
press can be Independent. A press that claims
to be independent ought to state the truth, to
the best of its knowledge, at least, regardless of
consequences. But the truth is not neutral it
is diametrically opposed to falsehood, and eter-
nally hostile to error. The Independent press,
therefore, if true to its mission, must take sides,
and it must take the right side of the question,
without reference to party or interests involved
in question; instead of which we often witness
merely its neutrality, either from the want of
courage to grapple with subject till public
opinion has already pronounced upon it, or from
fear that an Independent judgment might give
it partizan character. Thus the neutral press
sins most, not in the manner it handles sub
jects, but in the omission to handle them at all.
Its subscribers belonging to all political par
ties, great care is had by its conductors to steer
middle course, little Objectionable to any of
them and thus its tone and style become ener-
waited, emasculating even truth ITSELF and de-
generating In many instances into species of
sermonizing on common-places, the most tire
some and Improbable to the educated reader"