New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-04-09

The newspapers printed IN the Slave States are
generally az poor in character as they are meager
in number. At several points, and especially in the
great commercial cities, there are notable and
praiieworthy exceptions, but these only serve to
render the decrepi,ude and poverty Of the Southern
press still more conspicuous. 10 one department
of journalism-we mean that filed by the clever
country newspapers so common in the Middle,
Western and Northern Sates-there is at the South
an absolute lack all the journals of the least claim
to respect being confined to Richmond, Baltimore,
Wsshipeton, Charleston, New rleans and st.
Louis The hebdomsds put out in the rural districts
is usually poor, little, fororn dingy sheet, without
enterprise, without the news, without original
matter, and with nothing in it more interesting than
the advertisements of fugacious negroes. In the
cities, the papers have been chiefly remarkable tor
sort Of coarse strength, tendency to passionate
and ,ulphureous explosion logged pertinaclty OF
assertion, and great command Of the language OF
vituperation. Calling names, and not very sofs
names, was much in vogue all over the land with
most of our editors not many years ago; but whle
the Northern people weary of that kind OF con-
troversy, and are wide awake to Its Improbable
ness and absurdity II il still the favorite method
At the South, where it has led to deal Of stabbing
and shooting. It does not seem to Us difficult to
account for this characteristic. Logic, morality,
statistics and moral philosophy, are all arrayed ina
phalanx against Slavery. 1t is not within tho
power of the most ingenious sophist to devise more
than plausible argument in its defence; and what
could be dene for it in this way has been best DONE
and thoroughly done, by certain Northern Doctors
of Divinity. There is nothing remains, therefore,
for the Southern editor but to work himself into
hurricane of passion, just TO show thst II he cannot
be wise he can at least be windy. The ludicrous
antics into which this betIays hlm-the wrestling,
If we may say 90, with langusge-the frantic en-
deavor to swear hard enough to do justice to the
.ubject-the rummaging Of dictionaries to find
words of the utmost pimento lsvor-the sound, the
fuss and the fury, are always we confess, sugges'
tive to Us Of bursting blood vessels or of inevitable
apopexy. It was in this way that the asssuls upon
Mr.. Sumner was-Hesven save the mark
Tended; and we knew of nOthiog in the whole his.
tory of journalism 10 utterly discreditable to our
craft as the articles upon that subject which ap-
peared in Southern newspapers.
We have been led into these remarks by receiv-
il several numbers of newspaper recently estab-
li.hed in Richmond Va, by Mr. Roger A. Prior,
and which is significantly, if not mOdestly, called
The South. We believe that it is intended to make
this an able and vigorous advocate OF Slavery and OF
its extension, and we hope that the experiment will
be successful To use the language of The South, III
1--WE are to have opposition, let 1t at least command
our respect Feeling thus, we are sorry to SEQ in
the specimens before US tendency to lapse, in tho
very beginning, into the invective and srocco
style. For the rest, The South stands up TO tho
fight without any ninching-denie' that negroes
have any rights which the white man is bound to
respect and calls upon the world TO revise its juds.
ment of the slave trade. 1t is clearly entitled to
its name; but what would be said should We print
paper called The North How would several OF
our amiable neishbors howl out their bOisterou'
cries of " DlauniOn DisuniOn"