The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-08-07
1ndependent Pres IS. PartE Press.

4uucpSnucIt 1ECSs Vs. dIV 1IcS4.
Some thirty years ago, GEO. BREWSTER,
ESQ.,, delivered a series of lectures in
Cleveland, Ohio, on Education. In his
eleventh lecture, under the head of The
Present Condition of the Public Press"
he took occasion to review the different
classes of journals published in the coun-
try. and to show their influence upon soci-
ETY.. After speaking of the Reviews, he
nexe considers the INDEPENDENT newspa-
per, and, lastly, the mere partizan journal
We copy, hoping our neighbor will not
consider that Mr. BREWSTER had him in
mind, as the editor had not an existence
when Mr. B. was preparing that lecture :
In the next class, would rank all
those journals which dare. nobly, to tell
the truth, just as it is, with reference to
political facts, and affairs, and men, with
out being deferred by fear, frowns, or
favoritism. The number of this class is
exceedingly small, each one of the con-
ductors of which, in this age of political
corruption, deserves monument for, it
requires more independence, integrity, in
flexible principle, and uncompromising
decision of character, than ordinary men
possess, to tell, fearlessly, at all times, and
under all circumstances, "the truth, the
aUhole truth, and nothing but the truth -
and, | say, therefore, that the conductor
of a public journal, who does, in this age
of partyism, favoritism, political rewards,
and general POLITICAL corruption, state facts
correctly, and lie not, nor exaggerate, to
subserve the interests of some particular
junto, deserves monument, if ever hu-
man being deserved one; for, as Pope
says
IAN honest mans the eobgest work of God"
The journalists, who conduct these peri
odicals, which are sparsely scattered over
the length and breadth of the country,
like so many friendly beacon lights, erect
ed along so many hundred miles of sea-
coast, to scatter the deep political dark
ness, which would otherwise shroud the
land with the pail of an Egyptian night
the journalists, say, who conduct these
periodicals, do not, blindly, and with mad
alteration, advocate man, or a party, as
! infallible: but advocate certain fixed and
lmmutable PRINCIPLES of RIGHT, and thun-
der their denunciations against certain
fixed and immutable principles of ,orong,
let the scathing anathema light where it
may. To these immutable tests, they
bring every mans character and every
mans work, and there determine of what
sort, or species. or genera, it is. Such
journalists cannot be bribed into subservi-
ency to the aspiring purposes of dema-
gogues and Office-seekers. They scorn to
become the dupes or tools OF party, or
the organs or oracles of a junto. They
make not all men, either angels of spot
less purity, else deUils incarnate, desti-
tute of single good quality, according as
they happen to coincide with their views,
and opinions, and preferences, or to differ
from them No But they estimate
character according to its real, sterling
worth, and not according to the standard
of party partialitieS. Such men deserve
patronage. 1t would be for the well-be-
ing of the republic if they .oere patronized
very extensively. could wish that their
journals were in every mansion, hamlet,
and hoyel, throughout the Union. Yea,
| could wish that their subscription lists
would reach, ON one spacious sheet, from
the Atlantic to the Pacific, and that they
had the cash for each subscriber, yearly,
/ In Advance.
"But, turn away from the contempla-
ton of this lovely picture of indepen-
denee, integrity, honesty. uprightness, and
decision of character, to the contemplation
of one, ,dark-DABK-DARK-ALL dark
/ black as Ere6us and eternal night Hav-
/ ing embraced, in the first class, the very
| few journals which are vehicles of truth,
| [immortalized be their memory l in
clude all that vast majority of periodicals
all those ten thousand vehicles of slan-
der, calumination. detraction, abuse, sour
rility, blackguardism, ribaldry, and most
besotted ignorance, united with most dis
gusting egotism, from the hireling presses,
at the capital, to the most paltry seven by
nine sheet that is sent forth from the most
obscure village in the Union, to poison
and pollute the public morals, and emit
! a pestilential effluvia, more pernicious
than that of the Bohon Upas, of Java.
| When ] take up one of those journals,
and peruse it, cannot but quickly come
to the conclusion, that "lying has become
so in use, that truth is out of fashion
quite thrown aside, like the uncouth gar
ment of Gothic age" They are pledged
TO advocate a man, to support party, at
all hazards; to vindicate certain actions,
be they right or scrong. And to advocate
that man, to support that party, and to
vindicate those actions, they hesitate not
to fabricate and retail the most bare faced,
absurd, and palpable falsehoods, if those
falsehoods sAail appear likely to subserve
their interests in any shape or way. In
deed, k1ao,o Of nlultitade rho hare be-
come 50 habituated to ezaggeration, misrep-
resrntation and deception, that they had ac-
tuany rather tell a falseaood than the truth,
j. the truth ,coald. at The same time, subseyve
their purposes equally as soeN. Lying has
become their element, and they could not,
seemingly, Ire OF brsathe without it. And,
for what do they all this ? For what Go
they thus prostitute themselves, and make
shipwreck of character, and yiieiy sell
themselves to cater for demagogues ?
But, further still. They stop not here.
Some character of worth and ability, an
ornament to his country, happens TO stand
in the way, as barrier to the ambitious
designs and the tyrannical viii of their
master. Circumstances create an impers-
tive necessity, that he should be removed
out of the way, lest he might resist the
lordIy strides of a dictator. The watch
word is, therefore, given. The big dog