The daily press. (Cincinnati [Ohio) 1859-1859, 1859-03-03
Freedom of the Press.

I'VE have been Inclined" says the ed
itor Of the Logan Gazette, ito the belief, |
that what is called the freedom of the |
press, in this country, is an arrant hum
bug. In no portion of the world where
the press is tolerated at all, does it enjoy,
practically, less liberty than here. Pains,
penalties and forfeitures are not quite so
rigorous, perhaps, as elsewhere, but they
are quite az effective; because, if less
severe, they are all the more certain of
inAiction.'
This picture Of the conditions to which
the public press of the United States is
subject, is, if true, exceedingly sorrowful;
and that there are many things to give it
the appearance of truth, can not be denied
Still we must cling to the opinion hat
freedom of the press-absolute indepen-
dence in journalism-is possible; and
thatit is, therefore, thing which it is de-
sirable to attain Indeed, if there were
not a possible independence journalism
would not only cease to be one of the
liberal arts, but one of the respectable
avocations. 1t is the idea of freedom, as
connected with his employment, which
distinguishes the voluntary labors of the
master from the drudgery imposed upon
the slave.
That the professions of freedom made
by journalists, in most cases, are in some
sense deserving the name Of humbugs,
may be true. There is, in reality, very
little independence in the world, here OR
elsewhere; and yet there are, doubtless,
many who, if they knew how, would be
Independent, and are so, in reality, to the
extent of their power. But man is born
into system of conventionalities, the
greater part Of which are time-honorcd
fallacies. His mind is in chains from its
birth, and at every advance he makes, or
change that takes place in his condition,
there are new bonds in readiness, adapted
to his altered circumstances. His educa-
ton is II process by which he is made to
receive, without question, the conclusions
to which others have arrived. He be-
comes at the same time citizen and a
partisan, Christian and sectarian and,
in his ignorance and inexperience, is
forced to receive his first lessons in reli-
gion and politics in that which is made up
of the smallest amount of truth, mixed up
with the largest proportion of error and
prejudice Perhaps the man perfectly
free from these trammels, who succeeded
in throwing off every vestige of che chains
of conventionalism, and bringing his un-
fettered reason to bear upon every subject
of human concern, never existed. Per
haps, if found, he would not be permitted
to live SOCRATES and JEsUs-personage
addicted to the ofense of paying too little
respect to current prejudices-were ac-
counted seditious, and done to death for
the good Of society, by their more conserv.
ative fellow citizens.
The great majority of mankind receive
that which they are taught for truth
they therefore not only do not break the
chains which they inherit, but fail to dis,
cover them. Such people live all THEN
lives in a state of content with themselves
and their opinions-attaching sort ol
sanctity to the latter, from the fact that
their belief is matter of faith, and there.
fore not subject TO examination by the in
tellect TO expose their opinions tc
analysis is n sort of sacrilege, which they
love to pay off with persecution. They
have, therefore, no conception of state
of intellectual independence; and, as die
the Scribes and Pharisees, look upor
every man who assumes to think origin
ally, as foe to the public tranquility
> There are such in the editorial profes
sion-men no more capable to reach tha
independence of mind which is necessary
to free press, than JONAH would have
5 been to swallow the whale in whose in
terror he was entertained.
There are cases of willingly-resigneC
freedom Of the press that are really la