The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1859-04-22
The Infuenoe sof the Press upon
the Poitiddtpf tEs Country.

''d"iiSi, - Sof't~-sSiy y@tpHhiS SrcuteE
and more important Steam and electri-
city and the unexampled extension of
mail facilities, together with the employ
mont of greater capital and talent in
journals have multiplied their readers
fifty-fold and has brought with it a cor
responding increase of influence. No
longer is the press in the leading-strings
of politicians orpolitical parties Itmakes
and unmakcs the former by its breath,
and is Oll-potenty detennining the des-
tiny of the latter ,p.urSe people look
not only for infore, MI for instruc-
ton upon the staS tical affairs
Believing that S-Gus 6 of the press
are indissolubiy - upon and connec-
ted with the public, whose exponent it is,
and knowing the facilities which it en-
joys for correct information, they rely
greatly upon its judgment and opinion
The long speeches of statesmen and poll
ticians in Congress are little read or cared
for blythe masses of the people. They
look for guidance to the shorter leaders
and comments of the public journals upon
public manners and men. Their daily
intercourse with the people gives them
extraordinary opportunities for inculca-
ting their opinions, and for forming and
directing the public mind upon political
issues. So well is the ground surveyed
and examined by the journals that there
is little room for the politicians to say
anything new upon it, even when the
latter possesses great natural originality.
The consequence now is, the press makes
political sentiments, and selects, to a
great extent, the persons who are to be
its representatives. The politicians, who
apparently, have charge of this branch of
business, have to adapt it to the eXigen-
cies of the case, which has been created
through tbe influence of the press. In
former days-before the introduction of
those elements of power of which we
spoke in the commencement of this arti-
cle-the press was patronized by and in
debted to the politicians. This has been
completely reversed. ss
The politicians are now indebted to it
for their Importance, and are the obliged
parties in any intercourse which takes
place. They do little or nothing for its
support, which comes from the great
mass of the people, whose interests are so
frequently opposed totheif designs, and
which must govern its exponent, the
press, in its general course. The changed
and more important attitude of the press
as great national institution has long
attracted the attention of thoughtful and
discerning persons, and has been source
of annoyance to the small-fry politicians,
who find lever of power, which was once
in their reach, so suddenly removed be-
yond it. The press is placed upon an apex
of independence, which enables it to look
down with contempt upon the manifesto
tons of puny hostilities to which its
course sometimes subjects il from selfish
cliques and factions. With the greater
increase of power to the press has come
greater increase of responsibility, which
journalists must not forget in its manage-
ment. They are more than ever called
upon to be true to the cause of justice
and right; to be fearless in acting upon
the dictates of conscience; to be thorough
~ Independent, and uphold the truth un-
der any and all circumstances.
The VOICE OF THE WnAyG-DooDLE.-
'Whang-doodle' hard--shell Preacher
wound up sermon with this magnificent
peroration:
"My brethren and sisters. ef mans
full of religion you can't hurt him.
There was the three Arabiah children;
they put e in "a fiery furnace, hetted sew
en- times hotter than it could be het, and
it didn't singe har on their heads! And
there was John the Evangeles; they put
him and where DO you think, brethering
and sistern, they put him? Why, they put
him in caldronic of bilin lie and billed
him all night, and it didu', tdsc his shell!
And there was Dan'l; they put him into
a lions demand whats Eiy fellow travel
ers, and respected auditors, do you think
he was put into lions den for? Why,
for prayin' three times a ,lay. Don't be
alarmed, brethring and sistern; | don't
think any of you will ever get into lions
den!
A REMARKABLE SAFE.-At one of the ex-
press offices in Third street, yesterday,
says the Cincinnati Enquirer, we saw a
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