Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1861-05-09
How Public Opinion is Manufactured il
the South.


There is nothing more potent in society than
bad newspaper uuless it is a good one; and,
accordingly, the first care of Il tyraut is either
10 currupt the public press or crush it. With
the exception of the journals in France, We do
not know newspaper system IN the world
more mendacioaS or uuscrupHous than that Of
tie Cotton States There was . time, aud
that not many months ago, when We could
point 10 DOZENS OF journals in the South, and
feel proud ot their professional relationship. 1t
is now sea Of shame without star. WAeth-
er they have been corrupted, CT crushed, We
scarcely know; bat more studied system Of
caIumuy on the people of the North, and mis-
representation OF their motives aud institutions,
could scarcely he invented, aad it Is not at all
surprising that the public opinion thus created
should be 50 upgeucrou> aud unjust.
We have before Us a number of paragraphs
from Southern papers, which will Illustrate the
position We assume. The following Is des-
patch in The New Orleans P!cgyanc, detailing
the late occurrence in Baltimore:
the Massachusetts Seventh Regiment
have been taken prisoners by the Baltimore
ans.
Over one hundred we're killed and wound
ed
d" Sixteen Bs'timoreans were also killed.
Eight hundred improved arms also fell in
to the hands of the Batimoreans"
Here are five distinct falsehOods in fOur brief
paragraphs The facts of the case are so re-
cent as 10 render a correction SuperHuOuS, but
We must say that it would be almost imposS-
bic for human invention to construct a more
miSchicvOuS story out Of such plain aud de
piorabe narrative as that of the outrageS ut
Baltimore.
From leading editorial in the New Orleans
Dcia on the military preparations Of PenuSy-
vauiG We take the fU owing startling senten.
CeS
The Governor Of Pennsylvania is about to
take the field with thee hundred thousand
Broad brims to invade and suhjugate the
South, and compels its submission 10 a duty If
one huHd5cd per reat on tr0R aad TO Tie rG;0g
naton Of tae cqualltyof nrgrOes 1clh 'ra'tc msn.
These are the grounds upon which the Qnakers
and ConestOgaS are willing to fight, to forego
their religious scrupleS, and to regard with pl-
Gus luscnSIbllity scenes of blood aud carnage
Brother Abraham
has succeeded, by virtue of his Qnakcr blood
and education, in enIisting, in behaD of Tie h0
iy cause Of Ab0Ll'0n and o tie 1IorrH tar!G,
a body of men who have never before taken
the field"
The favorite topic for articles Of boasting
nature is Mr. Liutoln's anticipated flight from
Washington and its occupation by troops of
the Southern Confederacy. This idea is kept
constantly before the people in paragraphs like
the following We take this from the editor!-
al columns Of the Mobile Register
" We offered, few days since, 20 bet rea-
sOnabe amount that within few weeks Lin
coin would leave Washington rs he entered it.
We fear we shall lose, for Maryland has cut
off his retreat, and, hemmed i'll between thai
State and Virginia, we do not see how he can
escape. even in Scotch cap and military
cloak"
A story has been started to the effect that
General Scott had resigned his commission,