Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1861-09-26
The Freedom of ia. Press.

essential to the preservation of liberty that the State
Of North Carolina has made the aft nation of that facs
part of her Declaration of Rights and 10 the very
first amendment made to the Constitution of the United
States the freedom Of speech and of he press coup
led with and guarded by sanctions as are thrown
around the free exercise OF religion. The freedom of
the press means simply the extension of the freedom of
speech to written or printed equally with spoken word
Our Declaration of Rights says that ought never to be
strained Where this freedom is abused there
to punish such abuse there punish the abuse
of ary other power or right.
1t is not privi ge appertanirg personally to the
conductors of newspapers of the least numerous
and pecunary and politically least successful classes oil
m 10 any country. 1t is appertainng TO the people,
whose demands md wishes 6nd through the peril deal
press convenient vehicle OF expression. 1t is not that
in all cases the editors conductors OF papers are pc
coliary fitted by talents or education for the task OF
leading or Informing the public mind for 1t IS to be Ie'
GREETED that such is not the case-that too often tie
only qualifications present are selfconhdence, an OLD
press and fount OF types. Therefore there are IN
numbered failures, for although may go to Con
greSs on brass and trckery, haze frequently done
some little knowledge is necessary to make toer-
ably readable paper-some political, historical and geo.
graphical Information, together with a speaking &C.
ouanance WITH and reasonable respect for, Lindley
Murray Indeed the editor is required to carry about
with him the clements of sundry great since he has,
in the course of time to manufacture number of them
out of the scantiest materials Like the children OF
Israel when they followed the brick making business in
the land of Egypt frequently about the only thing found
to their hands the mud-he other materials they must
find themselves. When the great man has been thus
built up be generally shows bis greatness by exhibiting
lis superiority to the foolish weakness sometimes re-
garded as virtue by the verdan who speak OF 1t es
ratitute Of course your little great man IS above
s and is among the first to refer sneerDgy to news
PAPERS, which he reads" and when anything IN
the columns of the vug gar things is dgnifed by bis
notice it is not because lie has it cares for it
himself but because his attention has been drawn to
it by friend" These tc the sort of people that would
like to use the press and abuse it-woud like to re-
strain it to suit their notions and again sick it en-
for the same purpose. Verify have gone out of the
manuac uing business We will be careful of making
biz men until We X ow that the materials suitable
and the coors true aud steadast.
We know that every reasonably respectable paper in
the State will be careful to what it publishes in these
|
items have been in our possession unpublished, while
some rather untblkng subscribers blamed US for being
slow The press as a rule is far cautious than
individuals are in Una rcce communications. Wicklow
for instance that important item Of this kind, now
known to the whole Southern press is still unpublished
although talked freely by railroad passengers Few
branches of business have e the pressure of the times
more severely hau the newspaper business Few people
have made more sacrifices made them more cheertuy
than the conductors of newspapers Neither their pa
triotism nor their integ-Ice need shrink from COM
parison with patriotism and intelligence possessed
BIZ their Wouldb be Ger sors be OF the press
cln only be dangerous despotl>m like that estab-
l!shed BY Lincoln It's freedom only be dstasteuI
to those who would be despots, aud falling 10 that have
subsidized into demagogues. An enlightened public
opinion will apply all the needed correctvts where pub
lie matters coucerned-the laws OF the land at I'D
protection for private character. The press, st Juggling
for exseIce, requires rather encouragement than
strain rather have fresh facilities opened to it at IL
times, than to be gagged - in a single instance. L
requires to have such liberal support as will make II
pecunary independent and thus present field Tor the
aboIs of men OF too much intelligence and pride o.
character be the organs mouthpieces of in
dividuals or clques-the worshippers of some goldr
calf whom they themselves have modelled and fahion
i1o shape, is too often the case, holding it up anC
saying, " These be thy Gods o Israel"
In these military times, too, there is considerable
danger that civil rights may be forgotten in the necessi
t. for waihke txerttn Laws silent in the clash o
arms aud hp sword is cast into the scale Woe to the
coLqueIed, aid to the conq1erers, also, it they ai
to ciog with peruaciy Stronger than death to tLe
lights aud privileges as men.
! Military mtn are proverbialy FESTIVE under the re
marks Of the prss and dOuOt there is frequently gO
cause for tLeir being But even military men All
not inallbe, more than other men, their &C ions
above review. lie world not made for the army
but the army for the world 1t is the military servc
OF the State Of the COnederacy and this should no
be lost sight Of From the Commander-n-chief doWr
to the humblest eubaltern either in civil military
capacity, the public service is the first consideration
and the preservation of civil liberty the only true OBJ
ect The press at the South has been so atitu
dinous as that at the North, but we question whehe
the course pursued towards the press by Lincoln and hi
minonS can be regarded great improvement ever
there nor will any one say that the state of things
the North is one to be envied, or the course pursued
: there one to be emulated at the South.
THE MOVEMENTS in Western Virginia would seem t
indicate something about to happen, but something
has been about to happen in that section often
so long that blow that hear about has been OF
the Of being struck so frequently that dom
know what to bink-perhops General Lee does. W
hope be does for he las announced forward movement
in General Orders of which copy has reached th
public The facilities of communication with Western
cipia to Npu haze
to work its way by capillary attraction. General LIE
may have captured portion of Reynolds force a
, Cheat Mountaa, or he may not. that las not ooze