The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-02-08
TnE Birth OF THE f" FouRrH EsTATE.

| TIE BIRTH OF THE " FOURTH EsFATE."-.
The standing order Of the House of Com
mons, which had recently come into play
owing to a quarrel with the Lords against
the admission Of the public to both Houses
of Parliament, had, during ITO, been
connived at rather than otherwise. This
led to the publication of the more inter-
eSting debates, with much more detail
and correctness than had hitherto been
known. Not satisfied with this, the wri
tcrs for the public prints, as public writers
will, had caricatured some Of those "de.
Scended from Parliamentary men" in a
style which did not at all meet the appro.
val of dapper little Col. Onslow. This
fiery little Colonel, who two years before
had routed bilfsticker and incarccrated
a milkman for a breach Of privilege, re.
solved TO put an end to this rdiculing Of
him in the newspapers. lie would, in
sporting phrase, "bring down" the prin.
ters Of those auGaciOuS journals, and have
them reprimanded, on bcnded knees, in
the presence Of the Speaker Little
Cooking George" as some newspaper
wag called him, singled out two ncwspa.
pers, the printers of which he resolved
to have up before the House. Burke,
Staunchly supported by Charles Turner,
opposed this movement, but unluckily,
they found themselves in minority
Turner, member for York, was plain
country gentleman of broad acres and
blunt speech, keen sportsman, and one
who loved liberty Immensely. From the
hnnohn. IN, liz, Ii
with tally-ho buttons, he on one occasion
had the audacity to tell the House, that if
he had been a poor man, with his passion
for field sports, he must himself have been
a poacher.
The day ultimately fixed for the attend
ance of the printers was the I9tb Of Feb
rnary. They did not appear. Another
order was issued, but it met with no more
respect. The sergeant Of-arms was next
ordered to seize these two contumacious
individuals, but his deputy was only jeer-
ed by the printers devils. The House
then addressed the Crown to issue proc
lamation for the seizure Of Wheble and
Thomson, the audacious publisher Of the
debates. While this matter was pending,
the little sporting Colonel volunteered to
bring before them " three more brace "
Of offending printers. This motion was
pressed forward.
Burke and Turncy, and the rest Of their
friends, resolved to divide on every paper
as it came before them. The minority
were determined to weary the House, and
the printers might get of. Every pre-
tense was made, the most ludicrous queS.
tions asked, all to spin out the time.
Even the name of the printers familiar
was made pretcXt for discussion. The
Speaker complained that he was tired,
and Ellis, Dyson and Luturll with one
voice denounced the minority. But it
was all in vain. Two o'clock came, and
the minority Still held out. "l always
wished for small divisions" said the &C.
centric member for York with fifteen
gentlemen having the interest Of the peo-
pie Eat heart, | will laugh at any majority"
-Four O'Clock came the House had divi-
died three.and-twenty times, and the great
victory was virtually won. The pompous
little sportsman had overshot the mark,
and the Fourth Estate was born! Burke,
who saw much farther into political affairs
than any Of his contemporaries, from the
heights of his constitutional wisdom, pre-
dirted that posterity will bless the per,
tinacity OF that day."-NOrth British Re.
ciep.