The New York herald., 1862-04-10
The Herald . Live Hewsp.psr.

The Herald . Live Newsps per.
Times like these try newspapers a. well Is
men. Journalism suffers, like every other
business. from the crisis in financial and COM
mercial affairs, and like every other profession,
from the general stagnation and pause In the
ordinary industry of the country. Besides
these it has its peculiar evil experiences. Tho
press has played 50 important part In the
military drama now enacting that the admin
istration has deemed it necessary to establish
censorship over tho news, which is the very
life blood of metropolitan Journal Newsps..
per dispatches are suppressed; newspaper cor
respondents meet with few favors and much
opposition from those in power, and the 60
vernment dictates what intelligence should,
and what shall not, be published, after the
journalists have triumphed every obsta-
Gle and obtained the fullest and latest details
of important and interesting events.
That the HERALD has neither felt the
pecuniary crisis nor allowed its readers
to notice any falling off in is news is the best
proof of its vitality and The best praise of the
manner in which it is conducted. Other and
weaker journals have either succumbed COM
pletely to the adversities of the crisis, or else
live on. .shorn of their former fair proportions,
their circulation and profits grown small by
degrees, and their columns as destitute of any
| show of enterprise as of interest, while their
| editors and proprietors are seeking to exc out
Their failing fortunes by contract jobbing. Office
hunting or base advocacy Of public swindles.
Compared with these moribund journals which
have fallen under the ban of popular oppfobrium
| or the keener curse Of popular neglect the He
RAID stands in prosperity and enterprise the only
real, live metropolitan newspaper in the
country. In spite of the hard times our circu-
lation and our advertisements have marvellous
ly increased, until we surpass not only each one
of our city contemporaries, but the whole of
them combined. In spite Of the censorship of
the press, and the increased expense necessary
to obtain news, we continue to excel, not only
our contemporaries, but even our former self, in
the fullness of our intelligence and the celebrity
with which we present it to the public.
In yesterdays HERALD, for example, is the
| record Of feat never equalled by any news
paper in the world, and approached only by
the London Times in its best days The Lon
don Times received and published the news of
the battle of Waterloo in advance Of the arrival
of the special government couriers, and rests
its reputation to this very hour upon that per-
| formance, although the HERALD again and
again paralleled this sort of enterprise, befofe
the era of the telegraph, and during the pro-
gress Of the Mexican war. But yesterday we
received and published the full details of the
first days fighting at Pittsburg Landing, by
| telegraph from our own correspondents, and
in advance, not only Of all other papers,
but Of the intelligence received at the
War Department. This glorious and exclu-
sive news was published in .lhs regular
morning edition of the HERALD, and was tele-
| graphed from our columns to the President,
and perused by him long before our dilatory
| contemporaries had even heard of the intelli-
gencs. When We had fully dissemipa ed the
| news by our regular edition then the other
papers came out with extras; hut, 30 fur were
we in advance, that our despatch was trans
mitted to Washington ard read in both houses
of Congress, amid enthusiastic applause, sup
pressed only from respect for the heroic dead.
| hours before the extras of our contemporaries
had reached the suburbs of this city. Our
special correspondents with General Grants
army risked life and limb to procure us the
| news we 80 promptly. and at great expense,
placed before the government and the public;
| and, all things considered, we think we have
| again, as on many former occasions, fully es-
tablished our claim to the position-long con
coded to us by the masses of the people--o the
only live newspaper in the country.
II occurs to us that now is tho time for the
government to sgnaiizc its recognition Of the
many and valuable services performed by the
press during this war, by Withdrawing all
| telegraphic and other restrictions, and per-
mitting each journal to publish what il thinks
| proper, subject to any penalty necessary to
secure the exercise Of loyal discrimination
| and caution on the part of the editors. The
conductors of the leading journals now fully
comprehend the wishes and intentions of tho
government in regard to the publication of
war news, and If left to themselves they will
be much better able to satisfy both the govern
ment and the people than during the continu-
ance of the present System Of censorship.
Either the leading editors do not understand
their profession nor appreciate Its responsible
| ties-and we believe we have fully dissipated
any such an idea, if 1t ever existed, in regard to
our own case-o else they must know much
better than any aitncl- Of the War Department
what they should publish and what they should
suppress. Our word for il, the government
would soon become satisfied of the advantages
of relieving itself and the press of much trouble
and annoyance by adopting this plan.
| SUNDAY MExoRABLE Day IN THE EVENTS
| OF Tus wAR-Ths fact that our glorious bat