The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1862-08-31
NEW YORK HERALD, SUNDAY, AUGUST 81 1852
Government Interference With the News
paper Reporters.

Government Interference with the News.
| paper Reporters.
Never did the government commit greatel
b'under than in permitting interference will
the newspaper reporters in tie legitimate ex
ercse Of Their profession, in transmitting intel.
igence Of the events of the war. II Is true that
the reporters of some of the radical journals
have abused the right to publish war news by
premature'y disclosing movements Of troops.
and thus giving information 10 the enemy. But
these men ought to have been punished and the
journals ought to have been punished that
inserted their dispatches. But their oriminality
press contrary to the letter and spirit Of the
constitution. This is only doing injustice to
the people and to the administration itself.
In our system the people have right to know
all that transpres. To conceal even disasters
from them is as contrary to all the theories Of
our form Of government a. 1t Is TO sound
policy.
The true plan Il to let the report
ers alone. Their interest and the interest of
the papers they represent are to publish
the truth. They may make mistakes now and
then; but they will soon Correct themselves;
and competition and public opinion would
force the .iost vicious journals to give faithful
accounts of the great events in which the ma
ton is now engaged. To exclude the press
from reporting the battles of the war Is con-
trary to the genius Of our institutions and CAL
culated to engender the darkest suspicious.
What is the result now The people have no
confidence in the dispatches from the seat Of
war, and false as bulletin" is fast becoming
proverb among US. Paaios and stock gam
bling are among the fruits of this policy, and
it has proved highly injurious to the govern
ment in every way. When the truth is kept
back the people naturally imagine the worst. n
the truth Of disaster were told promptly the
effect would not be injurious. The public
would rise to the occasion, and all
would 60 well. But treat them with
distrust, and what can be expected in return
Treat them with confidence, and generosity will
be the result. Why should a government, con-
scious Of its own integrity act as II 1t were
afraid to let the people know what was done or
suffered in the peoples name? The people are
sovereign, and they have right to information;
and no man, be he high or low in office, ought
to conceal it from them. The newspaper is one
of the essentials Of an American citizens ex-
istence. To deprive him Of the news, espe-
cially where matters Of the most vital interest
to him are involved, is certainly not the best
way to make government popular or to retain
for it the confidence and respect of the nation
A. T. STEWART FOR GovERNOR.--We lately
nominated Mr.. Stewart for Governor Of this
State, in opposition to political hacks Of every
color. BY reference to an article from con-
temporary in another column, it will be seen
that the idea has been taken up by other jour
nails, and that Mr.. Stewart is likely to become
the man Of the people, without reference to
party politics. Of any description. 1t only re-
quires an effort on the part Of the conservative
masses to overthrow the rotten fabrics erected
by party spirit, and to bring forward an able
man. whose motto is ''thc Union and the con-
stitution," as the standard bearer Of the people
Mr.. Stewart just such a man. Let him be sup
ported, and let the party hacks be driven as
chaff before the wind.