American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1867-02-27
The Press VS.. Public Sentiment.

Some writer has truly remarked that
tbs press is the helm by which the ship
of public opinion is guided, and he might
haVe said with equal truth that without
the press that ship would be carried hith-
er and thither until finally wrecked upon
the rocky reefs of ignor&hce and super
stition. Indeed, we have somatimes
thought that tie very existence of our
government depends upon the free aud
universal discussion of the questions and
principles upon which our republican in
stitutions are based, and every one must
admit that through no other means could
this discussion be made so general and so
thorough as through the agency of our
daily and weekly journals. But howev-
er potent this power may have become,
we must not lose sight of the lamentable
fact that it Is not what it should be, in
many respects, or what may reasonably be
expected of it by the American people.
The press needs purifying. Many of our
journals are too much trammeied by par
ty, which restricts them to certain limits
virtually saying, "thus lar and no far,
ther," and forcing the journalist to advo-
cate and defend principles apd actions
which his better judgment would lead
him t2 condem. In journalism, as in
other professions, man must have some>
thing wherewth to meet little bills for
coal and groceries, and dry goods, and
knowing that his support from the public
depends upon his agreeing with the pub>
lie, he is apt rathgr to hush his conscience
than to sacrifice the patronage which sup
plies the wants Of the little ones at homo.
And who can blame him ? Does not the
blame rather rest with the community or
the party which demands to be agreed
with, and which will not allow itself to
be argued with or contradicted In how
many instances have editors been read
out of parties because they dared to ex-
pose corruption, and because they felt
greater regard for the "still small voice.
within than for the clamor of popular
opinion? And how many professedly in
dependent journals have been literally
starved nut of existence or into the whirl>
pool Of party corruption and misrepre>
sentationY Is this not reversing the orr
der of things? What part is the helm
playing in this voyage and who will
bear the reproach if the ship is stranded,
aad the precious cargo goes to the bot
top2
Then, again, too many of our papers
are conducted by unprincipled men,
men who seek for nothing but to please
the public, and who mould public sent-
ment just as it happens to ask to be mould
ed, never asking themselves whether they
are right or wrong, and never waiting to
consider whether the production will be
hideous or beautiful. These are the men
who succeed best, a: success is generally
estimated, but we fear they will be found
wanting when weighed in the balance
with the few honest men of the profes-
sion who have really felt the responsible.
ity they were under to their God and
their fellow men, but who have been mar>
tyrs to public sentiment.
We argue, then, that the press needs
purifying, and that this work is for the
people. Whenever conscientious, hon
est man can WELD the pen according to
his convictions of right, with the assur-
ance of patient hearing, and without
fear of losing the patronage which keeps
grim starvation from his hearth -stono,
whenever the smooth-tongued knaye, who
is on every side Of every question, and
who never comes out in favor of meas
ure or expresses ar opinion till his pat
rons ask him to, is treated with the con-
tempt due him, then, and not till then,
will the press of the world assume the
place that Providence designed it to oc-
cupy, and then will the pen be indeed
" mightier than the sword" Sharon
Herald.
-" What do you know of the defend
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