The Sweetwater enterprise. (Sweetwater, Tenn.) 1869-187?, 1871-03-16

~ AuoANIAC WIS uHu 1NeSlSlcI
OF last Saturday we find the following
well written and sensible article on the
above subject. That paper says, "the
power OF the press" is a theme scarcely
less profitable of high flown rhetoric
than the glorious Fourth of July. No
programme of aschOol exhibition is COM
plete where it doc not find u place +; no
popular lecturer does his duty who does
not refer to tin every lecture, be The
topic what it may and every editor is
guilty OF treason to his calling who fails
to write II "heavy" article on the press
at least once every six months. Under
these circumstances the topic has grown
the least bit tlrcadbare. So by the
way OF variation of late the topic has
been changed from the Power to the Res
sponsibilities OF the Press.
The Press is undoubtedly n grand in
stitution, and it does WELD IN immense
power, and the responsibilities of those
who manage, are in morals and should
be in law, the same as are the RESPONSE
bilities OF persons welding the same
amount of power in other departments
of life.
But the Press and its power are
amenable to the same laws that govern
other great organs of society. The pull
pit for instance. The pulpit is an inn
mense engine fOr@ood work and carries
with it ondingresponsibility but
the power of the y pit isnot independent
OF Encouragement. Thepreachcrmake
the power OF the pulpit. So the press
has no power Independent of its man
agoment. The editor makes the Press.
When the editor is weak the Press is
weak, when strong, strong is the Press.
While these propositions arc true,
many circumstances Of growing c~iyilizO-
ton combine to widen the sphere and
thereby increase the power of the Press,
but not to change its responsibility, for
that is already complete.
One of the prominent features in the
civilization Of our times is the cncroach-
mont Of the Press upon the fields hith-
crto held by books or the pulpit. Mat
ters Of science and art of matters and
morals are familiarity taught now by
daily and weekly papers, which fifty
years ago could only be found i'll regu-
larly bound books OF sermons. This
one feature Of the Press is deserving of
II good sized volume, but we must be
content simply to name it. With the
enlargement Of its sphere m u COR
responding demand for editors cf wider
culture. Then, as the demand for more
thorough and accurate treatment of each
topic grows, special departments arise
requiring editors specially qualified to
manage these departments. Thus Iii
vision Of labor is brought about and Il
higher degree of excellence is attained.
Thus every leading paper of the day
must have its business editor, its news
editor, its political, literary, scientific, fl
nancial and agricultural editors all under
the direction and possible control of me
editor-in-chief who is responsible for the
whole.
The natural result Of this division of
labor is that each editor is able to do his
best, if not the best i'll his department,
and the entire paper is correspondingly
improved.
Formerly, papers were merely politi-
cal and partisan. Now, politics is but
one Of many departments in (which every
respectable newspaper must labor. For
merly, too, from tho scarcity OF topics
and the poverty of information ut their
command, papers were forcedto descend
to personalities, which means slander
and y%itupcration. And, once descended,
they seldom arose ont of the mire.
In the new condition of things, per-
sonalitios have rightfully no place, nci-
thor is there legitimate room for any
kind of abuse, whether of men or of par
ties. To denOunco u class us brainless
CT a party us dishonest may be less per-
sonal, but it is not less responsible than
to apply the same terms to any individ-
ual member of that class or party. This
is Il point at which the American Press
has not yet arrived. Yet, we doubt not
the time is coming when it will have
reached it.