Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1871-02-11
THE PRESS.
Meeting Of the Tennessee Association
at the Capitol I'm Nash willie.
An Interesting Address from Colonel
A. J: keilar, OF the Memphis Ava
lanche.

An Interesting Address from Colonel
A. J.: keilar, OF the Memphis Ava
lanche.
A public entertainment of the Ten
nessee Press Association was given In
the Hall of the House of Representa-
tives on the 3d inst.
George Il. Purvis, President of the
Association, in calling the house to
order, introduced Col. A. J. Kellar,
of the Memphis Avalanche, the ora
tor of the day, to the assemblage.
Col. kellar spoke as follows.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN-In re-
sponse to a request made upon me, by
members of the Tennessee Press AS
ISOLATION, to deliver, on this occasion,
an address, | appear before you with
all apology in my mouth. regret to
say that am not here as teacher I'm
journalism, but rs "A pupil am not
here as master, but as u follower.
II can say anything In the course
OF my address to you that shall throw
any light upon the duties of Journal
ism, it will be the emanation of one
who does not stand i'm the sanctuary,
but one who walks out on its courts
and IL l can catch something of the
spirit of inspiration of the temple, /
want to impart 1t to those who, i'm
common with me, belong to profess
sion whose duties, and whose respOn-
sibilities, to each other and to the
public, are not thoroughly understood.
What is 1t that gives power to the
press? Is a question which We ask
every day, and which we ought to be
able to answer truthfully and correct
~. ! must beg to appease criticism,
pr take away its sting by the manner
I'm which 1 shall express myself.
Fresh from the labors Of daily pa
per, had not the time to prepare an
elaborate address, and will simply
give the thoughts that come with the
growth and development of a busy
newspaper life. The preaching OF a
daily sermon, giving to the public the
history of every day, leaves no leis-
ure to prepare speech sor the stump
or finished lecture in the academy.
What is it that gives power to the
press? According to my conception
there are two things without which
the press can never achieve marked
Influence. These are integrity Of
thought and an earnest, broad SYM
pathy with the people. There is class
Of prosperous newspapers men who
Bach two maxims-one that u paper
never does wrong and that the truth
for its own sake cannot be published.
These maxims have been adopted by
the old school of journalists, and Of
the school known as the partisan
rnl. .>f ,,ls sa,ke, Nl,.., ..I
journalism is rapidly passing away,
and the recognition of the truth that
integrity of thought, inspired with a
broad sympathy for the people, has
had growth within the last ten years
which not even the most blind and
venal partisan can see but with eyes
of establishment. The old class or
order Of journalists-gentlemcn of
of the press-who inculcated these
maYims, like the caucus system, has
passed away, and it is because the
press Is not the organ of the few, but
the organ of the people. Newspa-1
pers are not published for the benefit
of the privileged few, but for the great
body of the people.
There are elements which enter in
to the establishment of successful
newspaper-energy, enterprise, judg-
ment and money-but the old order
of journalism was the organ of the
man; 1t was the image of the editor;
1t was designed for no other purpose
but to give expression to the opinions
whatever that might be, of the pro-
prietor or editor of the paper. Under
that system of journalism, when the
printer or editor walked the streets,
he was the newspaper; when he went
from his residence to his printing Of
flee, there walked the editor of the
Thunderbolt. He was the Thunder
bolt. His subscribers were known to
him, and they read and took his pa
per because they knew him. He
didn't publish news, but merely his
own individual opinions. Compare,
If you please, the Tattler, Spectator,
or the Advertiser to a copy of the
London Times of today, and see the
progress made. Compare in your
minds all the earlier papers with
those of the present day. If man
should undertake to publish daily
paper now without telegraphic dis
patches, it would fail no matter how
much intellectual power the editor
may infuse into his productions, it
will not make u successful newspaper
Of the present day.
The press of to-day Is not the organ
of the man or set of men, ard until
we come to the'hight of this organ, il
will never achieve that power which
Is in its grasp. Newspaper men are
more misreprcsented and much more
abused than lawyers, but they are in-
debted to these misreprentations-to
these alone, because they have not
the proper conception of their duties,
responsibilities and aspirations; be
cause they do not assert their own in-
dependence because they have not
given on all occasions thorough in
tegrity of thought, which, added to q
broad sympathy for the people, will
give them more power in the political
world than was ever possessed i'm the
caucus or convention system. / un-
derstand integrity of thought to mean
truth to your convictions of what
you believe to be right, and to have
the courage to give utterance not only
toyour own opinions, but those of your
to communicate every ray of light to
VIC PupiiS hiihu III otucI thot IL may
understand public questions to pub
lish facts connected with any sub.
ject; TO withhold nothing to-day,
and that in q spirit which sympa-
thises with the great mass of the
people. The privileged few care as
little for newspaper as they do for
the people, and speak of newspaper
men with the same tone and sneer as
they do OF the great body of the pco-
pie. Capitol can take are of itself.
IL is the masses that are to be protect
ed.
There Is an error industriously cir
culated by those who do not take this
view of the responsibilities and du-
ties of the press, that independence
in journalism Is necessarily an enemy
of all Marty orpnnizntinn rhis IL a