The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-09-15
Organs"

The party newspaper ls not very ne"
invention. When politics and politicians,
taken en- bloc, were moderately respectable,
the journalist might safely criticise and ad,
monish his own supporters, and was not
forced to expend all his strength in abusing
and tauntipg the enemy. But as parties
became more and more disreputable, they
dared not trust their cause to journals
which might, in their honest intervals, expose
their peccadllloes. Then sprang into life the
typical Party Organ, which boots at the pos
sibility OF wrong on its own side, and the
possibility Of right on the other; which sees
nothing dangerous in the most perniclous
schemes of it's own sect, and nothing bene-
fetal in the wisest acts OF the opposition
which treats all its friends as saints, and all
its foes as sinners. The success Of the Party
| is the profit OF the Organ. Naturally enough,
all its endeavors are directed to turning "an
"honest penny" Whether such sheet is
more desirable, in decent community, than
professional poisoner or corrupt judge,
needs no discussion here. The pressing
question is, whether Party Organ, pub
lshed for the benefit OF Party, should be
supported by taxleyled upon the public al
large, who are injured, not benefited, by
its unscrupu'ou ous one-sidedness, and who
have 20 sympathy with its avowed aimss
A newspaper is supposed to be supported
by it's subscription and advertising business,
which are assumed to depend upon the in
trinsic value Of the publication. Unless the
paper find readers it will not find advertisers.
But the Party Organ, which fourishes in the
Southern States, has discovered The Philoso-
cner's stone of newspaperdom. 1t can live
vii lout circulation, and without CONNER
clal advertising AS it is published for the
good OF the Party, it demands that it be sup
ported by the Party. This is unohjectiona-
BILE on the face OF 1t. But the Party have no
fund, which they are willing to spend, ex-
cept that which is the result OF the taxation
imposed by their party upon the State, which
they, being in power, absolutely control.
They, therefore, button closely their own
pockets, prop up the Party Organ, and pay
its bills out OF the State Treasury.
Now the people are quite willing to have
score OF newspapers where they now have
ten, provided that those papers stand on
their own bottom. Those which are barren
Of news and dull in STYLE or do not supply
an existing want, soon go to the wall. They
fail, because the public are not sufficiently
interested in them and their doctrines; be-
cause enough persons will not read them,
and advertise in them, to pay their working
expenses. This is simple process, and it
applies to oil new undertakings. But the
public have right to complain when tax
is levied upon them, in body, to fill the
Golfers Of Party Organ, which they, as in-
dividuals, have declined to support. 1t may
be said, as in South Carolina, that the Radi-
Cal party need an Organ which shall play
none but Radical tunes. Who objects
They may have hundred Organs if they
like. ALI that the public insist upon is, that
the Organs shall be kept alive by legitimate
business, and not with the moneys Of the
people, expended without their knowledge or
consent. The Organ which gave up the
ghost in Charleston, the other day, moaned
out the plant that it died because it had not
had enough estate patronage" Tbis State
patronage is Official advertising, given to
the Organ as payment for It's services.
The advertising does the public no good,
because the Organ is not read. Every dol
lar is filcbed from the pockets OF the people,
who, whether they know it or not, are taxed
every year to pay for the Official Advertise
ments, buried in the Party Organ.
And if it be justifiable to make the public
treasury defray the cost of o newspaper,
whose continued publication is desired by
the dominant party, it is equally reasonable
AMI right to win over votes by more sub
st;.ntial bait. Fat bacon and fine toggery
will keep the Radical negroes together far
better than didactic leading articles. With
the weakened and wavering, q fine riding
horse or diamond pin might go farther
than denunciations OF Democratic insincerity.
Suppose we try it. Let US have State gro
Gerry store, and State clothing store, and q
ieweller to the State, and State stable
where Radicals and would-be Radicals may
be furnished, inside and out, free of charge.
How are the provisions and pins, the clothes
and the prancing steeds, to be paid for, fthey
are given away in this style? Pooh Pooh
A tax will be levied upon the whole people
sufficient to cover all the varied outlay of
the ruling Party. This may be deemed an
extreme illustration of the lengths to which
parties will go. 1t does not come up TO the
truth. A tax for giving boots and shoes TO
bare-tooted Radicals is no worse than a tax
to pay for advertising giren to Party Or
gan, simply and solely because it must sus-
pend if its running expenses are not, upon
some pretext, graciously paid by the State.
To Every Soldier who Worthily Wore
the Gray.