The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-02-17

We publish the following Address
and Poem delivered before the Tennes-
see Press Association at its recent ses'
sion in Nashville, Tennessee:

to deliver an a00Ic48 upOu tAS OCC3e
sion, appear before you with an ap0l.
ogy in my mouth, regret to say. 1
am not here as o teacher In Journalism,
but as a pupil I an not here ~ .
master, but as q follower; and II I can
say anything in the course Of my nd
dress to you that shall throw any light
on the duties of Journalism, it will be
the emanations of one who does not
stand Ia the sanctuary, bat one who
walks in its outer courts. And II / can
catch something of the spirit and tn
spiration of the temple, want toim-
part it to those who, In common with
us, belong to q profession whose duties
and whose responsibilities to each other
and to the public are not thoroughly
understood.
What is it that gives power to the
press? This is question which we ask
every day, and which we ought to be
able to answer truthfuliy and correctly q
must beg to appease criticism, QgAf
least to take away the poison Of -
sting, for the manner in which / sl6ll
give utterance to my views and opll-
ions; because fresh from the daily a.
bors of newspaper, which gives very
little spare time to prepare an ofatiou,
/ shall impart and give to you thouo
ideas and those thoughts which aretfse
growth and development Of q busy
newspaper life.
The writing a daily discourse and the
preaching q daily sermon but give to
the public the history of every day life,
and leaves no leisure for oratory on the
stump or for 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 in.
iuence. These are integrity of thought
! and an earnest aud broad sympathy
with the people. There is q class of
newspaper men who teach two max
inns; one, that a paper never does
wrong, and the other that the truth,
for its own sake, cannot be published.
These maxims have been adopted by
the old school of journalists, and by
the school which is known as the par
tisan school of journalists, that anews-
paper never does wrong, and that the
truth, for its own sake, cannot be pub
lished. This class of journalists are
rapidly passing away under the recog-
milton of the truth that integrity Of
thought, inspired by broad sympathy
for the people, has had growth, with
in the last ten years, to which not even
the most blind and venal partisan can
shut his eyes. The old class or order
of journalists, gentlemen of the press,
who inculcate these maxims, 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
Newspapers are not published for the
benefit of the privileged few, bat for the
great body of the people. There are
other elements which enter into the es-
tablishment of the successful newspa-
per-energy, enterprise, Judgment and
money. The old order of journalism
was the organ of the man; it was the
image of the editor; it was designed fol
no other purpose but to give expression
to the opinions, whatever they might
be, of the proprietor or editor of the pa
per. Under that system Of journalism
when the printer or the editor walked
the streets he was the newspaper,
When he went from his residence tc
his printing Office, there walked the
editor of the eThunderbolt. He was the
Thunderbolt. His subscribers were
personally known to him. They read
and they took his paper because they
were known to him. He did not pub.
iish news, but simply his own indfvid.
| usl opinions. Compare, II you please
copy of the Tattler or the Advertiser
in which Junius thundered his invec
tives against the British minister, to I
copy of the London Times Of to-day
and see what progress journalism ha'
made. Compare, in your own minds
the early papers Of this country witt
those Of the present day. II maj
would undertake to publish daily pa
per now, without telegraphic dispatch
es, no matter what amount of money
ne might invest in it, it would fail; 81
that, no matter how much intellectual
power the editor may infuse into hi
own productions, that, of ITSELF vii
: not make q successful paper at tn
present day, because the press Of to-da.
Is not the organ of the man, or Of an,
one set of men; and until we come u
, to the height of this argument, tn
, press will never achieve that pOwe
. which Is within its grasp.
: Newspaper men are more thorough.
3 misrepresented than perhaps are thos
: of any other avOcation in this life
! much more abused than lawyers; bu
newspaper men are indebted for thi
: MISREPRESENTATION to themselves alone
/ 1t is because they have not propt
!. conception of their duties and of the
: aspirations. 1t is because they do NJ
assert their own Independence; becaus
v they have not always, and on all Occ,
n sions, thorough integrity of though
I which, added to . broad sympath
4 with and for the people, will give thel
h more power in the political world tina
ever the caucus or the convention sy
tenn possessed. Now, between the o.
system of conducting the press, a1d IL
new order of things, has arisen . col
$ test. 1t is going on to-day; and that
3 the fight which we are to make, whic
r we are compelled to make, in order
: achieve that power without which "
r can do no good to the people. unde
Is stand by Integrity Of thought, to
q true TO your convictions of what yo
e believe to be right, and to have Il
n courage to give utterance, not only
. your own opinions, but to allow Il
a same freedom of utterance to yo,
,r neiehbor who may differ from you.
l. ia to communicate every way of ligl
y to the public mind, In order that the
Z NAV understand public questions. {
n is d, publish all facts that are connects
a with any subject. 1t Is to withhO
RI nothing, and to do this in spil
10 which sympathizes with the gre
4. masses of the people. The privileg'
or few care nothing for newspaper ar
eft more than they do for the great boo
&. of the people, and they speak of new
It. paper men with the same sort of tol
ID and sneer which they have for Il
le masses. CAPITAL can take care of itse
to but it is the masses that are t, be pr
K, tected.
e: lated by those who do not take Il
I'd view OF the duties and responsibility
n. of the press, and the error is this, th
th q spirit Of Independence In journals
n. is necessarily toe enemy Of party {
8. ganisation. This is far from the trut
q. There is no party organization viii
3. can sustain itself unless there is th
re Independence which can give utteran
n. to the truth. A spirit which cam
cordemIi the wrong, which does \
nursue crime and criminals, viii he,
~ end in anything but destruction.
nj These maxims which the old scht
ne taught for q numbsr of years adoPe
Il. by the CAUCUS system, and tncorpora,
al by the convention system, have led
ne the adoption of another maxim, Il
an candidate and platform must be
ey cepted without q why or . whereof
ed The evils of the CAUCUS system were
,er enormous that in the days OF Andr
i Il l.. 4 ~. Acslaf &llDt aNyDfl