Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1871-02-18

and destroy it. Aaron Burr was the ]
father and the author of the caucus {
system-a system by which a lew !
members Of Congress, organized into a
committee, could elect a President OF
the United States. 1t was Q piece OF
machinery ingeniously devised by MN
To carry ou, his own political aspira-
tions. This was followed by the con-
ven.ion system, a much more popular
a much more Just, and a much more
cauttabl system Of representation; and
Tie author aud finisher OF that was
Martin Van Buren,. Both Of these sys-
TENS. in their corrupt days, taught the
-ame lessons that the old school of par
,isau journalists taught them, and to
which they still adhere, that the party
can do no wrong, that the platform is
,faliible, that everything done by the
party must I've ratified say it was
this spirit, and the adoption Of these
maxims and the policy which
flowed rom them, that led to the de-
struCtiOn of the Democratic party be-
fore the war, and the same thing is go
ing to bring about the destruction of
the present Republican party. Now, II
the press is not permitted to comment
upon crime and criminals; if the press
is not permitted to pursue those who
do wrong; if the press is not permitted
to give light to the people, what is its
mission? 1t has none.
The leadership of men in this coun-
try, asst existed twenty-five years ago,
has passed away. | do not expect, in
my day to see q public man in this
country who will have Ohe-half of the
political power which IA possessed
by Andrew Jackson. The attempt to
assume the M man power, or the lead
ership, has been made recently within
the last six or eight years in this coun-
try; but it has resulted in the over
throw of the party that attempted it;
and the power which will not permit
the exercise on the part of any one
man over the minds Of the American
people OF over the political deStinies of
this country, is the press. When An
drew johnson attempted this power
and the assumption of it, lit is not ne
cessary now to discuss whether he was
right or whether he was wrong,) l say
that when he attempted to exercise
something Of the political power which
Andrew Jackson in his day successful
ly used, the thunderbolts from a thou
sand FORCES were hurled at him every
day, and hurled at him until they
drove him from political power. Presi-
Grant is travelling the anne road, and
the thousand currents that are wash
ingagainsthim are sweeping the found
atoms of his political house from UNI
der HIM. This very power which the
press has, that streams in a thousand
daily currents, is so great, whenever it
is concentrated upon any one thing,
that there is no leader in this country
that can successfully resist it. If that
be so, how important is it for those
who are the managers Of the press,
those who are the conductors Of the
newspapers of the day to avoid those
crimes and faults which resulted
in the destruction of the old polit-
ical leaders or managers of public
opinion. In the days of John g. Cal
hOun, during his whole life, although
he ruled South Carolina rs never mon
arch ruled a people yet it is a remark
able fact that during his whole career
he did not deliver three speeches to the
people. You carnOt find half a dozen
letters which he addressed to them on
political subjects. He never, stumped
the State. Why was the supremacy Of
John G. Calhoun's mind over the peo-
!. pie of South Carolina so absolute? II
could not be so to-day; but why was
it so absolute? 1t was because, If there
ever was q statesman in this country
who possessed the very highest degree
! of integrity Of thought, it was Calhoun
of South Carolina. With his political
opinions, his theory of this govern
+, ment, we have nothing now to do
We may all differ from him, perhaps
most of us did; Il for one did, but his
! power was founded on that integrity
=, of thought, and that honest and broad
sympathy with the people, which
made his rule over the minds of thai
people absolute.
, Its these things of which the con
: ductors of the newspaper press must bt
A masters before they can have the pow
er to which the press can justly ant
$ rightly aspire. 1t is not the few ricf
. nor is it the select few Of intellectual
! beings, for whom we print newspapers
n 1t is for the great body of the people
We must deal with public opinion; ant
public opinion rules everything in thi
v country, but we must not delude our
q selves with the idea that the press b,
its owHmere power can create publ
$ opinion. No II mar nor any set Q
men are as wise as the people. Their
q is no man who is as infallibly right a
v the peOplein their sober second thought
y and the ancients were not very ia
Il wrong when they said "The voice {
the people is the voice of God,n for W
n on that doctrine rests our belief in til
authenticity Of Christianity and in tn
truths of religion, because a majority {
intelligent men and women believe !
: them. Hence we all believe that the
1t are true, because we cannot .believ
is that a majority Of intelligent beings,
intellectual men and women, who al
following their convictions, who PR
ir serve their integrity of thought, ca
believe in an error. So, no one man
Sc as wise as the people 0 are any set
men infallible; and the press of Il
t, own power cannot create public Opin
" ion, but it can reflect it. And how ca
M you get at the sober second thought
NJ the people unless you have a symp,
g. thy with them unless you stand Oh
III level with them. So, It Is not the o
he gan of the caucus, it is not the moutl
n piece OF q ring of men, it is not Il
Is spokesman of this set or. of that 81
ch that a newspaper ought to be, but Il
to educator of the popular heart, and
We the popular mind. The press is IL
r. handmade Of Christianity, which w
be preached not to the few with embroi,
"a cred garments, but to the multitudi