The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-04-21
TERMS $500 PER ANNUM IN ADyANcy

who read and are Influenced by II. is thst 80
tlinding their eyes to the real merits of the
candidates before them, and of making them
indifferent as to whether their moral charac-
Ter DC good or bad? Is any argument needed
10 show that whatever vulgaiizes political
contests Is sure to lower the character of pub
lie men? p.
Is it not perfectly obvious that the more the
press eH ucates the people up to dispassion-
ate and Judicious selection of rulers, the high
er VIII be the moral standard of the men hold
ing official positions? -
And as we think OF the shame we have suf.
fered during the past year from the misdeeds
of some of our foremost public men 40 NO
not feel that no small share of the resnops;-
bility for the disgrace attaches to a nress
whose partisan unscrupulousness caused tbe
people to lift these men into power?
Or suppose that newspaper in its unscn,-
nulous nartisanship, undertakes to defama
md 60 disgrace men of high character. of lono
fried and sterling worth, because of some dis,
obedience to party behests. What then? In
SO doing it sins wicledly against the nation as
we'll as against the man whom it tries to ruin.
It cheapens moral worth, in the peoples es
timation, it takes away their reverence for
those few men in public lie who are worth
reverencng, and it So tends to keep high
minded men away from public station. The
infurate attack made q few years agJ by an
unscrupulous press upon that lofty and emf
nent statesman who lived across the street
for acting in situation of solemn respond,
bility according to the dictates of hi, CON.
science was an attack upon public morals.
we are suffering from it to day. We shall
These are some of the ways in hicb 'tbs
press may use its influence TO the Ininrv ~
pubic virtue. 1t. is not necessary to dwell
upon them at greater length. 1t is not nee.
sssary to point out Others. Enough has been
said to make 1t plain, that the press has now
er enough for evil to make it, should II me.
that power, the bane of free country and
that it becomes all men who love the nation
to do what they can to prevent that power
from being employed. .-lT'- -.
1t is pleasant to be able to saw that for
thirty years past the moral influence OF our
press mas been steadily improving In 1843,
tne fresident OF Harvard college wrote "the
picture Mr.. Dickens draws lin his American
notes) of the American newspaper press.
darkly colored as it is, does not surpass the
truth, when applies to a portions very
large portion it must be confessed-of the
metropolitan papers. The pro6i-
gate papers numerous as they are and widely
as their circulation ranges, neither express,
nor guide, nor govern, what can with any
propriety be called ''the public opinion of the
country; they may open their foul mouths in
full cry upon man of character, year after
year, and through every State in the Union.
but they can harm him no more than the idle
wind. They are read, despised and the next
day utterly forgotten. A temporary preja-
dice may be raised and that is all. Their
cowaidly malice, their ignorance, vulgarity
and prohigacy overshoot the mark ,fai "a
1t is gratifying to think how much of wild
cxaggeration we should perceive in these
words were they applied to any considerable
portion of our newspapers to day. 1t is pleas
ant to think that within few years the press,
has made great gain in moral elevation, and
to notice that the Improvement is still going
on. e
Yet the very fact that we look for progress
shows that we feel need oft. And il is not
too much to say that speaking generally, tho
suggestions which have beeu made are not
but that, if they were adopted
and carried out we should have less iniquity
in high places and less immortality in private
life. ~, --.s.r-l-
1t is sometimes said, when structures are
made upon the moral influence of the press,
that newspapers are not published to dogooda
but to sell, and that in oder to find a sale
they must be adapted to the tastes of their
purchasers.
There is an Interpretation of this remark
which makes it legitimate and forcible. If it
be interpreted to mean this-that it is not
fair to demand that the publisher of a news
paper shall injure the sale of it in trying to
make il source of moral Improvement to
the community, then it cannot be gainsayed,
for of course every one has right to deter
mine tor himself the amount of good which
he will do. Bat fit is to be interpreted to
mean that the publisher of newspaper may
make his journal of such a character as to do
harm to public morals in order to make it
saable, then the remark is utterly untrue.
No man has right to gain a livelihood at the
expense of public virtue. Every calling, the
pursuit of which lowers the moral tone of the
is an illegitimate calling. We
have then perfect right to demand that the
moral tone of newspapers be kept high
enough, to prevent them from debauching
the community, whatever diminution OF their
subscription list may thereby be occasioned.
But while we demand this, we 'canuot but
hope for much more. The press has not OH
ly power to do much harm, it has also great
capabilities of good. 1t can, ifit chooses, do
a mighty work for the elevation of the moral
ity of this people during the next generation.
Never was there more noble opportunity
for the press to do benefcent work for
people than that which is furnished by the
condition of our country at the present time.
Look at our situation. We stand on the
verge of a new era in our political history.
The struggle which has formed the staple
of cur politics for a generation is over. That
great party which carried that struggls
through to successful issue has done its
work. New subjects of political discussion
are soon to present themselves; party lines
are to be drawn anew. r
At the same time. we find ourselves as a
people suffering deeply from want OF high
mindedness In our public men. The dishon-
esty Of some OF them and the greed OF many
more OF them has within the past few months
made us ashamed of them and ashamed Of
ourselves for being represented by them.
And moreover we are afflicted by system Of
iniquitous office distribution which Is work
ing with steady power to undermine the
virtue OF our pubic men and blunt the con-
science OF the people:
Ana more tnan tnls we see tnat popular
me moransy h Is ;uGeg ;unag eaf.o or from .ne enam
s e ""T T,.a .a ,ta,d. ,ni;cp, Lona % ~ pontcai
startle ms the in sdionslv J;sbnnest $3.50 "
which have almost won tbe;r ,vsn ~ assra.N.
anca orc sy,nnto,rs of ,,,..rai d;saS ~ aoIcps-
no h;ob n;ndeJ I,an con ioor a. ,,;',ss,.
aI.rno I,s. ~ th;S ;rnct,,ra tha,, .. % %hl.nou.
;Jaoa Gov az % ,,oi;t;o.I ns 'he., nnen our
tai;s,a sh",'o III - pS ''.o ". &c 10 ate
s'niis Sn"p' Mnen 'eohnS ABOUT ior
p.,nelp,los mnien a,e ~ suiue US IN our pohti-
9 cai action ior generaeioh 70 come, we cannot
heip looking 10 tne press 70 DO LOT the nation
WlaL no Otnef agency can do. liz sfir