The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1873-05-08

repeat what have formerly written: A preInl
nent feature or American journalism, which at
tracts the attention of every thoughtful reader
Is q spirit of professional detTactiOn. Too man,
editors IN every State Of the Union seem to con
duct their respective papers as if their only non,
OF success snd salvation was in the depreciatioI
! u denuneiation of their contemporaries. In
too often as if they were band OF enemies
Instead of feeling aud UNFOLDING pride of Iro-
| WORK ana worth OF a professional brother. The
| public have but little respect for a protest. on
which manitests such lack of respect for its own
4, more spOnged on, that does more charity work
that does more work gratis for public and mi.
Yate enterprises, that is more abused by the pub
and for things leTt undOne than the Press. Yet
strange TO say, there is no profession vocation
where there IS less charity towards one another,
less brOtherly love among the members. Indeed
there are many journalists who so mistake a de-
cent respect fer public sentiment, as to believe
tlat one OF the chief elements Of q successful
editor is ability to disparage or denounee his
brethren OF the profession How often do we
see an eGgeTleSs to extract, to publish and repub
Hsh, that which is calculated to wound offend
or damage a brother; how seldom q sCiIJiaqneSs
to reprint that which will give him credit or com
fort. Establish and maintain in their true spirit
such associations as this, and ere long you
wllI md that we have not only reformed
this ''inditerently,n but that we have fol-
lowed Hamlet's advice to the players and re
formed it altogether" Ere long you will see
such editors as have referred to growing small
aild rapidly smaller by degrees, as 1t is found
that dignity aud decency are entirely consistent
Win reasoa and argument, with strength and
beauty OF expression, with wit and wisdom
What anOble tribute that of Sir James
Mcintosh to Grotius ''The bitterness of con-
uoVeTsy did not extingnish his charity; he did
not insult his enemies when they were weak he
knew how to reconcile fidelity to his own part ;
with moderation toward his opponents" How
worthy of commentator and imitation
Many in an Olden time believed that nothing
good could come out Of Nazareth. So in the
present day. Even among TennesseeaDs we find
those disposed to decry everything in or
from Tennessee. With such have no Patience
less sympathy. For myself, glory in the pase
OF the noble old State; am boldly proud of her
present, and have the highest hopes of her flu
ture. Her history, her resources, her Prospects,
are such as to make the heart of every true SON
thrill with iOy. L undertake to say, notwithstsud-
ng he opinion entertained by those who delight
TO run to other States for examples Of perfection
in journalism, that the Press of Tennessee STANDS
upon platform equally as exalted as that fany
other profession in the State. L heartily concur
in the opinion expressed in the circular of the
S cretary of this Association, from which have
already quoted, 'siphe journalists of Tennessee
equal in ability and influence to those OF any
commonwealth" l go further and say, attend
ing circumstances considered. they are the equals
in enterprise, L care not whether YOU take the
daily, or the weekly press, or both; whether the
religious the secular; whether the agricultural
those of law aud medicine. 1t is not to be ex-
pected that the Herald, published in Lebanon,
should employ the same number of editors,
Dor 'ers, correspondents publish the same amount
of matter, editorial, telegraphic and miscella-
neOus, the immensely wealthy Herald pub
lished in New York, with its enormous advertis-
ing and subscription patronage. When you in
stitute the comparison, you must consider the
number of readers and advertisers, who, it is
true, cOntribute their means for the sole purpose
of benefit to themselves, but from which the
newspaper derives the means to entertain, in
struct and profit its patrons. When you take
into consideration the number Of our reading
population and the limited extent of our adver-
Using patronage, together with the great extent
to which the system of barter is used,-a paper
advertising to be paid for in beans, peas, pO-
tatOes, dried apples, feathers or ginseng,-and
the too prevalent use OF the credit system5 as
sert that the Press of Tennessee may well chal-
lenge comparison with the Press of any other
State. Within the last six weeks a gentleman
connected with Cincinnati paper, generally
considered the most enterprising, and as publish
ing the largest amount of matter of any paper in
the West expressed to me his establishment at the
amount OF matter published, during this very
severe winter and spring on southern and West
ern newspapers, by a certain Tennessee journal.
/ suggested that il was attributable TO the pru-
dence of its business management He then ex-
pressed establishment that there was prudence in
the business management of a Southern paper,
as he had understood that the business depart
ment was ignored, upon the principle that it In
terfered with the dead-head hospitality IN which
so many newspaper proprietOIs delight to r5vel,
until the demands of some long suffering credi-
tor, who cannot fatten on dead-head passports,
could but feel that there was enough Of truth in
the satire of my friend to make it sting
What we lack, gentlemen of the Association,
is pride OF profession and pride Of State. If we
have as many inperfections as some would per
suade the public, let US Il arm lesson from the
conduct Of the children of Noah, when he
drunken and uncovered within his tent Ham
fasaW the naFeQneSS OF his 1aUnGr ana IOtQ hdS
flco brethren lgitAolft." Shem and Japheth took
garment and laid it upon both their shoulders,
and went backward and covered the nakedness
of their father; and their faces were backward
and they saw not their fathers nakedness. The
curse which fell upon Canaan and the blessings
which were shOwered upon Shem and Japheth
are matters of Biblical history. II you cannot
speak well of your brother, do not speak i'll /
am not to be understood as urging that you shall
and with all the fol- OF language, the principle,
policy and practices which he ADVOCATES; De
nounce these, if you please. What urge is that
you shall not indulge In personalities. GU shalt
award to him as honorable motives for the course
he pursues as those which actuate you IN your
course, unless you have facts-not supiclons,
surmises, hearsays, which any enemy may
adrOiIly originate and give currency 10
not facts which might probably satisfy your
mind biased by opposition and glowing with the
c01vfnco an honest unpreiudiced Jury of the
convince AZ AZ 1isT t{eiJ of fhe New York
Tribune, in his address before the University OF
New York, Schools of journalism says;
consumed in wardng of attacks upon its editor
or making attacks upon his antagonist which no
wise concern the justice or acceptabihty OF the
principles it advances. The public is invited 10
discussion of the political crisis; ana Is regaieu
with an onslaught upon editor smith, because nc
once supported a Custom House, though ne now
has the unblushing audacity TO stand on ram
many Republican platform; is asked to CONSIDER
tbe grave situation at the South, and Is met by
Remuneration of Editor jenkins because his part
ner made money by running cotton through INC
blockade or his brother-in-law had wife's
ing to the reader, and it is not prom able 70 the
editor. No man is 50 good as his preaching, ana
sound discussion of public AFFAIRS viii always geI
fairer hearing when no mans peIsohallty COiois
or compromises il. 80,
If an editor cannot express his thoughts with
all the sonorous elOquence of Bohngbrokei nor
with the prose terseness and poetlc beauty OF
Maeaulay, he can at least abstain nom haekolc
ting and libel. He can at least refuse the use OF
his columns to tattlers and tale-bearers- lie can
at least attack the principles or poilcy OF an OPP
ponent without making haste to suspect his mo
lives OF impeach his personal integrity anu thus
an editor can do more to exalt and MAINTAIN tue
dignity of his profession than he can by the dls-
play of the profoundest learning or the highest
skill as political dialectician.
1t may be well for US, occasionally, ITO see
ourselves as others see US" 1t may
"Frae monnie a blunder free US
An foolish notion"
De TocqueviIle, in hrs great work, "Democ-
racy in America" says:
are no licenses 10 be granted TO printers. no
securities demanded from Editors as in France,
and no stamp duty as in France and England
This du5y was repealed in England in 1901
The conseq uence Is that nothing is easier than 20
set up a newspaper, IS a small number Of sub
scribers sufiiccs TO defTay the ext enses. Hence
the number OF periodicals and semi pertooicai
publications IN the United States is almost in
credibly large The most enlightened Ameri-
cans attribue the little influence Of the Press 10
this excessive disse miuation of the power. =
In America there is scarcely ham
let which has not its newspaper. It may be
readily ims giued Il at neither discipline nor
unity Of action can be established snong 20
many cOmbatantsi and each one conscq ueutsy
6ghts under his own standard Ali the poll J.
ca journals Of the United States are indeed
arrayed on the side OF the Administration or
against It, but they attack and defend Il IN a
thousand different ways. They cannot form
those great currents Of opinion which sweep
sway the strongest dikes. This division tf the
influence Of the Press produces other cOnsequ9n-
aefV less ram kah