Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-07-23
The Independent Press and Its Victims.

Mr.. Hannibal Hamlin, of the State
of Maine, has been making an address at
Bangor, and as it was necessary for him
to say something, this is what he said
"The so-called Independent press has
nothing to do but scandaize the whole people
and public men in particular it is the food
they live on"
1t is so long since we have seen Mr..
Hamlin's name In print, either in the
Independent press or any other, that
we had fogotten there was Senator of
the United States bearing that patro-
nymic. Being aware, perhaps, that his
only ground of complaint against the
Independent press was its failure to
scandalize" him, he proceeded to re-
mark that it (the press aforesaid) had
never accused him of stealing, "but
God knows how soon they will !" Very
likely. 1t may also be assumed that
God knows how soon they won't. They
won't begin until he commences to steal,
and that will be the very time when he
will be most exasperated at finding his
name in print. Generally, a correct
Judgment can be formed of the guilt
or innocence OF public man under ac-
cusation by observing his contortions.
If he is innocent, he will either not no.
tice the accusation, and will make
prompt and good-tempered denial. If
he is guilty, he will most likely roar
like bull of Bashan, threaten libel
suit, and utter some jargon about the
RIGHTEOUSNESS of the press. Mr.. Ham
Inns utterance at Bangor, however, is
not to be tnken as evidence of guilt,
since he has not been under accusation.
1t is evidently the product of feeble
mind in the dire extremity for some
thing TO say. As one representative
of the malevolent and scandalizing In
dependent press we say to Mr.. Hamlin:
Do for Heavens sake rob aclothes-h line.
Get yourself indicted for something. Ii
it was not givenyou to fire the Ephesian
dome, you can at least suck an egg
or knock the boards off pig-pen. Dis
pei the everlasting monotony that sur
rounds the seat of Hamlin.
Whoever put Mr.. Hamlin up to this
braying, it affords the text for an OBJ
servation on the remarkable fact that
the Independent press, very few innum-
bers as it Is, seems to be of more ac-
count to the politicians than all the Re-
publican and Democratic newspapers
combined. 1t is assumed by them that
Republican newspaper will not criti-
else with any severity a Republican
officeholder. There are few excep-
tons, it is true, but these exceptions
are semi-Independent newspapers. and
are only a trife less licentious and
scandalizing than the Independent
press. If Democratic newspaper as
sails Republican officeholder, no reply
is needed, of course. because that is its
trade. It's vocation, according to the
low standard of modern politics, is to
tell lies about the other side, or to
swap lies with the organs of the oppos-
ing party. But let an Independent
newspaper, if it has any character of it's
own, make charge upon an officehold-
er, Republican or Democratic, and
Rome begins to howl forthwith. Then,
and not till then, do we hear loud OBJ.
jurgations from Credit Mobilier gentry,
salary- grabbers, ringmasters, ct I'd ge-
nus onane, concerning the depravity OF
the press. Then, and not before, do
we witness efforts to muzzle the press
by sending all the editors to Washing
ton City to be tried before juries OF
small ofiocholders fer alleged ibels Of
the great ones.