Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1874-01-28
criticism or Public Men BY tho Press.
From tie New York Tlme,.l

" run TIC NeW tOrk Aimer.
It will be = very gloomy day for thii
| country when there IL not q considera-
BILE number OF newspapers able and
willing to candldly examine the char
acter Of public men. IL we reflect an
Instant. we shall see that the existence
OF an intelligent. firm and dlslnterest-
ell press Is an indispensable condition
to the success Of representative govern.
ment these times. We could not make
free Institutions work without Ii. We
are nota community OF Athenlan DEM
ocrats-we cannot all get together In
Z public place and talk over the claims
to confijencs Of public men. most OF
whom we know personally. We must
have the best agents We can get to
transact u public business, and we
can only select them OIL the knowl-
edge we get through the newspapers.
Very few OF us have any other means
Of information. and the Intimate
knowledge q few influential men may
have concerning candidates for public
favor would be useless In ~ country u
II could not be communicated through
the papers.
Most people. even the sensitive pub
lie servants We have referred to, will
acknowledge these truths In the alb
stract ; but they shrink from the APP
pllcatlon. Yet we must have them APP
piled. The people must know all they
can fairly learn about the men whom
they are asked to employ. In his pri-
vate business, every careful citizen In.
vesligates = mans character before he
tgusts him. lie often investigates n
great many thing, likely to throw
light on character which IL Is unpleas-
ant for the employe to have lnoSed in-
to. lie does not hesitate TO Inquire Ne
to a clerks associates, or n cashiers
habits Of expenditure, o the places
In which . hook keeper passes his
leisure time. Every public man must
be ready to submit, not to these In
quiries, for they concern private re-
latlon', but TO such ~ will throw the
same light OH their fitness for public
trust which these throw upon fitness
for private trust. Doubtless the result
Is not always agreeable to those whose
career Is the subject Of inquiry, neither
Is the process agreeable to those who
90 through with it. IL Il often labor
ious. sometimes tediou, and vex,tious.
aud very apt to be thankless. The ap.
probation OF such services by the gem
eral public would afford but q slight
compensation for the performance Of
them. But they are necessary. and
they are generally rendered, precisely
rs the best services OF men In public
places are rendered, from All honorable
desire TO do some good work In the lit
tie time that each has To labor.
Nothing can be palmer than that
the most careful scrutiny OF the history
aud character OF public men not only
Il proper, but II !, n duty to which the
press Is bound. 1t Is a duty, too. not
less to the community In which the
press exists. but to The press itself.
We should have small faith In the
progress and prosperity OF the news
papers Ia this country u VIC did not
know that so many Of them are con
Quoted by honest aud courageOu, men,
VINO cannot be bought, and who have
too much sense 10 become snbServient
to any set nj selfish men. IL Is upon
such men that the life OF the press aud
lts usefulness aud growth IN power de-
pend. The politicians who would make
| the press their tool would soon ruin IL,
as we'll as lnlict lasting injury OH the
country.